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comment Element Hotels Target Green-Minded Travelers
In July 2008, Starwood Hotels & Resorts will open its first hotel designed to appeal to environmentally conscious travelers. Located in Lexington, Massachusetts, the hotel is part of the new chain of Element hotels, each of which will earn LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s portfolio program. “With the launch of Element, we’re creating a new way to build hotels and guest experiences through the lens of environmental responsibility,” says Frits van Paasschen, Starwood’s chief executive officer. Starwood plans to open 20 Element hotels by the end of 2009.
Images © Starwood Hotels & Resorts
This drawing points out several of the green features in a typical Element guestroom.
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Each Element hotel will feature a range of green design, construction, and operations strategies. Large windows will bring daylight inside while providing guests and employees with a visual connection to the outdoors. The guestrooms, all designated nonsmoking, will feature carpet with recycled content and paint with low chemical emissions. Each room will include recycling bins and Energy Star kitchen appliances. Flatware and glassware will replace disposable utensils and cups. Filtered water from each kitchen faucet and a shampoo and soap dispenser in each shower will avoid the waste of bottles. The hotels will also provide staff and guests with access to bicycles as well as preferred parking spaces for hybrid vehicles and carpools.
Starwood plans to modify some strategies based on its experiences in the first Element hotels. “By testing and refining Element in our own laboratory, we are developing an economically responsible, LEED-certified hotel concept that is accessible to developers and designed to be replicated, promising a more sustainable future,” says van Paasschen. Starwood anticipates that each Element hotel’s reduced energy and water use will recoup the cost premium for its green features within a few years of operation.
A study commissioned by Element found that, while 70% of frequent travelers conserve water at home, only 18% do when they are traveling; 63% say they are more likely to leave the lights on when leaving a hotel room than they are when leaving a room at home. “I don’t think anyone is intentionally wasteful on the road, but it can be hard to stay on the straight and narrow when your routine is disrupted by travel,” says Randal Savage, who oversees housekeeping at Element hotels as Starwood’s corporate director of rooms. “We know our guests want to be eco-conscious; it is our job to make it easy for them.” Element is online at www.elementhotels.com.
This article was produced by BuildingGreen, LLC.- www.buildinggreen.com
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