VANCOUVER, WASH.—The Hilton Vancouver Washington—one of the country’s first green, environmentally sustainable hotels—has been certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, the nationally accepted benchmark for green buildings. This coveted certification recognizes buildings’ superior performance in areas such as water savings, low-impact landscaping, reduced energy use and indoor air quality. The Hilton Vancouver Washington is the first LEED-certified Hilton in the world and one of only a handful of LEED-certified hotels in the United States. “We are obviously very proud to have a hotel in America’s Vancouver receive this prestigious certification,” says Mayor Royce Pollard. “It is...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marriott International Inc. announced that it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 70,000 tons in one year—the equivalent of removing 10,000 cars from U.S. streets. As the first hotel company to proactively join the prestigious U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Leaders Program, Marriott has set a five-year goal to reduce greenhouse gases by 6 percent per guestroom by 2010 and launched Marriott’s Retro-Commissioning (MRC) initiative last year to maximize energy in all U.S. hotels. As a result, Marriott reduced greenhouse gases in 2006 by 2 percent in each guestroom. Today, the company has been awarded...

NASHVILLE—In an ongoing effort to respond directly to client feedback as well as provide healthy environments for their guests and STARS (employees), Gaylord Hotels will become completely smoke free as of February 12, 2007. This includes the brand’s existing properties—Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Fla., and Gaylord Texan on Lake Grapevine near Dallas—as well as Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland, which is slated to open in 2008. The announcement was made by John Caparella, executive vice president and COO of Gaylord Hotels. “We pride ourselves on offering extraordinary environments...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Mirage’s $7 billion City Center project, an 18-million-square-foot development that will encompass 76 acres of the Las Vegas Strip between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts, is moving closer to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification one big bucket of dirt at a time. Construction has been underway for nine months now and foundations have been poured for each of the project’s seven towers. Set to open in late 2009, the mixed-use project will include the following: a soaring 60-story, 4,000-room hotel tower, casino and convention center; a five-star, 400-room Mandarin Oriental; 400-room Harmon...

CALIFORNIA—Guests of the Fairmont San Jose, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, Fairmont Miramar Santa Monica and the Fairmont Newport Beach can breathe easier thanks to the region’s comprehensive “Clean Air” initiative. Hybrid-driving overnight hotel guests now get free parking at all California Fairmont properties. “As one of many green programs our brand has embraced, we are pleased to offer our like-minded ‘green guests’ complimentary hybrid vehicle parking at all the California Fairmont hotels and resorts,” says Francisco Gomez, regional vice president of operations and general manager of the Fairmont San Francisco. “As leading environmental...

BOSTON—The Saunders Hotel Group (SHG) and its Four Diamond Lenox Hotel in Boston have received two of travel’s most prestigious awards. The Lenox Hotel was selected as the top urban hotel in the world on Conde Nast Traveler’s Annual Green List. The Saunders Hotel Group received a second prestigious award at the Skal International Ecotourism Awards Ceremony held in Thailand. Conde Nast Traveler’s exclusive list identifies the world’s top 12 crème de la crème hotels, destinations, and tour operators. Chosen by a panel of experts, the winners are judged for their commitment to environmental initiatives, their local communities...

CHICAGO—For the second year in a row, the Green Restaurant Assn. will have a Green Restaurant Products Pavilion at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago. The event will take place May 19 to 22 at McCormick Place. “The 2007 Pavilion will be 40 percent larger than 2006 and will be located in a new, central location,” says Michael Oshman, executive director of the Green Restaurant Assn. (GRA), Boston. “The Pavilion will feature the best environmental solutions for the restaurant industry.” Some of the vendors that will participate in the Pavilion include: Sloan Valve Co., Excel Dryer Inc., U.S. Huhtamaki, Earth Alive...

Many business owners and managers are well aware of the problems caused by hard water—from clogged pipes and iron stains to spotty glassware and inferior drinking water. What they’re not always aware of, however, is the impact of hard water on energy use and the associated costs. In hotels there are several types of equipment that can be affected by hard water, in terms of impaired efficiency and wasted energy: boilers, hot water heaters, cooling towers, humidifiers, washing machines, dishwashers, and shower heads to name a few. Let’s take a look at how hard water affects the energy efficiency of boilers....

WINTER PARK, COLO.—Winter Park Resort is stepping up its efforts to ensure good stewardship of natural resources through its new environmental initiative, Connexion. The Connexion program’s goal is to inform, involve and educate resort employees, guests and the community about the environment. Connexion includes energy reduction efforts with the purchase of sustainable wind energy credits, the utilization of single-use items made from renewable resources in the resort’s on-mountain restaurants, and an expanded recycling program. The new Eagle Wind chairlift is the latest beneficiary of wind energy, continuing Winter Park’s commitment to power all future lifts with renewable energy....

CLEVELAND, OHIO—The historic 1926 Federal Reserve building in Birmingham, Ala., will soon be part of Vantage Hospitality’s Lexington Collection and the only four-star hotel in the downtown area. The Federal Reserve Renovation and Tower is located at 4th Avenue North and 18th Street North, across the street from the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse and the historic former Federal Courthouse. Phase one will involve restoring the 1926 Federal Reserve building and annex into an office and retail facility, including multiple dining establishments. Phase two will create a new office tower, the top floors of which will be home to...