SAN FRANCISCO—Joie de Vivre’s eco-friendly efforts continue to receive statewide accolades—the most recent from the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) and the City of Berkeley. CH&LA awarded the Hotel Carlton the 2008 Lodging Property Achievement Award for “Good Earthkeeping” and the City of Berkeley gave Hotel Durant the “Expanding Sustainability Award.”
The Hotel Carlton, the first Joie de Vivre property to be green certified, was recognized by the CH&LA for “Good Earthkeeping” in a large-sized property. The award is given to a property that has been successful in areas such as energy conservation, waste reduction, water conservation, effluents and emissions and that has developed a culture that integrates environmental management practices that improve everyday operations and the bottom line, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations.
The Hotel Carlton was certified as a Green Business in 2007 by the City of San Francisco, which has some of the strictest green standards in California. The carbon-neutral property was also the first in the city to place solar panels on its roof. As winner of the CH&LA award, Hotel Carlton’s nomination will automatically be entered in the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s national Stars of the Industry Awards competition.
Meaningful Recognition
“The team at Hotel Carlton was delighted to receive the Good Earthkeeping award,” said Hotel Carlton general manager Pam Flank. “It means a lot to be given this award from such an esteemed organization and to be acknowledged on a state-wide level.”
The Hotel Durant was awarded the “Expanding Sustainability Award” by the City of Berkeley in recognition of its efforts in greening and sustainability. Hotel Durant, Berkeley’s only full-service boutique hotel, joined the Joie de Vivre collection in October of 2008 following a $9 million renovation and was certified as a Green Business by the County of Alameda shortly thereafter.
“This was great news for us,” says Hotel Durant General Manager James Lim. “After being certified green, it’s wonderful to see the hotel continuing to be awarded for its environmental efforts.”
Green Dreams Initiative
Joie de Vivre, California’s largest boutique hotel collection, is working toward green certification for its 30 properties through the “Joie de Vivre Green Dreams” environmental initiative, which is focused on preserving the environment by incorporating sustainability into the company’s core business practices. Ten hotels are expected to be green certified by the end of 2008 by their city or county authorities. The company recently launched a dedicated “Joie de Vivre Green Dreams” portal on its website that features the company’s green policies and practices; a green certification “scorecard” for hotels; green travel tips; and links to environmental resources.
“With Joie de Vivre continuing its greening efforts, it’s wonderful to see our hotels get recognized for all that has been done so far,” says Karlene Holloman, senior vice president of operations at Joie de Vivre and chair of the company’s Green Committee. “We are quickly reaching our company-wide goal of meeting the green standards in each city or county that our hotels are located in. It’s a huge commitment, and we’re up for the challenge.”
Go to Joie de Vivre.
