We know how you feel – you used to think that ‘going green’ meant going hippie. Relax. When you stay at a green hotel, you don’t have to give up the decadent luxury that you’ve been accustomed to for so long. While the thought of green travel might conjure up thoughts of crawling through cave openings, climbing a tree house, or wondering if your hut’s thatched roof will withstand the rain – you can rest easy. Green hotels are quite the opposite and many provide a plush, deluxe setting even a hippie would enjoy. New technologies and eco practices with fashionable designs and modern taste prime and polish our old eco-inspired notions and open doors to wondrous green hotels around the globe.
So rejoice! There is a way to be green and chic, earth friendly and stylish, and eco-aware while maintaining your penchant for elegance. Check out these green hotels and you’re on your way to planning your first ecotourism adventure.
As technology gets more and more efficient, the world figures out how to save itself a little more every day. Green hotels in general have picked up on the small ways to push for big changes.
San Francisco Orchard Hotel
There’s no give and take here. In the world of green hotels, San Francisco’s Orchard Hotel doesn’t compromise luxury for awareness, and doesn’t skimp on conservation when it comes to decadence. Settled in the heart of town, this 86-room establishment was the first in California to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. So get moving and book a flight to San Francisco to get started on your eco-friendly getaway.
The San Francisco Orchard Hotel does its part to reduce heat emissions by using reflective roof materials that avert the sun’s rays. By doing this, the building can lower surface temperatures and reduce the amount of air conditioning needed, ultimately saving approximately 20 percent of energy consumption. Throughout the hotel, staff uses chemical-free cleaning products and compact-fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to keep premises up to snuff. In addition to promising guests a 100 percent tobacco free environment, the Orchard Hotel also maintains a basement recycling center that arranges items by class of paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, and metal. Low flow plumbing lessens water usage, further greening the facilities.
You won’t be disappointed inside the luxurious room. Its smart systems make staying at a green hotel just as chic (if not more so) as any other glorious inn in the world. One master key controls the entire suite, from the AC to your lights, so power automatically shuts off when you leave, saving energy by the minute Recycled bedding materials, soft organic linens, peaceful green walls (with low VOC paint, obviously) and botanical bathroom products are enough to make you want to stay indoors for your entire trip. Individual climate control and an in-room recycling program make eco-friendly choices convenient.
Earthy, hippy-infused, crunchy granola – whatever you’ve heard – the Orchard Hotel prefers to call is “green inspired hospitality,” and it delivers without a flaw.
Hotel Green, Nantucket
In a world of green hotels, there’s no mistaking Hotel Green. The perfectly verdant flower boxes evenly filled with emerald grass will be the first thing to tip you off. Upon entering, you’ll immediately notice the olive green floors, the lime green walls, or many of hotel owner Vanessa Noel’s other gallant ‘green’ decorative choices. The shoe designer-turned-hotel-owner entrepreneur extraordinaire has managed to take the little island of Nantucket by storm and “greenify” the business of tourism. The old-hand Nantucket residents might raise an eye brow or two at Noel’s bold efforts to modernize, but we have no problem praising her for such eco-conscious success.
The 10-room haven exudes an audacious bohemian contrast to the island’s reputation for retired politicians, creaky beach mansions, and the traditional, preppy feel of old Nantucket Reds. The building itself was built in 1838, and took Noel quite a bit of work to bring it up to date. Once a place crawling with antiquity, this green hotel now boasts high efficiency light bulbs in every room and serves wheat grass juice for breakfast.
Inside your room, feel free to collapse on all-natural organic flax bed linens, dry off with organic hemp towels, and take in the tranquil décor of organic milk-based paint on the walls. The chair in your room is strong enough to hold you, but weak enough to crumple in the rain. It is, after all, made completely of recycled cardboard. The jute rugs under your bare feet were cleaned only with the purest chemical-free cleaning products, and the recycled toilet paper ensures you that no detail has been overlooked. Everything from the neon Pop-Art prints on your wall to the organic wine in your glass tells you that this green hotel is something special.
As if Hotel Green isn’t eco-friendly enough, Noel has big plans for the future. In an effort to improve its earthy status, Noel is prepping her green hotel to be even greener: She hopes to recycle cooking grease from the restaurant for heat and energy, and to install solar panels along the outside of the hotel.
Raise your post-consumer-recycled glasses and offer cheers for Hotel Green.
Fairmont Hotels
When it comes to hotels, few names exude luxury as exquisitely as Fairmont Hotels. The very thought of staying at a Fairmont and your insides melt with what you know will be an unmatched experience, dripping in extravagance and capped with decadence. All over the country, this chain wows its guests with alarmingly attentive service, sinfully cozy beds, and an atmosphere that summons sounds of orchestras worthy of a stay at Buckingham Palace. The Canadian-based chain that boasts all of the above can now add one more noteworthy triumph to their list – sustainability. Throughout the world, every single one of Fairmont’s locations is slowly becoming a sustainable green hotel, proving once again their commendable level of excellence.
Although every location has a different eco-project in the works, the company as a whole is working toward the same environmental goal: It has purchased renewable energy certificates that use wind power to lessen emissions. Launched in January 2005, Fairmont’s Eco-Innovations Signature Projects has designated one key green initiative at each establishment to emphasize its inspiration to “think globally and act locally.” Aspiring to compete with other green hotels, Fairmont’s Green Partnership Program has made a commitment to environmental stewardship.
Here are a few examples of how these spectacular Fairmont green hotel locations are becoming earthier by the day:
-- The FairmontBanff Springs has received the full Audubon certificate for their hotel grounds. With extensive environmental management of all green spaces, they’ve added specific vegetation in order to attract different bird and butterfly species.
-- The FairmontSan Jose implemented co-generation facilities that takes waste energy from regular power generators and uses it to fuel heat and hot water for the building.
-- Teaming up with the University of Hawaii, the Fairmont Orchard carefully observes the offshore coral reef that fronts the property. It financially supports the project of the Marine Option QUEST Program, and helps provide educational opportunities for local marine science students studying the environmental needs of coral reefs.
-- Historical in nature, and extravagant in décor, the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston has taken a furry approach to the eco systems nearby.
In support of research and educational programs, the hotel built an organization to track endangered owl species migratory routes to aid their relationship with their surroundings. In addition to organic wines and on-site herb gardens, Fairmont’s “Green Cuisine” menu has committed to using sustainable, locally sourced and organically-grown products as a part of their daily repertoire.
Book a room at one of these emerging green hotels and you’ll find yourself enjoying the experience of green travel and eco-awareness in the lap of luxury.
