Excited by Kimpton's EarthCare program (see previous post: Eco Boutique Hotels) I decided to put it to the test and pick up the phone to make reservations for my trip to San Francisco. My enthusiasm deflated when I started to see that the reservation agents I spoke with were not well educated about Kimpton's eco amenities and the EarthCare program. According to Kimpton's website "Many of our hotels have Eco Floors." According to the two people I spoke with on 1-800-KIMPTON only the Hotel Triton has eco rooms. So where is the truth? Is Kimpton "greenwashing" for PR sake or is there a corporate disconnect between employee and employer?

In a random sampling of six Kimpton locations I found that four did not have any eco rooms, one (the Hotel Monaco in Chicago) used to have an eco floor but discontinued the program, and only one (70 Park Avenue in New York) actively has eco rooms. Add to that the lackluster response I received when I asked front desk staff about Kimpton's environmental practices and EarthCare program (only two people had an understanding of the program) and the picture can start to look a bit grim.

After attempting to contact media relations in Kimpton's corporate offices and Brian Fenwick the General Manager of Hotel Triton, both to no success, I have received an email back from Jamie Law, Kimpton's Public Relations Coordinator and I have put forward the following questions:

1. Does Kimpton have dedicated eco rooms across the collection of hotels as stated on your website? If so, which hotels have them and do they include the same amenities as described for Hotel Triton's eco rooms.
2. What percentage of your guests request eco rooms or suites and do you see this number growing?
3. What training is Kimpton staff given regarding the EarthCare program AND what training is staff given in dealing with accommodating guest's needs.
4. After researching your company and listening to the interview with Steve Pinetti on the Eco Talk radio show (10-01-05) I was left with the impression that Kimpton Hotels has a deep commitment to sustainability and style. An impression I communicated to my readers. What has the company done AND what will the company be doing to communicate that a commitment to sustainability is in fact part of Kimpton's way of doing business and not "greenwashing."
   

Not to disregard the huge efforts they have made (they are still ahead of many other companies) I am left wondering if the EarthCare program has been implemented as deeply as communicated. I would very much like to think that Kimpton is as progressive as I was led to believe from their enthusiastic marketing and I'm eagerly awaiting Jamie's response. Kimpton may have stye, but does it have substance?

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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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While visiting a spa may be an obvious travel choice, the spa lifestyle is a natural fit for sustainable business and design practices. With many spas embracing natural wellness, spa consultants and designers are increasingly turning to sustainable design solutions to give shape to underlying values.

Nusta Spa, is the world’s first spa to be accepted into the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) pilot program for commercial interiors. With a philosophy that spans from client to environment, Nusta, meaning "royalty" in the South American indigenous Quechua language, has a chic urban sustainability. Featuring energy efficient lighting and appliances, low or no VOC paints and adhesives, bamboo as well as reclaimed materials, and a sophisticated air filtration system, Nusta did not stop at the built environment. The spa recycles extensively, choses products and supplies consciously and purchases its power from sustainable sources.

Located in the Dupont Circle area of Washington DC, Nusta offers a full range of spa treatments as well as their own skin care line containing botanical ingredients harvested in an eco-friendly way from South American rainforests.

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Throughout the month of October at The Art of Sustainable Design & Living I will be highlighting luxury eco-travel. From ecologically conscious boutique hotels to eco-tourism and services, we will explore one of the most dynamic segments of the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) market.

If you always thought that green travel means compromise, backpacking and mosquitoes, stay tuned there is a new wave of luxury ecological travel taking shape.

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