Green Living Tips: Green Hotels

All too often, checking into a hotel also means checking your eco-conscience at the door. The latest green trend among hotels is to offer eco-friendly hotel rooms with amenities like an in-room recycling bin, natural bath products, and organic snacks. For years the status quo among self-labeled ‘green’ hotels was simply to wash sheets and towels less often. While that’s a move in the right direction, many hotel chains are now setting the bar much higher by making sustainable changes to everything from the type of food they serve in their restaurants to the type of paper they use to print your hotel bill.

For instance, Kimpton Hotels are working to switch to non-toxic, citrus-based cleaners in their hotel rooms and are changing to energy-efficient bulbs and renewable power sources for all of their trendy, boutique hotels. Kimpton Hotels also offer organic amenities and free parking for guests that drive hybrid cars. Other major hotel chains are also starting innovative recycling programs and composting restaurant waste, while Fairmont Hotels and InterContinental are renovating with eco-friendly building materials, using renewable energy sources, and switching to hybrid cars for guest transportation.

For vacations that are less wasteful, find a green hotel through the nationwide list of eco-friendly hotels provided by the Green Hotel Association. Even mainstream online travel sites, like Orbitz.com, offer eco-friendly hotel packages to fit any budget. To green your business travel, encourage your company to choose hotels that have strong environmental practices or are recommended by the Green Hotel Association.