Vacations Blog

In Part I, we learnt a bit about LEED certification, along with facts and statistics about LEED certified hotels, and the resultant benefits for the hoteliers. In this part, we’ll consider the hassles and problems associated with constructing and running a green hotel.I also asked Mr. Yuan-Sing Chang, who runs the green development wing of the Gaia Napa Valley, that if LEED certification is all that its made out to be, with potential benefits of millions of dollars in additional income, cost savings, and tax rebates, then why are so few hotels interested in it?

He says that a lot of developers build the hotels and then flip them off when they are complete, and that it does not make sense for them to pursue LEED certification because of the extra costs and time factor. This would make sense from a business angle even if the company that built the hotel is planning on running it.

According to a presentation by the Green Building Finance Consortium (GBFC), the actual costs of LEED certification (not including the certification fees) go up as per the certification level sought. The base level of LEED certification pushes up the initial cost by 0.8%, while initial costs for Silver ratings is 3.5% higher, LEED Gold buildings have a 4.5% premium and Platinum buildings can push up costs by as much as 11.5 percent.

So what it comes down to is the initial extra investment of time and resources necessary to get the certification, as opposed to the many benefits once you get the certification. Hopefully, this balance will tilt in favor of certification as more and more hotels need it, and the costs go down.

One way to streamline the certification process and speed it up is to hire some LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED AP). As of date, there are more than 43,000 accredited professionals. You can search for LEED APs in your area in the Green Building Certification Institute’s directory.

There are also companies like the San Francisco based Simon & Associates, who act as ‘green building consultants’. Their roster of clients who have achieved LEED certification include Berkeley City College, University of California – Merced Campus, and the Gaia Napa Valley, among others.

As of today, LEED is the definitive proof that consumers are looking at to decide whether a hotel is green enough. I’d like to add that a very influential group – The Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism Criteria - comprising of 27 major travel industry companies and non-profit environment groups, have come together and developed a new expansive standard for sustainable tourism, which was unveiled at the recently concluded 10 day IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, attended by delegations from 177 countries.

The standard (GSTC for short), takes into account all existing major standards already in use, and was developed after extensive consultation with experts, academics and private industry.

Its still a work in progress, but if you look at some of the players involved – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH &LA), American Society of Travel Agents (ASTI), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Choice Hotels, Conde Nast Traveler, Expedia, Inc., Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Travelocity/Sabre, and many more, I can tell you for sure that this is going to be the future of the travel industry.

Photo of the LEED Platinum Certified Proximity hotel courtesy Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels.

There’s tremendous buzz about green business, even in the somewhat hidebound hospitality industry, where sustainable tourism is now a catchword.

Most every hotel is making at least a token effort to create an appearance of being green. This is, of course, a reaction to the groundswell of concern among consumers about global warming and climate change.

So I thought I’d look into what LEED certification actually means for hotels, from a business point of view. Let’s go through a bit of background before we get to the details. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification provides independent, third-party verification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures.

According to details provided to me by the USGBC, there are 14 hotels which have earned LEED certification so far. The Kandalama Hotel in Sri Lanka was the first hotel in the world to receive LEED certification, while Len Foote Hike Inn, Dawsonville, GA was the first in the U.S., the Palazzo in Vegas is the biggest green building in the world, the Gaia Napa Valley, CA was the first to get LEED Gold certification, and the Proximity Hotel, Greensboro, NC is the only one so far to get Platinum LEED certification.

The USGBC also says that there are 437 other hotels whose LEED certifications are currently in the pipeline. My point here is to point out the disparity between the small number already certified, and the relatively large number of hotels who are now trying to get certified. Basically, we have a rising trend here, and you’re going to hear a lot more about this in the near future.

USGBC spokesperson Lauren Connelly says that “LEED certification is especially important for hotels because it not only saves energy and reduces operating costs, it says to the customer that this hotel is green and has received third party verification, and we’re finding eco-minded consumers really value that.”

