Starwood to take the “LEED”
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- April
- 21
White Plains-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. said it will set a new standard for environmental friendliness and energy efficiency with its Element hotels.
The company said it will require all of the hotels to seek what is known was LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The acronym stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
“There are a number of different hoteliers and organizations that have buildings (with the LEED status). But we’ll be the first to have an entire brand of hotels,†Angela Bliss, a spokesperson for Starwood said.
Starwood plans to open 20 Element hotels by the end of 2009. The first is due to open in Lexington, Mass. — which is about 15 miles northwest of Boston — in July.
The company plans to open a 400-room Element hotel in Manhattan’s Time Square by the end of 2010.
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Starwood said the Element hotels will include energy-efficient appliances and lighting and water-efficient faucets. The carpets will be made from recycled material and contain pads that improve the quality of the air in the building. The paints will be less toxic than conventional paints. Guests who drive hybrid cars will get special parking spots.
The numerous other features will include bins for paper, plastic and glass to make it easy to recycle, roofs that reflect heat from the sun, meaning the air conditioning systems will not have to work as hard and adjustable thermostats.
Even the “Do not disturb†signs will be environmentally friendly. They’ll be made out of magnets, instead of paper, the company said.
Starwood is a public company and that means it gave careful consideration to the economics of the idea.
Bliss said the company believes going green will add only about 5 percent to the cost of each building. But the company will recoup that money through energy savings in a few years, she said.
This entry was posted
on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 11:03 am by Allan Drury.
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Category: Corporate doings
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