number of times now I have received press releases from folks with inaccurate information regarding the number of LEED Platinum hotels in North America. This week, for example, a PR agency sent me a release about the W San Francisco, stating that it is the fourth hotel in North America to reach LEED Platinum status. Somebody did not do their homework as the W San Francisco is really the fifth hotel in North America to earn LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). I suggested retracting the original release and sending out a correct version. Will it happen? What will probably happen is false information getting relayed from one source to the next. A recent article written by an industry publication contributor also included inaccurate information regarding the number of LEED Platinum hotels. I wrote to the reporter to tell him the correct information. He had just republished information from another source without checking on it.
At one time, USGBC made it quite difficult to access the list of LEED certified hotels. Now it is quite easy to access the list. So why the inaccurate information? For the record, here are the five properties currently with LEED Platinum certification: Hotel Skyler, Proximity Hotel, Bardessono, College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, and W San Francisco. There are others outside of North America with LEED Platinum certification.
Be sure to check the USGBC list frequently as it is often updated. For example, according to the list, the Thompson’s Point Hotel in Portland, Maine registered for certification just a few days ago.
