If you count yourself among those who believe that good design and green design cannot co-exist, there is a new book that will change your mind in a heart beat. “World’s LEED Hotels: Innovation, Renovation & Development” profiles 23 green hotel projects that all incorporate stunning design. (See related article.) Created by Ling Ling Chang, project manager for Atman Hospitality Group, the book was published by Wen-I Chang, founder and president of Atman Hospitality Group.
The book includes essays written by owners, developers, managers and others who have had a role in creating some of the greenest hotels and resorts on the planet. Twenty-one LEED projects are profiled, as well as two non-LEED “Pioneer Green Hotel” projects. The two non-LEED projects include the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, Calif., and Maho Bay Camps in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Some of the LEED hotels profiled include the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel in American Canyon, Calif. (first LEED Gold project in the United States), the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. (first LEED Platinum hotel in the United States), and Hotel Terra in Teton Village, Wyo.
The stories the authors tell are educational and interesting. Stanley Selengut, developer and owner of Maho Bay Camps, describes the challenges in creating a resort in the middle of a national park and how a favorable review in the New York Times generated 3,000 inquiries. Dennis Quaintance, owner and developer of the Proximity hotel, describes how he and his team “were as nervous as cats” when developing their LEED Platinum property. The hotel now uses 39 percent less energy than a comparable hotel. Jeff Wardlaw, general manager of the Hotel Arista in Naperville, Ill., details how sustainable practices enhance the guest experience at his hotel, and Chris Jones, general manager of the Hotel Indigo San Diego, tells how they received an enormous amount of positive media exposure as a direct result of their LEED certification.
I spoke with Ling Ling Chang about the book and she said that what struck her most about those who contributed to it was their passion for their hotel projects. The book was a year and a half in the making. Ling Ling said it would be great to do another book at some point. There are now almost 70 LEED hotels up and running so there would certainly be many more stories to tell.
For more information about the new book, click here.
West Coast Green Lodging Conference
The West Coast Green Lodging Conference is just two weeks away. I will be the keynote speaker for the event. The conference is being held at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort from August 22 to 25. I hope to see you there! Click here for more information.
GLN Welcomes Commercial Zone Products as Directory Partner
Green Lodging News welcomes Commercial Zone Products as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Commercial Zone Products offers an attractive way to recycle with its stainless steel SS Recycler. The SS Recycler is one unit but includes two liners and decals to personalize recycling needs. The SS Recycler is ideal for conference rooms, business centers, lobbies and other areas. Commercial Zone Products also offers other durable recycling containers for indoor or outdoor use. For more information, e-mail cpservice@dcim.com, call (800) 782-7273, or go to www.commercialzone.com.
Advertising Opportunities
Several new advertising spots have opened up on the Green Lodging News website—two skyscraper ad spots on the right hand side of the site, the home page bottom banner ad spot, and the Featured Product ad spot in the lower center area of the home page. Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com if you are interested in these ad spots. There are also other excellent spots available on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. The 2010 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
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