Go Green in Washington DC’s Fairmont

by Grant Martin on

Feeling a little drained from your time on the hill? Fear not, brave traveler — nothing washes the grime from the road off better than a fresh, green hotel. Washington DC’s Fairmont, winner of Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Environmental Excellence Award, will do just that.

Premium visitors can luxuriate in a Lexus Hybrid Living Suite (pictured above and below), an environment meticulously crafted for the eco-conscious traveler, with green amenities such as organic wine and design inspired by Lexus Hybrid Living. And while it’s true that guests won’t get the company of a luxury sedan inside of their proper room, the hotel has an LS 600h L that’s available for complimentary guest use.

Everyday hoteliers can still benefit from Fairmont’s green initiatives by enjoying the fresh honey harvested on the building’s own roof. In response to the national bee shortage this summer, Fairmont installed a battery of beehives on the outside of the downtown hotel, and as summer plods along, the 100,000 bees are hard at work producing delicious, succulent honey.

Other tweaks to DC Fairmont make the property even eco-friendlier without sacrificing a shred of the brand’s quality. Upgrades include:

  • Low-flow shower heads
  • Low wattage compact fluorescent light bulbs
  • Digital thermostats
  • Natural and healthy choice restaurant menu selections
  • Greenhouse gas offsets from select building compartments
  • Courtyard herb garden for local restaurant flavoring

Rooms at the DC Fairmont start at just over $125, while the suites and Lexus Suite are respectively more expensive.

If packages are your fancy, two new deals that the Fairmont hosts are The Eco Power Package and the Green Washingtonian. With the former package guests get to stay in the Lexus Hybrid suite (with free access to the hotel LS 600h!) nestled in style, while the hotel respectively donates $100 to the National Geographic Society for each stay. The Green Washingtonian hosts organic cocktails for guests

Each package can be booked on Fairmont’s Travel Green promotion page.

The Good Hotel in San Francisco – Really good

by Annie Scott on

The Good Hotel is a new hotel (opened in 2008) in sunny San Francisco with a lot of green features. Better yet? It was listed in our Budget Travel series as “the first hotel with a conscience” and a great place to stay, with prices from just $55 (low season rock bottom) to around $230. You can also get a complimentary tour of San Francisco from a Golden Gate Greeter for free if you stay there!

This hotel is located in downtown San Fran (home to lots of earth-lovin’ hippies, but we’re not talking Humboldt), and is eco-friendly, pet friendly, and even invites guests to participate in local philanthropic adventures. The rooms have “‘Good’ Amenities: bed frame made of 100% reclaimed wood, light fixture made of glass water bottles and toilet top sink,” but don’t worry. You won’t be without a hairdryer, flat screen TV, iPod docking station, or anything else important. There’s also a heated pool across the street to which guests have access, and you can borrow bicycles to get around.

Sales Manager Emily Oestreicher told Tonic.com about whose idea the green initiatives originally were: “The green initiatives are something that the GM and I are both particularly interested in. The bicycle borrowing was something that I saw a hotel in Palm Springs and in Portland (Oregon) and the general manager, Herve [Blondel], was able to see enough of my enthusiasm to want to move forward with that. So he gave me the leeway to sort of figure out and coordinate it and we made it happen.” Oestreicher also reportedly came up with their popular Twitter page, where you can find deals on rates and more (you know, before Twitter was obvious).

Some more good ideas:
“The eco-friendly hotel décor features reclaimed and recycled construction materials. Vending machines in the lobby are stocked with wallets made from FedEx envelopes and are one example of our inventive ideas to promote a good lifestyle. We are also as fun as we are inventive. You’ll find humorous touches like “Be Good” written on walls of your room.” — The Good Hotel.

Every Joie de Vivre Hotel also gives a minimum of $200 per guest room to local charities every year. And P.S. Complimentary parking for hybrid cars! This hotel really is Good.