SAN FRANCISCO—On Thursday, August 26, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants CEO Mike Depatie, president and COO Niki Leondakis and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that all of Kimpton’s 10 Bay Area hotels have been awarded the GS-33 Green Seal Silver certification in their pursuit for environmental responsibility. With 41 of its 50 hotels in 22 major metropolitan cities having already received certification, Kimpton is on the verge of becoming the first lifestyle boutique hotel company in the United States to attain 100 percent Green Seal certification at the Silver level or higher. On August 26, Kimpton invited San Francisco locals...

HELENA, MONT.—The Montana Innkeepers Assn. (MIKA), soon to be the Montana Lodging & Hospitality Assn., has partnered with Green Directory Montana to launch a Montana Sustainability in Hospitality Program for those owning and operating lodging establishments in Montana. The program was officially launched on August 1 and is the result of the work of a MIKA green lodging committee that had been meeting for more than a year. Stuart Doggett, executive director of MIKA, said that due to Montana’s budget crisis, it became apparent to MIKA that a green lodging program was not going to emerge out of a state...

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Jinjiang Inns, a leading Chinese budget hotel chain, recently introduced a range of new green hotel initiatives that aim to reduce disposable item usage, encourage recycling and reward environmental consciousness. One major new initiative is the “6 Small Pieces” plan, which will offer six different toiletry essentials to guests in rooms. These essentials will be recycled into either plastic or aluminum alloy items after usage, rather than going to landfill. Guests at Jinjiang Inns are also encouraged to bring their own toiletries and supplies, and are actually rewarded for doing so. Non-traditional Approach “We realize that our approach is definitely non-traditional for...

DENVER—Sage Hospitality has upped its own ante on helping the environment with its new Green Choice program. The “opt in” initiative offers guests the choice to decline daily housekeeping to reduce their carbon footprint while saving hotels money on energy, water and other costs. Introduced in March 2010 and currently offered at 18 Sage hotels across the country, such as The Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel and the Nines in Portland, Ore., Green Choice reflects a growing trend as hotel groups seek innovative solutions to save money—and the planet—amid challenging times for the travel industry. Green Choice has seen great success...

TORONTO—Looking for new ways to enhance the guest experience and help travelers stay fit and maintain a balanced lifestyle while away from home, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts recently announced an extension of its partnership with German automaker BMW to provide a complimentary hotel bicycle service featuring BMW Cruise Bikes. Already present in Fairmont’s Canadian properties, Fairmont hotels across the United States will introduce these state-of-the-art bikes as the newest benefit for guests. In addition to having a selection of regular BMW Cruise Bikes available, hotels will also boast some child-sized BMW Junior Cruise Bikes, allowing families to enjoy the...

LAKE TAHOE, CALIF.—Days two and three of the West Coast Green Lodging Conference, held at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe—Hotel & Ski Resort, were highlighted by presentations by the following: Kelly May, who is with the California Department of General Services’ California Green Lodging Program; Janine Chicourrat, general manager, Portola Hotel & Spa; and Sara Schoen, LEED AP, commercial real estate associate, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In her presentation, May described how more than 200 hotels in California are benefiting from participating in that state’s Green Lodging Program—a program focused on minimizing waste, conserving energy and water, green purchasing,...

BANGKOK—Soneva Fushi’s 70-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant system has achieved eight months of successful operation. It is the largest renewable energy plant currently operating in the Maldives, a country that has brought international attention to the issue of global warming and rising sea levels. Soneva Fushi is Six Senses’ flagship resort. “This is a significant first step in achieving our commitment of a net zero carbon footprint for Soneva Fushi by 2012 as well as supporting the carbon reduction goals of the Maldives government,” said Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and chairman of Six Senses. “We are hoping that our example...

PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh announced that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. “We are proud to continue Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ tradition of operational sustainability and responsible tourism here at the Pittsburgh location,” Czarnecki said. “In fact, Fairmont Pittsburgh is the first LEED certified project for Fairmont, and we are looking forward to growing our reputation as a responsible member of this community.” Fairmont Pittsburgh, which opened on March 29, 2010,...

CHICAGO—Hotel Felix Chicago has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for commercial interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first hotel in Chicago to earn this environmental status. The LEED rating system is the preeminent internationally recognized building certification system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient and high performance buildings. Designed by Chicago-based Gettys, whose design and procurement team is largely staffed by LEED Accredited Professionals, Hotel Felix meets LEED standards for its adaptive reuse of an existing urban structure, convenient access to public transportation, and the use of...

LAKE TAHOE, CALIF.—Approximately 80 people, including exhibitors and speakers, attended the first day of the West Coast Green Lodging Conference at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe—Hotel & Ski Resort. Conference activities included a keynote presentation by Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, as well as presentations by the following: Randy Gaines, vice president of engineering for Hilton Worldwide; David Hansen, chief engineer, Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe—Hotel & Ski Resort; and Gary Golla, LEED AP, Sera Architects, Inc. In his presentation, “The ‘Green’ State of the Lodging Industry,” Hasek elaborated on the 10 trends he sees driving the...