Large hotels, especially in urban areas, consume a lot of energy. Between their many guest rooms and common spaces, conference centers and restaurants, all have the potential to leave a heavy carbon footprint. Many eco-travelers assume they’re restricted to eco-lodges and low-impact hostels to travel green, but this is not so. Thanks to LEED certification, it is possible to find an eco-friendly hotel or resort or green hotel.
What is a LEED-Certified hotel?
An accromyn for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED sets a universal eco-standard for hotels, making it easier for travelers to see–even at a glance–whether the hotel they want to book is green. How does it work? Resorts striving for LEED hotel certification must assemble a project team dedicated to reducing the property’s carbon footprint. This team makes changes in many hospitality industry categories, including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy, and indoor environmental quality. They are then judged on a 100 point system. Hotels must meet a point minimum of 40 to be considered a LEED property. 50-59 points designates a hotel as ‘Silver LEED’, 60-79 points designates ‘Gold LEED’, and 80 points or higher equals a ‘Platinum LEED‘ certification.
How do I find a LEED hotel?
There are several easy ways for travelers to find LEED certified green hotels.
1. Use booking sites. If you’re using a booking site such as Travelocity, you can browse its Green Hotel Directory. Additional databases include:
iStayGreen
Eco-Green Hotel
Green Hotels Association
Many more databases for green hotels exist. In fact, we first made a list way back in 2008! Many of these eco-hotel databases are still relevant today.
2. You can seek green hotels on trusted travel sites. Start right here! When we stay at a green hotel worth shouting about, we make it a green hotel pick. You can also browse our favorite eco-lodges for winter, and best eco-lodges for all seasons.
3. Look for the logo. All LEED certified hotels will display their certification on their website. You can look for its distinctive logo (on right).
4. You can look for ‘Green Hotels’ categories on most major hotel chain websites. Hyatt has a large selection of LEED certified hotels, my top pick being the very first in Seattle: Hyatt Olive 8. Marriott also has a long list of LEED hotels worldwide, as does Omni Hotels.
Are all green hotels LEED hotels?
Of course not! But seeking out LEED certified hotels is a great place to start, because a trusted environmental agency has already done the work for you. When you’re not able to stay at a green hotel, there are still eco-measures you can take for greening your hotel stay.
Do you seek out green hotels? What has been your experience?
About the author
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Recommended Reading:
- How to Find a Green Hotel in San Francisco
- Pacific Palisades Hotel in Vancouver (a Kimpton Hotel): Review
- Finding Environmentally Friendly Hotels through Green Accreditation Directories
- Fairmont Copley Plaza: Boston, MA Hotel Review
- 11 Tips and Tricks for Greening your Hotel Stay: 25 Days to Green Travel, Day 16
Everyone need to go green indeed.Unfortunately, most of the LEED certified hotels are quite expensive!