FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—As reported previously on Green Lodging News, the Garden Hotel & Resort in Fort Lauderdale has deployed the CLEAR bathroom water ecosystem property wide. All 155 guestrooms now have ClearVanity under-sink filtration systems designed to help reduce chlorine, odor, sediment, heavy metals, and select common impurities before water reaches the faucet. In addition, all guestrooms feature ClearShower filtered shower heads featuring a 15-stage filtration system designed to reduce chlorine and other impurities before they contact skin and hair.
The technology, which incorporates UV lighting disinfection, stems from CLEAR’s extensive experience delivering advanced water purification solutions in large-scale residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments around the globe.
Gil Blutrich, Co-Founder & President of CLEAR INC., says his company has more than 5,000 installations in five countries but the Garden Hotel & Resort is the first lodging establishment to deploy the under-sink and shower systems.
“Our program is subscription based,” Blutrich says. “We install the systems at no cost and then hotels pay $15 per month per room. It is a very cost-effective solution.”
Fast Installation Time
First-time installation takes about five to 10 minutes per room. The filter is simply twist and replace. Filters must be changed every three months.
Blutrich says it is up to hotel owners/managers regarding how to position the wellness-enhanced room—a “water wellness suite” is one idea, for example. Signage on the bathroom mirror explains the filtration upgrades.
Blutrich says the program is a fit for any size hotel—even one with thousands of rooms. “We will assess your property to determine the exact system required, based on your building’s flow rate and plumbing layout,” he says. For a large hotel, a Clear UV system can be installed at the point of water entry and is engineered to integrate seamlessly with existing plumbing infrastructure.
Green Lodging News interviewed Tom Assouline, Owner, The Garden Hotel & Resort, to learn more about his hotel, its ClearVanity and ClearShower installations, and his company’s other sustainability initiatives.
1. Who owns the hotel? For how long? How old is the property? How recently was the renovation completed?
The Garden Hotel & Resort is owned by the Assouline family. Approximately four years ago, we acquired what was then the former Royal Beach Palace, along with several neighboring parcels, with a vision that extended far beyond renovating a hotel. We wanted to create an entirely new hospitality experience centered on wellness, nature, and genuine South Florida charm in an amazing location—just one block from the beach in North Fort Lauderdale’s Galt Mile district.
The original buildings date back to the 1960s. Rather than simply updating them cosmetically, we spent nearly three years completely reimagining the property from the ground up. Every guestroom and public space was thoughtfully redesigned as part of a comprehensive transformation led by me, together with my sister Lou Corda and my brother Harry Assouline.
Today, the resort spans six buildings with three pools, a putting green, beautifully landscaped tropical gardens, and our Mediterranean-inspired scratch kitchen, The Greenhouse Restaurant & Terrace. Our official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on November 12, 2025, marking the completion of the resort’s primary renovation and the beginning of an exciting new chapter.
The Garden Hotel & Resort is managed by Stay Hospitality, our family-owned hospitality management company, which allows us to remain personally involved in every aspect of the guest experience.
2. What led you to invest in filtering both faucet water and shower water? Were there health or scientific reasons behind the decision?
From the very beginning, our vision for The Garden Hotel & Resort has been to create a place where wellness is woven into every aspect of the guest experience—not just through spa-inspired amenities or healthy dining, but through the everyday details that often go unnoticed.
We had already embraced locally sourced organic ingredients, sustainable operations, and environmentally responsible practices throughout the property. Water naturally became the next frontier.
Like many homeowners, my family has enjoyed the benefits of filtered water at home for years. We experienced firsthand the difference it can make, not only in the taste of drinking water, but in everyday wellness. That experience made me ask a simple question: Why shouldn’t hotel guests enjoy that same quality of water during their stay?
When I met the team at CLEAR INC. and learned about their advanced filtration technology, it immediately aligned with our philosophy. We carefully evaluated the system, the science behind the filtration, and how it could enhance both guest wellness and sustainability before making the investment.
Today, every guestroom provides bottled-quality filtered water directly from the faucets, while the filtered shower system helps reduce exposure to chlorine and other common water contaminants. It’s one of those enhancements that many guests don’t expect, but once they experience it, they immediately appreciate the difference.
3. At what touch points are guests made aware of the filtered water? What steps are you taking to communicate it?
We’re currently expanding the sustainability section of our website to showcase the many green initiatives implemented throughout the resort, including our in-room water filtration system designed by CLEAR INC.
From the moment guests arrive, our team introduces them to the wellness-focused features that make The Garden Hotel & Resort unique, including the fact that every guestroom provides bottled-quality filtered water directly from the faucets and filtered shower water through the CLEAR system.
