por Gabriel Neuman |
Última Actualización: mayo 24, 2010 by Timon Singh, 04/08/10 by Inhabitat.
The four-diamond W San Francisco hotel has made history by earning the first LEED certification for an existing building belonging to a major hotel brand. According to Yahoo Finance, the hotel’s LEED silver certification makes it only the seventh hotel in the US to receive the recognition.
It is not the first environmental award the hotel has won; in 2008 the California Hotel & Lodging Association honored the W San Francisco with a “Good Earthkeeping” award recognizing environmental leadership.
As of its LEED certification, the hotel features energy efficient lighting throughout 70% of its guest rooms and 90% of it’s back-of-house, motion sensors, and efficient HVAC systems that save 300 kWh of energy every year. What is even more amazing is that to further cut down on carbon emissions, the hotel management is considering installing a wind turbine on the hotel’s roof, which, if it goes ahead, would make the hotel the first commercial building in the city to have a turbine.
“For our guests, the green experience at W San Francisco is a seamless part of their overall W experience, which is extremely gratifying for us,” said Michael Pace, W San Francisco’s General Manager. “W San Francisco is a leader in the area of sustainability and green practices for W Hotels Worldwide. Green has become part of modern living and is expected by our guests, who can feel our team’s true passion for green practices, which are infused in everything we do, everyday.”
Unsurprisingly, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, who are the parent company for W San Francisco, have a whole host of hotels that are currently LEED-certified or are pursuing eco-friendly certification – 67 in total! It makes you wonder how environmentally friendly all those motels and Travelodges you’ve stayed in over the years have been.
http://inhabitat.com/2010/04/08/san-franciscos-w-hotel-makes-leed-history/