Talbott Hotel Recognized for ‘Sustainability Without Compromise’ Approach

CHICAGO—The Talbott Hotel, a luxury boutique in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast, has been bestowed the distinction of being one of the first Green Seal Certified hotels in the United States. Striving to meet the city of Chicago’s Green Hotels Initiative, the hotel worked diligently for months and at great expense to meet the environmental lodging standard, which brings with it requirements in waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste water management and green procurement. The Talbott operates on a platform of “Sustainability without Compromise” as staff there insist that green initiatives only enhance the already high standards for guest comfort and convenience. The 149-room property achieved the Green Seal feat in a rigorous nine months compared to the other hotels vying for the recognition that took twelve.

> Ecotourism Society’s 2009 Conference to be Held in Portland, Ore.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) announced that Portland, Ore., will be the host city for the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2009 (ESTC). The event will be held from November 1 to 3. The ESTC is the annual bi-national conference focusing on greening the tourism industry in the United States and Canada. Travel Portland and Travel Oregon, the city and state’s destination marketing agencies, respectively, will co-sponsor the 2009 conference as the ESTC 2009 Destination Host. The conference will take place at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, the first Hilton property ever to be Green Seal certified. The 2008 conference, held from October 27 to 29, 2008, in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, attracted more than 400 participants.

> Okemo’s Jackson Gore Inn Earns Vermont Green Hotels Honor

LUDLOW, VERMONT— Okemo Mountain Resort’s Jackson Gore Inn was recently designated as a Green Hotel in the Green Mountain State by the environmental business partnership between the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the Vermont Small Business Development Center. This designation is based on the Inn’s voluntary commitment to sound environmental excellence through the placement and achievement of high environmental standards. The Jackson Gore Inn is one of 64 Green Hotels in Vermont to earn the distinguished designation.

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Mohawk Group Makes LEED Process Easier with LEED PLUS Calculator
BOSTON—The Mohawk Group is shaving weeks off the environmental product specification process for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) with its new LEED PLUS Calculator. It was unveiled at the 2008 U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (Greenbuild) November 19 to 21 in Boston.
Seaport is First U.S. Hotel to Implement Grander Technology in Indoor Swimming Pool
BOSTON—The Seaport Hotel announced the implementation of an innovative, chlorine-reducing water treatment system to its indoor pool, making Seaport the first hotel in the United States to utilize this green technology.
Milliken Carpets Now Certified to NSF/ANSI 140-2007 Standard
LAGRANGE, GA.—Milliken Hospitality announced that all of its carpet collections—broadloom and modular—are now certified to the NSF/ANSI 140-2007 Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard. All collections also achieved carbon neutral certification from the Leonardo Academy without purchased credits.

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This past week I had the opportunity to attend the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) in New York. For those of you who did not attend, you missed a great opportunity to learn about steps you can take and products you can purchase to increase your property’s profitability during these difficult times.

According to Melissa Gray, marketing manager for the show, the event featured 2,250 exhibitor booths. In years past, the show drew enough exhibitors to fill two levels. That has not happened for quite some time. The “green” exhibitors I spoke with seemed pleased with the quality of the leads they were getting.

I had the honor of participating as a judge as part of the Editors’ Choice Awards. Winners were selected in five green categories: décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant, and technologies. Each of the winners was very deserving. Almost 150 entries were submitted for all of the show’s award categories.

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FRESH, Renewable Fabrics from Valley Forge Fabrics

Valley Forge Fabrics takes plastic bottles and makes them into FRESH fabrics. We will not put any items in the FRESH program that have only one destiny after their life in a hotel. FRESH fabrics are 100 percent recycled content with an established fabric reclamation program. Call (800) 223-7979.

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Valley Forge Fabrics

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New domus STAY Hotel Coming to San Diego in Early Part of 2009

SAN DIEGO—Constellation Property Group is introducing domus STAY; a bold alternative to the traditional hotel and extended stay experience. The first property; domus@STELLA, will open in San Diego in early 2009. The Stella blueprint is stamped by Marchese + Partners International, a fresh class of designer born out of Australian lifestyle.

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Kleisner II Leading the Newly Opened Nines in Portland, Oregon

PORTLAND, ORE.—Sage Hospitality recently announced the appointment of Frederick Kleisner II as general manager of the Nines, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel in Portland, Ore. A fifth-generation hotelier with 17 years experience at the upper end of the industry, Kleisner will steward the new $137 million property.

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How to Tell Your Green Story Even When Times are Tough

Now is definitely a time of economic uncertainty, or at least that is how many people feel. I believe that although the current economic climate may seem uncertain, there are so many things you can do to influence the consumers who are still traveling to your area. And if you are a green establishment, you have even more opportunities.

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