Screens in the lobby of the Gaia Napa Valley, one America’s greenest hotels, track energy usage.
The Gaia, which advertises itself as “Napa Valley’s first fully environmentally sustainable hotel,” has eschewed the tiny plastic bottles of lotion, shampoo and conditioner, instead using wall-mounted dispensers. I breathed a sigh of relief that neither the collection in our bathroom at home nor the infamous raft of plastic garbage in the middle of the Pacific, which I imagine to consist largely of hotel amenities, would grow larger from this stay.
The idea of luxury has long been intertwined with — even confused with — profligate waste. But with green consciousness making its way to center stage, some hotels are changing their ways. They face a delicate balance: when does greening go so far as to cut palpably into the feeling of luxury?
Conversely, with hotels around the country and the world claiming environmental concern — even when all they may actually be doing is inviting guests to forgo clean towels — how can guests be assured that green claims are sincere?
There is no single system for evaluating a hotel’s environmental friendliness. The best starting point is the so-called LEED certification program (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) of the United States Green Building Council, a program that evaluates everything from materials to energy use to recycling in the construction and operation of a building. A LEED certificate displayed in the lobby means the establishment is serious about being green. Although only five hotels in the United States have this certification, many in the planning stages are incorporating materials and systems intended to gain it.
Beyond that, the best way to ensure that you are at a truly green hotel is to ask questions. When I stayed recently at four hotels that call themselves green, I found that everyone on their staffs, from managers to maids, was well-informed about the green features.
“You can’t just send out a memo,” Stefan Muhle, the general manager of the Orchard Garden in San Francisco, told me when I called him after my stay. “All the staff have to be included, front to back. Their heart has to be in it.”
Because I live in California — the home of much environmental action, hope and hype — I didn’t have to travel far from home to check out green hotels. Not all of them are LEED-certified, but they all featured green design elements, nontoxic materials and cleaning supplies, low-flow showerheads and toilets, and in-room recycling. I never once saw an incandescent light bulb.
The Ambrose Hotel,
The Ambrose opened in 2003 and began its green conversion the next year.
“We were nervous about how guests would react,” said Deirdre Wallace, the owner. “But they were relieved. People have been recycling at home for 10 years, so why not in a hotel?”
In a comfortable Southern California-style marriage of disparate design currents, a cozy Craftsman drawing room opens onto a small garden designed for sustainability, with drought-tolerant native plants maintained with rakes instead of leaf blowers. Arching above are big red feng shui banners.
The Ambrose has installed energy-efficient lighting and appliances, economical ventilation equipment and low-flow sprinklers. It has switched to nontoxic cleaning products, paints and sealants, and buys part of its power from sustainable wind projects. It composts and has done away with disposable dishes and cups. Guests can rent bicycles or catch rides to nearby destinations in a biodiesel-powered London-style taxi.
My one true green-inspired inconvenience took place at the Ambrose. I forgot my toothpaste, and the front desk was out of their preferred eco-friendly brand, so I was forced to go on a midnight stroll to Walgreens.
Nonetheless, the hotel has greened itself with virtually no change in the experience for guests (who still enjoy Aveda amenities in those bottles destined, in my mind at least, for the nearby Pacific). The rooms, with comforting dark wood accents, long decks outside sliding glass doors and comfortable furniture, are well suited to the business travelers the hotel attracts.
Ms. Wallace expects LEED certification soon and plans to extend the Ambrose into a green brand by building more LEED-certified hotels.
“There’s an emerging green style,” she said, but added, “Simply not washing sheets and towels does not cut it.”
The Ambrose, 1255 20th Street, Santa Monica, Calif.; (310) 315-1555; www.ambrosehotel.com; rates from $229.
The Orchard Garden,
San Francisco
This is the Prius of hotels: distinctly green, but in a way that enhances the user experience beyond mere eco-karma. Among the features that helped the Orchard Garden earn LEED certification when it opened last year were extra layers of insulation that not only reduce heating and cooling costs, but make the hotel — on a busy downtown street — blissfully quiet. In our room on the eighth floor, we heard no outside sounds and, even though we were next to the elevators, barely a peep from the hallway.
The bathroom, which unfortunately contained more of those earth-destroying tiny plastic bottles, is ample. Blond wood furniture in the room matches the palette of soft greens and khakis. A huge mirror expands the space and lets you gaze at yourself luxuriating in the big, just-right bed.
The Orchard Garden seems all about cocooning. Its public spaces are little more than utilitarian. The small roof deck offers a chance to hear the city noise you’ve been missing; the lobby is little more than a corridor; and the restaurant, which features sustainably produced local food, is unremarkable in light of the culinary delights a block in any direction.
A feature I liked was just inside the room’s door: a slot where a guest slips the key card to activate the lights and temperature control. When leaving the room, guests remove the card and everything turns down. It’s a system common in Europe and Asia, where energy costs are higher, and it has an additional benefit: I never misplaced my key card.
Mr. Muhle, the general manager, said the green features had helped the hotel stabilize its occupancy and earn repeat customers faster than the standard of 18 to 24 months from opening.
“We’re not just another boutique hotel in San Francisco,” he said. “Green had a huge impact on our launch, and that’s money in the bank for the owner.”
Orchard Garden Hotel, 466 Bush Street, San Francisco; (415) 399-9807; www.theorchardgardenhotel.com; rooms from $229.
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