Kimpton’s Alexis Hotel, Hotel Monaco And Hotel Vintage Park Named Seattle’s First Green Seal Certified Hotels
Hotels awarded Silver Certification for eco-friendly practices
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) June 7, 2010
Kimpton’s Seattle hotels – the Alexis Hotel, Hotel Monaco and Hotel Vintage Park – today announce the Green Seal Silver Certification of all three hotels. Long committed to the environment through Kimpton’s national EarthCare program, the hotels are the first in Seattle to obtain Green Seal certification.
“We are extremely pleased to be recognized with this honor, as it reaffirms our longstanding commitment to the environment through our many EarthCare practices and products,” said Tom Waithe, Kimpton’s director of operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Being environmentally responsible has always been at the forefront of our principles, and we continue to raise the bar on sustainable practices in the hospitality industry and beyond.”
In honor of the achievement, the Alexis Hotel, Hotel Monaco and Hotel Vintage Park will all offer guests free parking for hybrid cars throughout the month of July.
Kimpton, with 50 hotels in 22 major metropolitan cities, is in process to become the first lifestyle boutique hotel company in the U. S. to attain 100 percent Green Seal certification at the Silver level. At present, 46 of 50 hotels have completed the rigorous application process for Green Seal certification, which includes an on-site audit. Thirty four of the 46 hotels have already received certification. The rest are anticipated to be awarded certification within the next 90 days. The remaining four, including two opening this spring, will begin the certification process this year.
Green Seal certification is an important third-party validation of Kimpton’s more than 80 environmentally responsible operational practices under the company’s EarthCare program, and allows Kimpton to more effectively measure its nationwide reductions in waste, energy and water consumption.
To qualify for GS-33 Green Seal certification, a hotel must demonstrate sustainable practices in the following areas:
Waste minimization, reuse and recycling Energy efficiency, conservation and management Management of fresh water resources Waste water management Hazardous substances Environmentally sensitive purchasing
Certification requires an initial evaluation by Green Seal, including an extensive on-site audit of the property, and annual monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance. The GS-33 standard recognizes three levels of environmental achievement:
Bronze: Entry level, meets essential environmental leadership elements Silver: Meets a more comprehensive level of required leadership operations Gold: Meets additional criteria demonstrating hotel is at the forefront of environmental leadership
Kimpton’s innovative EarthCare initiatives date back to the company’s inception in 1981 and include several industry firsts such as in-room recycling bins and the use of non-toxic cleaners brand-wide. Through a new brand-wide Wines That CareTM program led by master sommelier Emily Wines, guests enjoy many featured environmentally preferable wines at the hosted evening wine hour at all Kimpton hotels. Diners at Kimpton Restaurants have access to increased sustainably produced wine selections on menus, can take advantage of in-house purified water through a national partnership with Natura® and enjoy sustainable seafood dishes in accordance with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Kimpton is a partner of The Nature Conservancy to support its “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign. To learn more, visit www. KimptonHotels. com.
About Kimpton
San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a collection of boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants in the US, is an acknowledged industry pioneer and was the first to bring the boutique hotel concept to America. Founded in 1981 by Bill Kimpton, the company is well-known for making travelers feel welcomed and comfortable while away from home through intuitive and unscripted customer care, stylish ambience and having a certain playfulness in its approach to programs and amenities. Each hotel provides a range of exciting culinary experiences through locally-loved, top-rated, destination, chef-driven restaurants. Kimpton leads the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its innovative
EarthCare program that spans all hotels and restaurants. This year, Kimpton will become the first boutique hotel company in the US to attain 100 percent Green Seal certification at the Silver level. Privately held Kimpton consistently outranks other hotel companies in luxury and upper upscale segments in customer satisfaction Among the company’s newest properties are the Hotel Palomar and Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago and the LEED registered Hotel Palomar and Square 1682 restaurant by Chef Guillermo Tellez in Philadelphia. For more information visit www. KimptonHotels. com or call 1-800-KIMPTON.
About Green Seal Inc.
Green Seal, a non-profit based in Washington D. C., has been identifying products and services that protect the environment and human health since 1989. The Green Seal mark appears on over 3600 environmentally sustainable products and services, and Green Seal is accredited by the American National Standards Institute. The independent organization focuses on certification to its leadership standards, avoiding any conflict of interest that may arise from recommending products or consulting with applicants. For more information and a list of all Green Seal certified products and services, visit www. GreenSeal. org.
###
