YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—When Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa was conceived, the vision was simple—to be the greenest and best luxury hotel in the world. Period. Clearly, this was not an easy undertaking. On February 2, 2009, at the absolute bottom (almost to the minute) of the lodging industry’s economy, Bardessono opened in Yountville in the heart of Napa Valley, California. This 62-room property was developed at a cost of more than $1 million per key, enabling it to quickly join Auberge, Calistoga Ranch, and Meadowood in the elite group of Napa Valley’s finest luxury hotels. Its differentiation was two-fold—its “greenness” and...

At one point, people living in 13th century England noticed something unusual when the bread they were buying from the local bakery simply did not taste the same. Oh, the price was right. In fact, in many cases the bread was even less expensive than it had been a few years earlier. But the taste and even the texture of the bread were different. Bakers, looking for a way to cut costs and compete with other bakers, were mixing “fillers” in with the flour dough. These fillers were typically ground beans and peas. They were safe, but they did...

Every year I spend a bit of time at our local AIA trade show. More often than not I’m just renewing friendships and saying hello to architects I’ve worked with over my 30 plus years as an interiorscaper.  However, a couple of years ago we featured three large photos, one of a green roof, one of a greenwall and one of green plants—and did we have action at our booth—everyone wanted to know about greenwalls! The photo was of a project we installed some 17 years ago. So while greenwalls aren’t exactly new, they are an idea whose time...

If I have learned anything after 20 years of managing engineering departments it is this: the most successful engineers thrive in an environment where their leadership has a thorough understanding and appreciation for what the hotel’s maintenance team does, and how its efforts contribute to the overall success of the property. Sounds obvious, right? But how often is this dynamic a reality? Perhaps more often, general managers’ priorities lay elsewhere, and when it comes to their engineering departments, their paradigm follows the mantra “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” So while their engineers likely welcome the sovereignty, it...

When many people think of hotels, they think of the big bed that will keep them comfortable while they’re on the road. But what happens when that bed wears out? The eco-minded consumer wants to know that their bed was disposed of in the most responsible manner possible. The good news for hoteliers is that mattress recycling locations are popping up all over the country. These companies take away old mattresses and box-springs and process them for safe, responsible recycling. Mattress recycling companies create jobs, help your company achieve green certification, and address a growing problem in the industry—bedbugs. At...

Unless incredibly eco minded, the majority of guests don’t want to hear about a hotel’s greening efforts around reductions in water, waste, energy and chemicals. Happily, the same is not true when it comes to food—a good story around food that’s local creates a unique and memorable dining experience, and adds great value to a guest stay. Letting the guest in on a story about the fungi forager who brings locally foraged mushrooms or fiddleheads to your menu, or details on the Nubian goats at a neighboring farm that produce the chevre for your velvety cheese cake, just makes food...

Featuring a distinctive color palette and the natural warmth of wood, exotic hardwoods can add style to lodging facilities. Their rich hues can contribute to nearly any interior ambience, while characteristics like dimensional stability and durability make exotic hardwoods well suited for flooring, furniture, cabinets, millwork and other decorative applications. Illegal-logging concerns can certainly supersede the design advantages of exotic hardwoods.  While such apprehensions are valid given deforestation problems in many tropical countries, it is important to note there are prominent exceptions. Exotic hardwoods can be—and are—grown and harvested to sustainable standards, and offer other environmental attributes. A primary example...

Let’s face it—the nature of the hotel industry as a whole is inherently wasteful. Hotel guests have expectations when traveling that, when met by the hotels, result in excessive waste. From energy and water use, to waste generation, hotel guests as a whole consume more resources when traveling than they do at home. Without conscious attention and focused efforts to reducing waste and over-consumption of natural resources, the hotel industry will continue to have a large and damaging environmental impact on the world. In evaluating this scenario, we find both good and bad news: the good news is that...

Congratulations. You’ve been LEED certified.  Now what? That is the question facing the owners and operators of more than one billion square feet of commercial space that have obtained LEED status under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Green Building Rating System. What they (and you) decide will make a big impact—it will mean the difference between one billion square feet of truly sustainable real estate, and one billion square feet of potentially sustainable real estate. The gap between real and potential sustainability lies in the way LEED is perceived. If you think attaining LEED is attaining sustainability, your answer to...

Hotels and resorts are facing increased costs for garbage collection as fuel for collection vehicles increases and landfills increase their dumping fees. Landfills also create environmental problems by polluting the ground water underneath and the air above them. These environmental problems are caused by organic waste. The organic waste component of landfill is broken down by micro-organisms to form a liquid ‘leachate’ which contains bacteria, rotting matter and often chemical contaminants. This leachate can present a serious hazard if it reaches open water or enters the water table. Organic matter in landfills also generates methane, which in large quantities...