Guests also find informational signage in their rooms explaining the filtration system and encouraging them to enjoy the water for drinking, showering, brushing their teeth, filling reusable bottles, and preparing coffee. We believe it’s an amenity that deserves to be experienced, and once guests learn it’s available, they quickly begin incorporating it into their daily routines.
4. Do guests use the faucet to refill reusable water bottles?
Absolutely. Many guests choose to refill their own reusable bottles using the filtered faucet water throughout their stay.
Guests also use the filtered water to fill their in-room coffee makers, brush their teeth, and simply enjoy drinking directly from the faucet, something that is uncommon in many hotels.
The filtered shower system is equally appreciated. Many guests tell us they notice how much better their skin and hair feel after just a day or two, making it another meaningful part of the overall wellness experience.
5. What other green or environmentally conscious amenities do you offer?
Sustainability at The Garden Hotel & Resort isn’t defined by one initiative, it’s reflected throughout the entire guest experience.
At The Greenhouse Restaurant & Terrace, we feature a scratch-made Mediterranean-inspired menu built around fresh, locally sourced and organic ingredients whenever possible. We also maintain an on-site herb garden that supplies many of the herbs used by our culinary team. Our beverage program includes locally sourced cold-pressed juices, premium matcha, handcrafted botanical cocktails and mocktails featuring fresh herbs and natural ingredients.
Throughout our tropical landscaping, we avoid the use of pesticides to help support a healthier environment.
To encourage environmentally friendly transportation, we offer complimentary electric bicycles, a complimentary electric shuttle for nearby destinations, and on-site EV charging stations for guests with electric vehicles.
We’ve also worked to significantly reduce single-use plastics across the property. Guestroom amenities—including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, and lotion—are provided in refillable residential-style dispensers rather than disposable miniature bottles. Our in-room TAYST coffee pods are compostable, and guests may purchase reusable tumblers in our market while also taking advantage of the filtered water refill station at the resort.
In addition, guests who choose to forgo daily housekeeping may participate in our Green Choice program, receiving a dining credit while helping reduce water, energy, and detergent usage.
For us, sustainability isn’t a marketing campaign, it’s simply part of being a responsible hospitality company.
6. Are your pools saltwater or traditional chlorine?
Our pools currently utilize traditional chlorine systems to ensure the highest standards of water quality and guest safety. However, transitioning to saltwater systems is already part of our ongoing sustainability plan as we continue enhancing the property.
7. What steps have you taken to reduce energy consumption, water consumption, and waste?
Because this property underwent a complete redevelopment, sustainability was incorporated into the project from the beginning rather than added afterward.
During the renovation, we installed entirely new roofing systems, high-efficiency impact windows, modern HVAC systems, and energy-efficient mechanical infrastructure throughout the resort. These upgrades significantly reduce energy consumption while improving guest comfort in South Florida’s climate.
We’ve also implemented water-saving initiatives through our Green Choice housekeeping program, refillable guest amenities, reduced single-use plastics, compostable in-room coffee pods, filtered water refill options, and our investment in the CLEAR water filtration system, which encourages guests to drink directly from the filtered faucets rather than relying on bottled water.
Every improvement reflects our belief that sustainability and luxury can—and should—work together.
8. Tell us about the other properties your company manages. Are they pursuing similar sustainability initiatives?
Through Stay Hospitality, we currently manage approximately 300 vacation rental properties across South Florida. Because many of those homes are owned by individual homeowners, the scope of sustainability improvements varies, and major infrastructure decisions ultimately remain with each owner.
However, whenever possible, we actively encourage environmentally responsible upgrades and operational practices across the portfolio.
We’re especially excited about our next major hospitality project, a luxury boutique hotel currently under development in Miami Beach that is scheduled to open toward the end of 2027. Sustainability is being incorporated into that project from its earliest planning stages, and like The Garden Hotel & Resort, it will feature filtered water throughout the entire property as a core part of the guest wellness experience.
9. Do you plan to expand this filtered water program to your other managed properties?
Absolutely. The success of our partnership with CLEAR INC. has reinforced our belief that advanced water filtration represents the future of hospitality wellness.
We are actively developing plans to make these filtration systems available across our managed portfolio wherever feasible, and our new Miami Beach hotel is already being designed with comprehensive filtered-water systems built into the guest experience from day one.
I believe guests are becoming increasingly thoughtful about their health, wellness, and environmental impact. As hoteliers, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to evolve alongside those expectations. Providing exceptional water quality is one meaningful way we can elevate both the guest experience and our commitment to sustainability.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
