Greener Hotel Chain To Launch In Canada
I caught an interesting article in this week’s edition of the Springwise Newsletter about a new chain of green(er) hotels opening up in Canada.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend a couple nights in a Toronto hotel and was constantly wondering just how much power, water etc the building must be consuming. I was actually impressed with the fact that all the lamps had compact fluorescent bulbs - I’m sure it was money savings that led to the change but it’s better than no change at all. Nevertheless, I have little doubt the hotel (along with the vast majority of others in the city) has relatively little concern for environmental issues.
Here is a blurb from the Springwise article:
Now, with the growing wave of concern for consumerism’s negative impact on the environment, a third element is being added to the no-frills chic equation: eco-friendliness. Inspirational example? A new hotel chain in Canada, due to open its first location this year. Run by family-owned Groupe Germain, ALT Hotels will combine design, atmosphere and chic interiors with the best possible price *and* with serious efforts to minimize impact on the planet. The Montreal hotel will incorporate geothermal technology, which is an industry first in Canada. Designed by architect Viateur Michaud, ALT Montreal will use the earth’s constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (at a depth of about three meters) to help heat and cool the hotel as needed. Other energy-saving measures include efficient lighting throughout the building, and heat recovery from water used in commercial washers.
See the full article here: No-frills Eco-chic
Here is a blurb from an Alt Hotel press release:
The first ALT Hotel will be built at a cost of $21 million in Brossard’s brand new Quartier DIX30, strategically located at the intersection of highways 10 and 30, a stone’s throw from Montreal and right in the heart of the South Shore. It will be located near a 900-seat theatre, fabulous restaurants, a state-of-the-art fitness centre and spa, and more than 100 stores and boutiques. Construction has already begun on this first ALT Hotel, which will feature the very latest in energy-saving measures. It is scheduled to open in September 2007.
“Our research clearly shows that there is a shortage of this type of cheap-chic accommodation in Canada’s hotel industry,” explained Ms. Germain. For $129 per night, guests will enjoy quick and easy check-in, a unique atmosphere and an inviting, eclectic lounge. The cozy, inviting rooms include an office area equipped with the latest technology used by today’s travellers and feature an urban-spa type bathroom. Guests will be able to enjoy products and services tailored to their needs, such as breakfast on the run when they leave the hotel, and super-healthy, energizing juices. “No other hotel in this category will
give guests this much for such a tiny price,” concluded Ms. Germain.
And a list of the energy saving features:
•Geothermal heating and cooling
• Heat recovery from cool outdoor air and interior air exhaust (washrooms)
• Geothermal heating of fresh air intake
• Heat recovery from water used in commercial washers
• Efficient lighting throughout
• Main light switch to turn off all lights when leaving the room
• Geothermal heating of domestic hot water
• Geothermal heating of main entrance concrete floor
• Door contacts in stairwells to reduce lighting by half when unoccupied
• Direct digital control DDC system for ventilation, heating and cooling
I am certainly impressed with these improvements in design (in comparison to efforts by other hotels), but it would have been great to at least see some water conservation measures as well (rainwater capture/reuse, maybe a greenroof, greywater recycling etc). Oh well, one step at a time I guess!
Hopefully we’ll see these hotels opening in Ontario before too long.
Technorati Tags: green hotels, eco hotels, energy saving, geothermal, alt hotels
Written by Bentley on May 4th, 2007 with
3 comments.
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Bentley
#1. May 15th, 2007, at 1:49 AM.
Your comment is very pertinent.
I am the project manager for this hotel project. We do not claim to have the perfect eco-energetic solution to environmental issues but we believe we are taking the right steps to improve our consumption efficiency and therefore reduce costs associated to it.
The interesting aspect of eco-energetic measures in a new building construction is that it also makes business sense. I expect to see more and more projects like ours. As you said, some developers might say it is for their environmental conscience, some may say it is for $$ but at least it is serving the same purpose.
To answer your last comment, we forgot to mention in the press kit that we use dual flush toilets from Geberit for reduced water consumption. Guests will have the choice to flush 3L or 6L in the toilet.
Best regards and long life to your blog.
Hugo