Getting back to the topic at hand... do you change your linens everyday? It seems a silly and wasteful vanity when you really get down to it and many hotels, including the mainstays such as Hilton and The Fairmont, are re-examining their practices. Not to dismiss the big boy's efforts, but those of us who dislike staying in large impersonal hotels have been eagerly awaiting convenient, aesthetically and ethically pleasing alternatives.

The good news is the choices are more abundant and stylish than you might expect. Kimpton Hotels, one of the more hip and innovative companies, has a collection of highly individual boutique hotels across the U.S. and last year Kimpton's San Francisco based Hotel Triton was named the model for the State of California's Green Hotels program.

How did Hotel Triton earn the honor? Kimpton went a step further than their other already progressive hotels. All of the Triton's 7th floor rooms are designated "eco rooms" and include organically grown linens and towels, amenity dispensers that reduce packaging waste by 90% and contain ecologically friendly body care products, water saving devices and filtration, air filtration and purifiers, energy saving air and heating units, and are painted with low VOC paints. Triton has also developed extensive community partnerships and special eco suites, like the one designed by Woody Harrelson, where 10% of all profits go to environmental charities. The list of sustainable practices goes on and on and is underpinned by the company wide EarthCare program.

According to their website the program's products and practices include:

• Cleaning Supplies: All rooms cleaned with environmentally friendly cleaning products
• Soy Inks: All corporate collateral is printed on recycled paper using soy based ink
• Recycled Paper: Property wide printing on recycled paper
• Organic Beverages: All complimentary lobby coffee is organic
• Towel/Linen Reuse: Guests have the opportunity to do their part to reduce energy and detergents required for daily washings
• Recycling: Back of house recycling programs addressing glass, bottles, paper, cardboard, etc.
• Energy Conservation: Back of house lighting retrofitted and audited to ensure energy efficient bulbs are in place
• Water Conservation: Implementation and auditing of low flow systems for faucets, toilets, and showers
• Best Practices: At any hotel you may find environmental activities such as recycling of coat hangers, elimination of Styrofoam cups, paperless check-ins/outs, organic flowers, and more...
  

Needless to say I am pleased that when I travel to the San Francisco bay area in a couple of weeks for the Green Business Conference and Green Festival I will have the opportunity to stay in an eco room. Stay tuned for more on how my stay was and if you happen to be at the conference or festival say hello!

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