CONCORD, CALIF.—It got official as it can get earlier this year on June 5. It was on that day that the Hilton Concord in Concord, Calif., was designated the Sustainability Flagship by Interstate Hotels & Resorts in a proclamation released by the Office of the Mayor of the City of Concord. The 329-key hotel was selected by Interstate to be the green prototype of what could be rolled out across the company’s other five wholly-owned and managed hotels. “Our plan is to implement similar programs and technologies at our other five wholly-owned hotels as part of our annual planned capital...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Costa Dorada Associates, Miami, is behind an effort to install six 40-foot, 4 kilowatt wind turbines on the roof of its 375-key Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. The turbines will be positioned on each corner and center of the hotel’s rooftop. Installation is expected to begin in September with completion by the end of the year. The estimated cost is $500,000, part of which Costa Dorada Associates hopes to pay through rebates from state and federal government.Andreas Ioannou, general manager, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, said the wind turbines are part of a larger effort to increase...

BARAHONA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC—What was once a family retreat for the Schiffino family, Casa Bonita Lodge is making its mark as one of the most sustainable destinations in the Caribbean. Set on 160 acres of unspoiled land in the Dominican Republic’s Barahuco Mountains, the lodge is partially powered by a 6.5-kilowatt hydroelectric generator situated on the Riosito River. The generator meets 30 percent of the 14-villa lodge’s electricity needs. According to Sandra Beltran, vice president of sales and marketing for Prohotel International, the company that manages the lodge, the goal is to upgrade the hydro plant so that it supplies...

BOSTON—Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Hostelling International USA (HI-USA) officials, community leaders and travelers last week celebrated the grand opening of the new Boston hostel located in the heart of downtown Boston at the intersection of the Midtown Cultural District, Theater District, and Chinatown. The new 480-bed Boston hostel, which replaces the 208-bed hostel currently located in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood, has been built to LEED green building certification program standards and is expected to be the first LEED Certified hostel in the nation.“I congratulate Hostelling International on this great new facility and welcome the many new visitors it will...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Marriott International, Inc. announced the first hotel to open as part of its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment) Volume Program—The Courtyard Scottsdale Salt River in Arizona. The hotel is also the first Marriott-branded property built on U.S. tribal land in cooperation with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, creating nearly 30 jobs.“This partnership is a symbol of Marriott’s commitment to working with diverse business partners,” said Eric Jacobs, chief development officer, North American Lodging, Marriott International. “Our business thrives on partnerships with organizations that share similar philosophies and values. We believe that we have found a great...

DALLAS—The Omni Dallas Hotel, which opened its doors last November, has received LEED Gold New Construction (NC) certification, making it the first and only LEED Gold hotel in Texas and the largest LEED Gold hotel in the United States outside of Las Vegas. This designation was made possible by the development and execution of a highly disciplined plan that included the use of recycled and regionally-sourced materials, reduced construction pollution and water conservation initiatives. Upon opening, the hotel has also instituted practices to operate at LEED Gold standards.“The Omni Dallas Hotel is living up to its expectations in every...

STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced plans to open Element Harrison in summer of 2014, five miles from Newark Liberty International Airport. Owned and developed by Harrison Hotel 1, an entity of Ironstate Holdings, LLC, a Hoboken, N.J.-based developer, and managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Element Harrison will join Element Ewing Princeton as the brand’s second hotel in New Jersey. The new Element will have 138 guestrooms and suites built green from the ground up.Element Harrison will be walking distance to a variety of shops and restaurants and within proximity to Newark’s business district. Less than...

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—Shore Hotel announced it has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is USGBC’s rating system for designing, constructing and maintaining the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings and the Shore Hotel, designed by Gensler, is the first property in Santa Monica to receive this distinction.“Shore Hotel is honored to receive LEED Gold certification,” says Steve Farzam, COO of Shore Hotel. “We support ongoing efforts to be responsible and sustainable in every area of our business and through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment and dedication to...

DELAVAN, WIS.—When the husband-and-wife team of Fritz Kreiss and Catherine McQueen learned that a two-lane highway adjacent to their five-acre property in Delavan, Wis. would be expanded to four lanes they could have tried to sell the land with their cottage on it. Instead, they decided to build perhaps North America’s greenest lodging establishment—the 19-suite Green Leaf Inn that will be a net zero energy property. Net zero energy properties generate more energy than they consume. The Green Leaf Inn is scheduled to open in the spring of next year.It is the owners’ intention for the inn to serve...

KAPAAU, HAWAII—Guests staying at the boutique-style Hawaii Island Retreat on Hawaii Island’s North Kohala coast can choose to stay in one of the Retreat’s nine lavishly appointed guestrooms or “rough” it a little bit and stay in one of the property’s seven well-appointed yurts. No matter what accommodations are chosen, guests have the satisfaction of knowing they are staying in a place that is off the grid—powered by the sun and wind.The Hawaii Island Retreat is nearing its third anniversary. It opened on April 1, 2009. Jacque Waters, associate director at the property, said the owners—Jeanne Sunderland and Robert...