In next week’s column I will be highlighting the 10 most read Green Lodging News articles of 2020. It will be interesting to see how many had to do with COVID-19.
While the article I just posted on Hotel Marcel may not make it because of its posting late in the year, it certainly deserves consideration as one of the most important hotel stories of both this year and 2021. Be sure to read the article.
Hotel Marcel is the project of architect Bruce Becker, Founder and Director of Becker + Becker, Westport, Conn. Becker purchased the New Haven, Conn. building being converted to Hotel Marcel last year. The 165-room boutique property, which Becker expects to be completed next summer, is a true recycling effort. The former Armstrong Rubber Company Building, aka Pirelli Building, originally designed by Marcel Breuer in 1967, has sat vacant for about 20 years and is requiring some major upgrades including asbestos removal.
Once open, the hotel will be a net-zero hotel with more than 1,000 solar panels on three parking canopies and the building’s rooftop. Becker is pursuing LEED Platinum certification—a rarity for a hotel in the United States and anywhere for that matter—and Passive House certification. Hotel Marcel will be the first Passive House certified hotel in the United States. The program is run by the Passive House Institute US, Inc. (PHIUS). Becker described the certification as a new standard on the cutting edge, simpler than LEED, and focused on the envelope of the building. According to PHIUS, buildings that meet the PHIUS+ standard use 40 to 60 percent less energy for space conditioning than conventional buildings. Hotel Marcel will use 20 percent the electricity of a comparable hotel its size.
Focus on Energy Efficiency
Aside from the solar, many additions to the building will result in superior energy efficiency: triple-glazed windows, new insulation, an energy recovery system, and high-efficiency VRF air-source heat pumps, LED lighting, and all lighting will use low-voltage power-over-ethernet (POE) technology.
“We have designed the building with good ventilation,” Becker says. “Every guestroom has 100 percent outdoor air coming into it. Merv13 air filters will be used. The restaurant will have an all-electric kitchen. “The chefs will be able to produce food more sustainably,” Becker adds. “Ventilation hoods will use a lot less energy.”
Chesapeake Hospitality will manage the property and helped select the Hilton Tapestry brand for it. “It was important to have a good operator and brand,” Becker says. The LEED Platinum Hotel Skyler in Syracuse, N.Y., written about several times on Green Lodging News, is also part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
Becker believes there should be more hotels in the United States like the Hotel Marcel. “There’s something wrong with the hotel industry,” he says. “There are a lot of hotels in the U.S. and I am all alone doing this and that is shocking for me. It will be a trend moving forward.”
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 24,793 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2021?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2021. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2021 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 24,793. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,787 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 981 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
