Kimpton To Certify its 50 Hotels to Green Seal Standards

Kimpton Hotel & Restaurants Group has set a goal to have 100 percent of its 50 hotels attain at least the silver level of Green Seal certification.

The hotel group, which operates boutique hotels in 22 cities, so far has put 46 of its 50 hotels through the Green Seal application process and about half are already certified, according to a press release.

Last year, Kimpton had its first LEED certified property. The Hotel Palomar Philadelphia features energy-efficient mechanical systems, low-flow fixtures, a water filtration system to eliminate on-property use of bottled water, and in-room recycling containers.

The latest effort means that each hotel must have about 80 environmentally responsible operating practices third-party verified. The certification looks at areas such as waste minimization, reuse and recycling, energy efficiency and management, impact on fresh water resources, waste water management, hazardous substances and environmentally sensitive purchasing.

At its Chicago properties – Hotel Monaco, Hotel Burnham and Hotel Allegro – Kimpton was able to divert about 116 tons of recyclables from landfills last year, or about 45 percent of such waste.

Kimpton is not the only hotel chain to pursue an aggressive national certification process.

Marriott has developed a hotel design that will be “pre-certified” to LEED standards.

The design is tailored to Marriott’s Courtyard brand, which has more than 160 hotels in development worldwide.