LOS ANGELES—This spring, Los Angeles will have an artful new sanctuary to showcase Southern California’s eclectic cultural landscape. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the leading boutique hotel company, is preparing for the debut of its latest project, Hotel Palomar Los Angeles. Located in Los Angeles’ upscale Westwood neighborhood, adjacent to Beverly Hills at 10740 Wilshire Blvd., the sophisticated boutique hotel will boast an art theme, environmentally-friendly focus, 268 guestrooms and sweeping city views. The Hotel Palomar brings Kimpton’s award-winning environmentally responsible practices to Los Angeles. Beyond paying lip-service to the green trend, Kimpton sees its eco-friendly efforts as integral to its...

ANDERSON, CALIF.—Just south of the town of Redding, Calif., a new 122-room green hotel is nearing completion in the town of Anderson. Gaia at Anderson, built for $14 million and scheduled to open in March, is the latest project from Wen-I Chang, creator of America’s first LEED Gold certified hotel—the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon, Calif. Maintaining his high standards for the ultimate in an eco-friendly hotel, Chang has directed the construction crew to use state-of-the-art green building practices. Scraps of wood, cardboard and metal left over from the nearly completed construction are recycled. The contractor...

STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.—The Massachusetts Lodging Assn. awarded The Red Lion Inn the Good Earthkeeping Award at the Stars of the Industry Awards ceremony in Boston on February 12. The award recognizes a property that is a leader in the industry for its good earth keeping efforts. The Red Lion Inn won the award for the Up to 150 Rooms category. Good earth keeping is a vital part of The Red Lion Inn’s company culture and the way it conducts business. The Red Lion has integrated effective environmental management practices into as many aspects of its operation as possible and staff...

TOBERMORY, ONTARIO—With its six suites, the E’Terra Inn here serves as one of the best examples of sustainable building in Canada and the United States. Ninety-five percent of products and materials used throughout the inn were made in North America, and the property is one of the first in the world to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status. It was awarded that designation in 2005 by the Canada Green Building Council. E’Terra sits within the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve, at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula separating Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. The luxury property...

BEREA, KENTUCKY—It was in 1909 that Berea College, located here, first opened the Boone Tavern Hotel. Next year, 100 years after its opening, the college intends to reopen the hotel as a green property, one that will pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings Gold certification. The hotel, which is managed by Atlanta-based Cornerstone USA, is currently undergoing a $9.6 million renovation. If Berea College achieves its LEED Gold goal, the Boone Tavern Hotel will be the first Gold-certified property in Kentucky and one of the first in the United...

KINGSTON, ONTARIO—Bill Allinson, one of the owners of the Confederation Place Hotel here, was skeptical at first when approached several years ago about installing a $52,000 rooftop solar water heating system. At the time he thought that money could be better spent on FF&E, marketing and other necessities. Eventually, he changed his mind and now the 95-room property is benefiting big time from a system he describes as almost maintenance-free. With the help of a federal grant, which took care of 25 percent of the system’s cost, a 20-panel rooftop system was installed on the hotel’s roof in November 2005....

UNITY VILLAGE, MO.—The Unity Village Hotel and Conference Center, opened January 2007, recently received LEED Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The hotel is the first lodging property in the Midwest to receive LEED certification and the sixth in the United States. LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” LEED-certified buildings conserve natural resources, reduce operating costs and foster healthier and more productive occupants. “Unity sought LEED certification for the Unity Village Hotel and Conference Center to reflect our deep concern for the environment as well as the well-being and comfort of our guests,”...

OLD SAYBROOK, CONN.—Situated on the site of one of New England’s first settlements (1623), the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa here has a rich history. Located in an environmentally sensitive area on the Connecticut River, one that recently has seen eagles return to it, the property is a champion of energy conservation and environmental protection. The 82-room inn has been run by the Tagliatela family since it opened as a renovated property in 1989. Stephen Tagliatela, co-owner, says the inn is the first full-service lodging establishment in Connecticut to earn the Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and...

MIAMI—One would not expect a property’s environmental champion to come out of the security department but that is what has happened at the 221-room Four Seasons Hotel Miami. It was about four and one-half years ago that Bob O’Neill, directory of security, expressed an interest in helping the hotel with its recycling. What he did not realize at the time was that he would end up leading the charge to get the hotel certified under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Lodging Program. “I brought my own personal interest in the environment to this hotel,” O’Neill says. “I had...

TRUCKEE, CALIF.—Located more than a mile high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco, the Cedar House Sport Hotel has been very well received since it opened in mid-2006. Business is good and the owners of the 42-room property have successfully staked their claim as developers of one of the most environmentally efficient buildings around. Ironically, the owners—the husband and wife team of Jeff and Patty Baird—had never run a hotel or inn prior to opening their Truckee-based property. They have significant travel experience, however, especially in Europe, and learned a lot about how a...