Green Hotels

Last time I stayed in a hotel in France, I walked into the room and found there was no power. No lights, no TV. A bit annoyed at this, I called down to the front office and, in typical French-brusque way the clerk asked if I'd put my room card into the power-switch slot. What? Well, as is typical in many countries, hotels protect themselves against typical guests who leave many lights and TV on, by automatically cutting power when they leave. Simple but effective, rarely seen in the US.

Hotels are finally jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon (article in the NY Times.) Some have already done so some time ago, as the aura of getting green points meshes with saving money.

"Environmental issues are one of the hottest issues within the travel industry right now,” said Bill Connors, the executive director of the National Business Travel Association.

Getting your building LEED certified (a designation by the US Green Building Council) is one way that satisfies corporate PR flacks, but that's not where it's at. It's much more important to do day-to-day things that are environmentally friendly. Such as using compact fluorescent bulbs. Hotel RODAS, for example:

• Has no single-serving items (small plastic containers with shampoo, etc.)
• Does not wrap glasses with plastic (one of the more ridiculous use of plastic in most hotels.)
• Uses recycled paper and garbage bags, and sets recycling bins in guest rooms.

This hotel is certified by Ecotel, "... properties lead the hospitality industry in environmental protection and preservation," which certifies hotels on five categories such as solid waste management, energy efficiency and water conservation. There are any number of other such organizations: Green Globe 21, Ecoclub, Eco Tourism Society, etc., plenty to pick from.

So the next time you travel, you can do the research and check into a eco-sensitive hotel room.