I asked Mr. Yuan-Sing Chang, Vice President of Atman Hospitality Group, Inc., who is in charge of the green development wing for the Gaia Napa Valley and two other Gaia properties in Redding and Merced, about the benefits of LEED certification, and here’s what he had to say.

“We were lucky to be the first and only LEED Gold rated hotel in the world. That alone sparked numerous articles and media for the hotel and our company. Just from the PR standpoint we calculated that we achieved over $2 million dollars worth of advertising for free. We are saving about 25% in our electricity savings and 45% in water savings as well. These types of savings go directly to the bottom line. There are more and more products that are coming out i.e. amenities and design products that help lower the costs. Other advantages include fast track through the city planning department and TOT tax credit from the city.”

The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC, which earned Platinum LEED certification earlier this month, has a 100 solar panels installed on the hotel’s rooftop, and Dennis Quaintance , the CEO of Quaintance-Weaver, which built and operates the hotel, says that “When we started the design process four years ago, I would have never believed that we could use 39% less energy and 33% less water without one iota of compromise in comfort or luxury and with minimal additional construction costs.”

I’d like to add here that some cities are giving extra incentives for green buildings. For example, starting Jan 1 2009, building owners in New York City who install green rooftops on at least 50 percent of available rooftop space can apply for a one-year property tax credit of up to $100,000.

In the second part, we’ll take a look at the negative aspects and problems faced by hotels trying to get LEED certified, and also solutions to ease that pain, plus a look at some new developments in sustainable tourism standards.

Proximity Hotel photo courtesy Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels. USGBC logo courtesy USGBC.

The 2008 Lodging Survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association showed up that 20% of the more than 10,000 hotels surveyed have implemented LEED standards in the past year, and 21% are planning to do so in the next 12 months. New York has its fair share of these green hotels and eco-friendly lodging properties, and listed below are best of these digs, so you can enjoy guilt-free vacations in the ‘Green Apple’.

The City’s official tourism website NYCVisit.com has an excellent Go Green page, where you’ll find listings of green lodgings, organic restaurants, outdoors activities and other stuff which falls under sustainable tourism. The lodging suggestions include the Benjamin & Muse Hotels, Greenpoint Lodge, Sugar Hill Harlem Inn, West Eleventh Townhouse and the East Village Bed and Coffee.

Goes without saying that they don’t really update this list regularly, so there are a few more options worth considering. For starters, there’s the 70 Park Avenue, which, as a Kimpton Hotel, has a host of green practices and product use in place, including the free organic coffee served in the lobby. Then there’s the Moderne, which underwent a comprehensive green conversion last year, and now features things like recycled biodegradable paper products and, 100% bamboo unbleached linen.

Not to say that others, like the New York Marriott Downtown, are not eco-friendly (they are – to a certain degree), but if we’re talking about a top-to-bottom green experience, then this list is what you need to start with. One more green lodging option very much worth mentioning is 1 Hotel & Residences - It won’t be opening until 2010, but when it does open, it will rival the Orchard Garden in San Francisco as the nation’s premier uber-green hotel.

If you move Upstate and into the Adirondacks, the focus is more on weekend getaways at lodges and inns, and a prospective list of green lodging options in Upstate New York should include the DoubleTree Hotel Syracuse and the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid with its sprawling green roof and many green programs.

Another good green getaway option in the Adirondacks is the Stoney Lonesome B&B, about 10 minutes from Lake George, which utilizes solar energy to power its needs. Then there’s the Glen Lodge & Market, which uses 100% wind power, composts waste and uses vehicles running on biofuels.

Not to say that this is a comprehensive list, but I guess its enough to get you started. I’m writing this as New Orleans awaits Hurricane Gustav, fearful of a Katrina redux. Maybe you can’t go to the Big Easy to help rescue stranded people, but you can start saving the earth - one green vacation at a time.

Photo copyrights – Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort