Denver’s Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast is eco-chic

by Katie Hammel on

At Denver’s Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast, the mission statement is clear. Comfort, style and luxury can co-exist with sustainable, eco-friendly practices. And when it comes to green initiatives, Milan Doshi, the b&b’s owner, seems to have thought of everything. The bedding, the paint, the food, the labor – every aspect of the b&b was specifically chosen to be as green as possible.

According to the Denver Post, Doshi bought the hotel in summer of 2008 and immediately began a massive renovation. New floors, from Sustainable Floors in Boulder, were made of compressed leftover wood fibers and installed. Eco-friendly Keesta mattresses, made of recycled metal coils and memory foam infused with green tea extracts, were put in the bedrooms. The walls were covered in eco-friendly low VOC paints. And a heavy wooden table, made of a material called Italian ebony (also made of leftover wood fibers) was selected as the dining room centerpiece. It’s the place where Colorado Allegro coffee is served with a locally-sourced organic breakfast each day (many of the herbs and veggies are pulled from the b&b garden), and where Colorado wines and cheeses are served each evening at happy hour.

Doshi used local products whenever possible and even went so far as to make sure the labor he used was local too. All of the contractors and some of the suppliers he worked with were found within a 10-mile radius. Local craftsmen carved the oak platform beds, and small plastic bottles of toiletries have been replaced with bulk dispensers (which eliminate waste and reduce trash) from Colorado-based Jason Organics.

The green bonanza doesn’t stop there. The linens on the beds are organic cotton; all cleaning products used are 100% natural, biodegradable, and dye-free; paper products are recycled, biodegradable, unbleached and dye-free; only glass drinking cups are used; and the shower heads and toilets have had low-flow adapters installed. The b&b even requires the dry cleaners they work with to recycle their hangers and plastic, and provides free bikes for guest transportation.

Doshi hopes that in the near future, the Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast will be the nation’s first LEED certified bed and breakfast. He’d also like to see the b&b certified as “cradle-to-cradle”, meaning that it creates no pollution and nothing is wasted in its operation. To that end, he has big plans for additional green features, such as a system that could convert used sink water into toilet water.

So, all these green features are great, but if the property doesn’t stack up to it’s less-green counterparts, who would want to stay there? Well luckily, the Queen Anne does measure up. Of the 15 TripAdvisor reviews written since Doshi took over (there are an additional 45 written about the previous incarnation of the b&b), 14 rate it 5-stars. The other one knocked it down to 4-stars. Guests all agree that the staff are helpful and friendly, the rooms are beautiful and comfortable, and the food is fresh and delicious. The location, about a 10-minute walk from downtown, is ideal as well. It seems to me that you really can’t ask for more in a bed and breakfast.

Of course, for a frugal traveler, price is an important consideration too. Some of the more ornate or larger of the 14 rooms, which feature king beds, whirlpool tubs, log fireplaces or cathedral ceilings, go for $175 to $215 per night. But four rooms also cost $145 or $165, and the Oak Room, with it’s deep pedestal tub and original pull-chain commode, is just $135 a night. It’s good to know that you can go green, and still save a little green at the same time.

Gadlinks for Friday 8.14.09

by Brenda Yun on


I hope everyone on the mainland enjoyed the Perseids meteor shower earlier this week! There were plenty of lovely streaks in the sky worthy of a few ooo’s and ahh’s. Here are few recent articles that might elicit similarly inspired reactions.

‘Til Monday, have a great weekend!

More Gadlinks HERE.

United States makes a fool of itself – arrests UK comedian for “sounding Cuban”

by Scott Carmichael on

You can’t make this crap up – British comedian Paul O’Grady was arrested at Miami international airport because he sounded “Cuban”.

The award winning comedian has his own TV show, and became famous thanks to his hilarious Lily Savage drag queen character.

Apparently, the fools at Miami airport thought his accent was a tad funny, and accused him of being an illegal Cuban alien.

It took officials two hours to verify his identity and confirm that he is indeed, a British comedian, and not a Cuban immigrant.

I’m not entirely sure why they couldn’t just take a close look at him, and come to the conclusion that he doesn’t even look Cuban. But that would obviously prevent Miami airport from keeping its title as one of the worst International airports in the country.

With so many tourists visiting the United States entering through Miami, the airport may want to review its policies, and ask their immigration officials to re-read the manual on how to spot an illegal immigrant. The first step is to just read the damn passport.

Mr. O’Grady spoke about the incident on his radio show, and said “I’ve been to hell, folks – it’s called Miami airport.”.

The Real Fight Club

by Sean McLachlan on

An employee at a school for the mentally disabled in Texas has just been convicted of organizing his own version of Fight Club with the residents. He even filmed the fights with his mobile phone. Five other employees have already been charged with encouraging the fights. These guys are sick and I’m glad they’re being punished for exploiting vulnerable people. I’d like to see how these bastards deal with the fights in prison.

If you’d like to see some good, honest, wholesome violence between consenting adults, check out The Real Fight Club in London. Yes, someone got inspired by the movie and decided to do it for real, just without all the anarchic social upheaval.

I went to one of their events a few years ago and I have to say I loved every minute of it. What really blew me away was how normal most of the people looked. They could be your neighbors or coworkers. In fact, they probably are. Some guys looked like street toughs who went into it for the attention, but the majority looked like you or me, or a slightly beat up version of you or me.

Contestants don’t just walk in off the street and go at it. They’re members of a unique health club in London that offers boxing and martial arts training. Men and women get trained up and then compete in a series of special events. Unlike in the movie, members of Fight Club don’t have to compete, but that’s the goal for a lot of people. The club sponsors several public events every year, although they seem to have taken the summer off. I hope the recession hasn’t put Fight Club on the ropes! Check out their box office for details.

So if you want a true guilty pleasure the next time you’re in London, check out The Real Fight Club. But please, don’t steal fat from a liposuction clinic to make soap.

Chicago’s Talbott Hotel — Historic and green

by Annie Scott on

Progress is being made. An eco-friendly hotel used to mean a sparse, mildly uncomfortable place to “rough it” and feel superior, but bit by bit, things are changing. By now, you probably know that you don’t have to sacrifice luxury for eco-friendliness when hotel shopping anymore; even the big chains are stepping up with green initiatives. One thing most people do expect to sacrifice though? History.

With all the renovating it takes to make a hotel greener, in many cases, it would be easier to just tear down the old hotel and build a new one in its place — we’re talking replacing lighting, heating, cooling and water systems, and even the materials in the rooms (like sustainable fabrics and ethically-obtained furniture and surfaces). One hotel that greened up and is still standing is Chicago’s historic Talbott Hotel, which sets a great example for accommodations looking to shrink their carbon footprint without starting from square one.

The Talbott Hotel was built in 1927 and includes 16 luxurious floors just steps away from Michigan Avenue in the Gold Coast Historic District of Chicago. It’s surrounded by numerous buildings which popped up just after the Great Chicago Fire. The hotel includes 24 hour room service, a seasonal outdoor cafe, a relaxing lobby bar, complimentary access to a 30,000 square foot Equinox, turn-down service and a morning newspaper. But more importantly, it’s gone green.

In November 2008, the 80+ year old Talbott Hotel became one of the first Green Seal certified hotels in the United States. They call their approach “Sustainability Without Compromise,” and their renovations included “investing in waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation, wastewater management and green procurement procedures.” In their day-to-day operations, not only are they recycling, using biodegradable products, and donating partially-used amenities to charity, but they also purchase wind energy credits to offset their carbon footprint 100 percent.

“As evidenced by our service and other operational areas, we put 110 percent into everything we do,” says General Manager Troy Strand. “We are fully committed to the sustainability of our city and are thrilled we have been recognized for doing so.”

So, if you want to stay in a luxury boutique hotel and know that you’re doing good for the environment — without even feeling it — check in to the Talbott Hotel next time you pass through Chicago. Rates start at $159 (for mid-week August at time of writing) and include a free breakfast if you book online.

For more green hotel practices, check out Katie Hammel’s “How green is your hotel?” from last week.