PHOENIX—The first Best Western hotel to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards recently broke ground in Golden, Colo. The 86-room Best Western Inn and Suites at Dinosaur Ridge in the west Denver area is expected to be complete in May 2009. This $13 million project is being designed to achieve a silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It will be the first LEED-certified property in Golden. Gateway Development Group, developer of the hotel, has plans to build another three LEED-certified properties in the Denver area. “This is a leading-edge green property, and we...

ATLANTA—Hotel Indigo will celebrate Earth Day 2008 by announcing its partnership with Earth Share, a nationwide network of the United States’ most respected environmental and conservation organizations. It is the first partnership of this kind for the brand and will serve as the foundation of Hotel Indigo’s commitment to the environment through implementation of sustainable building practices, hotel operating procedures, guest-engagement activities and community-related and charitable giving events. “Hotel Indigo is beginning its journey of environmental commitment and is proud to have Earth Share’s support in this first of many steps for the brand,” said Gayle Jett, Director, Brand Management,...

LAS VEGAS—The Palazzo Las Vegas, a Las Vegas Sands Corp. property, announced that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) made its green status official with the presentation of a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certificate at an award ceremony held on Wednesday, April 9. Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons and David E. Rodgers, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency at the U.S. Department of Energy, were also on hand to honor this accomplishment. During the ceremony Governor Gibbons issued a proclamation in recognition of The Palazzo’s commitment to energy conservation. The DOE presented The Palazzo with “The Energy...

SAN DIEGO—Planners of the Eighth Annual Resort Conference, the only conference planned by resort executives for resort executives, are educating attendees about ways to incorporate sustainable practices into their own day-to-day operations while taking steps to become more environmentally friendly. Conference planners are cutting down on paper use at the three-day conference April 16-18 at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. Attendees will receive an electronic show program on a specially produced jump drive that will replace the traditional printed program. The drive will contain session descriptions, sponsor information, speaker bios, attendee directory and copies of session presentations. “It’s a...

PARK CITY, UTAH—Powdr Corp. announced that it will offset 100 percent of the grid-supplied electricity consumed at its seven ski and snowboard resorts and one tubing park through the purchase of renewable energy credits (RECs) beginning in June 2008. Powdr Corp.’s purchase of nearly 50 million kWh of RECs is the second largest among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) partners in the travel and leisure category. “We are passionate about the snow sports industry and the quality of life it provides to our families, team members and guests,” said Brent Giles, director of environmental affairs for Powdr Corp. “Our...

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—Hilton Hotels revealed that it delivered energy savings of more than 10 percent in 2007 across its portfolio of more than 80 properties in Europe. Water consumption also fell by 5 percent, the equivalent to nearly 75 Olympic sized swimming pools. “In just two years we are seeing some very real and tangible results across Europe,” says Wolfgang M. Neumann, president of Hilton Hotels-Europe. “We made a commitment in January 2006 to think green, take action and responsibility to switch to more environmentally sustainable methods of working. Today’s results speak for themselves.” Hilton has made these impressive reductions through...

SCARBOROUGH, MAINE—National Geographic Traveler magazine has named Scarborough, Maine’s historic Black Point Inn and South Casco, Maine’s Migis Lodge to its first-ever “Stay List.” The list, launched as an annual feature, debuts in the April 2008 issue of the magazine; it features 150 properties which best represent an authentic “sense of place” in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The magazine’s Stay List recommends the best places to stay the night that embrace authenticity, are dedicated to giving back to the community, and are mindfully green, according to editorial staff. “It’s thrilling to see how many...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. and the state of Amazonas signed an agreement to support the first project of its kind to help protect 1.4 million acres of endangered rainforest. This innovative partnership between government and the private sector is one of the first in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. Marriott has committed $2 million to fund an environmental management plan administered by the newly created Amazonas Sustainable Foundation. By year end, Marriott guests and group customers will also be able to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated from their hotel stays by contributing to this rainforest...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking organizations to join the Energy Star Low Carbon IT Campaign. By enabling the power management, or sleep mode, on their computers and monitors, organizations will help reduce our growing demand for electricity, and save money while fighting climate change. If all office computers and monitors in the United States were set to sleep when not being used, the country could save more than 44 billion kWh or $4 billion worth of electricity and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of about 5 million cars each year. “Although the work...

NATIONAL REPORT—Not so long ago, ice machines were not purchased based on energy or water efficiency. That all changed when the economy began to experience some bumps five to 10 years back, which is when most hotel chains began to take a much closer look at their operational costs. In response to concerns about costs, as well as environmental impact, manufacturers of ice machines began producing more efficient equipment. The results have definitely been favorable. In the last five years, according to experts, ice machine energy efficiency has improved by about 15 to 20 percent, and some models are...