SYRACUSE, N.Y.—The 58-room Hotel Skyler, set to have its soft opening here in Syracuse on April 1, could soon join the exclusive club of hotels that have earned LEED Platinum certification. There are just two other U.S. properties that have earned such a distinction—the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., and the Bardessono in Yountville, Calif. Hotel Skyler, which is pursuing the top-level LEED designation, is truly unique; it was first a synagogue constructed in 1921 and later a home for a theater group. According to Tom Fernandez, director of marketing for the Syracuse-based Woodbine Group, which owns Hotel Skyler, the property originally was set to be high end apartments and lofts until the recession hit.
“We ‘sat’ on the building and did some asbestos remediation and then asked ourselves, ‘Could this be a hotel?’” Fernandez says. “We have been working on the project for two years now. The hotel has been under construction for the last seven months.”
Lynee Sauer, LEED AP on the project who is also with the Woodbine Group, says Hotel Skyler’s location and history strengthen its sustainability story. The building is positioned at the center of the Syracuse University campus, Golisano Children’s Hospital, Upstate Medical Center, and Crouse Hospital.
Geothermal Heating & Cooling
While the Proximity Hotel and Bardessono both incorporate solar technologies into their operations, Hotel Skyler will not. Instead, the owners have invested in a geothermal heating and cooling system. Fifteen vertical wells were dug just adjacent to the hotel to, as Sauer explains, “harness the steady temperature of the earth.” Each well is 499 feet deep. Signage inside the hotel will help educate guests about how the geothermal system works.
LED lighting in public spaces and compact fluorescents in guestrooms will further enhance the hotel’s energy efficiency. A key card-based guestroom energy management system will ensure that lighting as well as the heating and cooling system is powered down when guests are not in their rooms. Low- and no-flow fixtures will save water—about 500,000 gallons annually—and pervious payment in the parking lot and entry way will ensure that rainwater enters the aquifer and not the storm water management system.
Regarding the hotel’s exterior, Sauer says all of the building’s original identity has been preserved. “We are preserving the historic integrity of the property,” she says. The building will retain the exterior décor of a synagogue. Inside the hotel, the design will be what Fernandez describes as “Bohemian eclectic” with a lot of earth tones and funky designs. Each guestroom will have its own unique art and design. Two two-level tree house suites will be included in the hotel. A portion of the revenue generated from the suites will benefit the Golisano Children’s Hospital across from the hotel. Because of the hospital’s design, it is known as “the tree house.”
Getting to LEED Platinum
For many reasons Hotel Skyler will earn enough points to reach LEED Platinum—its location, use of an existing structure, energy and water efficiency, attention to indoor air quality, use of sustainable materials (ninety-five percent of the wood used in the hotel is Forest Stewardship Council-certified), enhanced commissioning, and its overall design.
Once open, the hotel’s operation will reflect the owner’s green commitment. Green power will be purchased, green cleaning products will be used, a towel and linen reuse program will be in place, and recycling will reduce the flow of waste to the landfill. A green team will be put together to oversee the property’s green initiatives.
Because Hotel Skyler was built to such a high green standard, it received technical ($18,300) and financial ($119,795) assistance from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) through its New Construction Program.
Go to the Hotel Skyler.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
