by Rhonda Owen
Last updated: 6:58 PM ET, Fri September 19, 2014
PHOTO: Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Coast-to-coast, it is becoming easier and easier to find hotels that use local products, recycle, plant gardens, conserve water, and use alternative energy sources. As travelers are thinking green, local and sustainable, more and more hotels are answering the call.
While comfort and convenience still rank high on the priority list, the U.S. Travel Data Center estimates that U.S. travelers are "ecologically concerned." A 2013 survey by TripAdvisor backs that up, revealing that 62 percent of travelers often or always consider a hotel's commitment to eco-friendliness when booking.
When a suite sustainable stay is your customer's preference, consider these five hotels that will satisfy his or her environmental conscious in fun, chic and unique ways.
InterContinental New York Barclay, New York City
It's both a historic landmark and a symbol of the future. This iconic midtown Manhattan hotel not only boasts history and luxury; it is also home to four colonies of bio-endangered honeybees that buzz about the hotel's 15th floor rooftop herb garden.
The Barclay bees not only pollinate the rooftop garden, but neighborhood flora, as well. The hotel not only sends bees out as eco-ambassadors but also promotes green-minded activities in the city by working with parks to study using compost as topsoil and helping with the Million Trees planting initiative.
968 Park Hotel, South Lake Tahoe, California
A study of green chic from the ground up, 968 Park Hotel was built using recycled wood on the skeleton of an old Days Inn. It features guest room furniture made from American Recycled Timber, natural linens free of dye and bleach, walls built from reclaimed, aged Douglas Fir, and insulation made from recycled blue jeans, just to name a few.
This unique boutique hotel experience is an unparalleled eco-friendly experience. Luxury, you ask? It's in the details, such as in-room massage, ski packages, and specialized romance and BRO-mance packages. Check it out!
Bardessono Hotel and Spa, Yountville, California
A boutique hotel with 62 rooms, the Bardessono practices four-star earth-wise luxury. Commitment to the environment is in the details that are often hidden to the observer's eye. All hotel buildings have overhangs that reduce heat from the summer sun while capturing the sun's warmth in the winter.
For heating and cooling, the hotel relies on underground geo-thermal system that uses water from 72 wells on the property. The hotel also provides carbon fiber bicycles to guests while furnishing hybrid and electric vehicles for staff use.
Westin Riverwalk Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
Water is at a premium in drought-plagued cities such as San Antonio. The Westin Riverwalk Hotel took on the challenge by reinventing its on-site laundry, replacing water-guzzling washers with more efficient ones and installing a water reclamation system.
While processing a whopping 2.6 million pounds of laundry annually, the hotel slashed its water usage by 3.6 million gallons a year. In addition, the property awards guests for conserving water, energy and other resources with vouchers and points.
Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
The Inn by the Sea has taken eco-friendliness a step beyond sustainable business practices by planting five acres of indigenous nectar gardens to attract butterflies. During the growing season, the hotel presents whimsical "Bug's Life Garden Tours" where children don bug costumes to learn about the local eco-system from a bug's point of view.
Fulfill your traveler's luxury vacation dreams while making their green wishes come true. Use Amadeus Selling Platform Connect to book these hotels, cars and air travel. You can create innovative eco-journeys with this revolutionary Web-based platform while positioning your company to bring in the green for sustainable profits and growth.
Have you booked any green hotels for clients?
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