A Peek into the Green Hotel Scene

While more and more people are catching onto the “green scene,” hotels seem to take to the idea with mixed reviews.  While most advertise reusing your towels and the conscious effort you’ll be making to preserve water, it seems to be the extent of actions taken by hotels in benevolence for Mother Nature.

In thinking bigger than what guests can do to save the environment one hotel-stay at a time, some hotels have been constructed with an environmental conscious in full force.  From the physical architecture to the efficiency, here are four hotels that are reeking of greenness, prominently out West, aside from one eastern property:

The Westin Riverfront, Beaver Creek, Colorado
Energy conservation is prime time here.  Front desk controls allow the adjustment of vacant room temperatures, it’s been Silver LEED certified, and has donated five acres of riverfront property to the public.

The Nines, Portland Oregon
This former department store has come back in its next life as a do-gooder. Literally dressed to the nines in eco-efficiency — from waste diversion during its construction to greenly-stocked housekeeping —  the hotel shows its true green color through its acquisition of energy: it’s 100% energized by renewable resources.

The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, North Lake Tahoe
Not yet opened, this Ritz is envisioned to be brimming with green through methods of minimal tree loss in landscaping and site planning, less asphalt by utilization of underground parking and reuse of snow and rain remnants, and a place among a LEED-certified ski resort.

Harbor View, Martha’s Vineyard
Luxury and conservation merge in this Vineyard gem. Recycling combined with energy-saving methods making significant moves such as replacing plastic water bottles (which alone make up for disturbing amounts of landfill pileup) make this hotel extremely eco-friendly.

Via: Luxist