Orchard Hotel Earns LEED Certification San Francisco's First And Only Certified 'Green' Hotels - Orchard And Orchard Garden Hotel
The Orchard Hotel joins its sister property, the Orchard Garden Hotel in 'green' certification, earning LEED-EB® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification for an existing building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). San Francisco's only hotel to earn this honor, the Orchard Hotel is the second hotel in California and fourth hotel in the world with this certification.
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 15, 2009 -- The Orchard Hotel joins its sister property, the Orchard Garden Hotel in 'green' certification, earning LEED-EB® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification for an existing building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). San Francisco's only hotel to earn this honor, the Orchard Hotel, is the second hotel in California and fourth hotel in the world with this certification. LEED-EB is the USGBC's leading edge system for operating high performance buildings dedicated to whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues, recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs and systems upgrades.
The Orchard Hotel, managed by Portfolio Hotels & Resorts, based in Oak Brook, IL, includes 104 guest rooms and is located just two blocks from Union Square on the Powell Street Cable Car Line. Inspiration for meeting the LEED-EB guidelines comes from its 85-year-old owner, Mrs. S.C. Huang. She is passionate about clean environments, after the untimely cancer-related deaths of three family members, and has devoted herself to creating environmentally safe and sustainable hotels.
"Mrs. S.C. Huang pursued a LEED certification for her existing hotel for several important reasons," said Stefan Mühle, general manager for the hotels and regional director for Portfolio Hotels & Resorts. "Studies prove that LEED certified buildings have lower operating costs, higher employee productivity, and happier, healthier occupants. We're extremely proud to lead the hospitality industry in our dedication to our environment and our guests' and employees' quality of life."
The Orchard Hotel achieved LEED-EB certification for managing energy use, sustainable cleaning and maintenance practices, employee education, recycling policies, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. LEED-EB was established for market leaders to operate buildings that protect and save precious resources while also making good economic sense. The hotel's green practices also include chemical-free cleaning products, a 100% tobacco-free environment, recycled paper and soy-based inks, low flow toilets and showers, CFL, halogen or LED lighting throughout the hotel; low or no-VOC paints, adhesives and sealants; strict recycling and compost programs and more.
"Orchard Hotel's LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "The urgency of USGBC's mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and the Orchard Hotels serve as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish."
In 2007, the Orchard Hotel's sister property, the Orchard Garden Hotel, was awarded LEED-NC® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-New Construction) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). San Francisco's first hotel to earn this honor, the Orchard Garden was only the third hotel in the U.S. and fourth hotel in the world with this certification.
About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's leading non profit organization composed of corporations, builders, universities, federal and local agencies, and others working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Greenbuild as well as the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System are projects of the USGBC. For more information on the USGBC, visit www.usgbc.org.
About LEED
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary third party rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Projects are evaluated within six environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the industry standard of measurement for green building.
About the Orchard Hotel
Intimate and elegant, the Orchard Hotel is conveniently located between Union Square and Nob Hill. Thoughtfully designed guest rooms provide state-of-the-art technology and a wealth of complimentary amenities for business and pleasure travelers including high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi access, entertainment center with CD and DVD player, tea/coffee maker, honor bar, in-room safe, dual-line cordless telephones, luxurious organic bath products and other gracious amenities such as an extensive CD/DVD library. Daffodil Restaurant, adjacent to the lobby, serves breakfast, dinner and cocktails daily. The Orchard Hotel and Orchard Garden Hotel are proud members of Portfolio Hotels and Resorts, a collection of signature destination resorts and significant urban hotels. For reservations and information, please visit www.theorchardhotel.com or call 888-717-2881 or 415-415-362-8878.
SOURCE: PRWeb
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