MONTEREY, CALIF.—Portola Hotel & Spa announced that it has earned LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, one of the most widely recognized designations in sustainable building and operations worldwide. The certification affirms what Portola has long believed: that genuine hospitality and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, evaluates buildings across a rigorous set of criteria including energy efficiency, water conservation, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and sustainable site development. Earning Gold certification places Portola Hotel & Spa among a distinguished class of properties that have demonstrated measurable, verifiable commitment to reducing their environmental footprint.
“When we earned LEED Silver Certification in 2010, we made a promise to keep improving,” said Janine Chicourrat, Managing Director at Portola Hotel & Spa. “This Gold certification is the result of more than a decade of investment, innovation, and genuine commitment from our entire team. We are proud of how far we have come and motivated by how much further we can go.”
Located steps from the scenic Monterey Bay, Portola Hotel & Spa is the first hotel on California’s Central Coast to earn LEED Certification in the Existing Building category. The hotel diverts more than 75 percent of all waste from landfills annually and features Green Label Plus carpets and wallcoverings made from post-consumer recycled materials. Guestrooms are equipped with energy-efficient appliances, low-flow water fixtures, and recyclable amenity containers, while the property’s solar-heated pool and on-site cogeneration system efficiently produce electricity and hot water.
Brewery Uses Heat-Exchange System
Sustainability extends beyond the hotel’s walls to its on-site brewery, Peter B’s, which uses a heat-exchange system that recycles water during the brewing process and saves thousands of gallons annually. In partnership with Blue Strike Environmental, Portola also offers its Reduced Waste Conference Program, providing groups of 30 or more with a customized post-event Sustainability Report that tracks landfill diversion, carbon emissions avoided, water and food saved, and seafood sourcing aligned with Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines. Together, these initiatives create a holistic framework that minimizes environmental impact while equipping planners with meaningful ESG reporting tools.
This summer, the hotel plans to launch a self-guided sustainability tour that invites guests to explore these initiatives firsthand, turning environmental commitment into an immersive part of the guest experience.
“LEED is a transformative tool that ensures a building is designed and operated to achieve high performance, improve human health and protect the environment,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “By prioritizing sustainability, Portola Hotel & Spa is leading the way in their industry and helping USGBC continue towards our goal of green buildings for everyone within this generation.”
More than 129,000 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 12 billion square feet of construction space across all 50 states and more than 186 countries and territories.
For more information on Portola Hotel & Spa’s sustainability efforts, visit https://www.portolahotel.com/eco-friendly-hotel.
