Historic Buildings Recycling Project

The Kimpton Hotels’ EarthCare program has situated itself as one of the leading, progressive businesses that is forward-thinking when it comes to environmental efforts.  Kimpton is equally concerned with environmental preservation and operating a business with the least possible negative impact on the world we live in and running an effective business that customers are going to want to be a part of.  The Kimpton Hotels’ initiatives include the recycling of historic buildings in an effort to not only preserve the environment by not building new, unneeded structures and disturbing the natural flow of things, but also taking advantage of the wonderful architecture and historic significance that these buildings have to offer.

By not having to create new materials, ship them to the build site, and then pollute the air and many other environmental factors that contribute negatively to the system, the Kimpton Hotels’ EarthCare program has successfully been able to take its line of hotels into the new age, while offering patrons a taste of the old times.

This is meaningful in two lights:  The Kimpton Hotels environmental initiatives are able to offer something that other hotel chains can’t to their cliental—a chance to stay in stunningly beautiful buildings that have rich historical value—while being able to stay completely dedicated to the EarthCare program and successfully avoiding negatively impacting the world by constructing unnecessary buildings.

The Kimpton Hotels

The Kimpton Hotels provide cliental with a well-rounded experience during their stay.  They are offered a wide range of amenities, the confidence that the hotel is environmentally friendly, and all of the comfort and enjoyment that they could ever want out of their accommodations.

The Kimpton Hotel chain includes the following hotels:

• The Argonaut Hotel – San Francisco
• The Hotel Burnham – Chicago
• The Hotel Monaco – Baltimore
• Hotel Eventi - New York
• Sir Francis Drake Hotel - San Francisco
• The Muse - New York
• Alexis Hotel - Seattle

At the Heart of It All – The Kimpton Employees

At the heart of any environmental initiative are the people on the front lines—in this case, it’s the Kimpton Hotels employees.  These people are the ones who make all of the projects work.  They take everything that is handed to them in stride and make it work efficiently.  They are the people who are committed, strong, and dedicated to keeping the EarthCare program running smoothly.  Without the employees, EarthCare would not work.

The Kimpton Hotels have over 80 employees who are certified EarthCare leaders.  They are the ones driving the effort forward and encouraging all of those around them to be better when it comes to environmental efforts.  They are the innovators, implementers, and inspirations in the Kimpton Hotels family and we are so thankful for their generous contributions to the EarthCare program.

The Kimpton Hotels employees are the people who see the day to day operations, and they are the ones who create ways to do things better.  One of the best and yet most simple ideas that came from a Kimpton Hotels employee was to recycle the wire coat hangers used in the guest laundry services.  Through this effort the Kimpton Hotels were able to save more than two entire tons of steel per year—a huge accomplishment in terms of environmental endeavours.

The EarthCare program is championed by the employees and enjoyed by all those around them.  The employees make the EarthCare program work and are at the heart of the Kimpton Hotels family.

Kimpton Hotels EarthCare Program – Hotel Standards

Each and every one of the Kimpton Hotels is held to the same environmental standards as one another.  These standards are in place in order to keep the waste down and the environmental efficiency up.  They cover everything from all of the paper products to the water use; from the energy consumption to waste management and beyond.  All of these efforts are in place to ensure that the Kimpton Hotels are at the forefront of innovation and efficiency when it comes to taking care of our planet.

The EarthCare Program is a huge part of what makes the Kimpton Hotels stand out as a leader in the hotel industry.  Not only are they committed to providing their clients with the best and most comfortable accommodations available, they are actively operating and constantly monitoring their consumption levels and impact on the environment.  Each and every decision that is made by the Kimpton Hotels team is done so by minds which think in innovative and efficient ways; by people who are genuinely concerned about the health of the environment and are committed to doing everything they are able to make the least impact they can.

Below you will find an outline of the standards that are in place at all of the Kimpton Hotels.

Energy 

• Installation of energy efficient motion sensors in low-occupancy areas of all of our hotels.
• Installation of energy efficient fluorescent lighting in back-of-house areas in our hotels.
• Installation of LED exit signs.
• All guest rooms are equipped with CFL lighting unless they have dimmable or three-way bulbs.
• Our check in policy states that guests may have a maximum of one radio and light on at one given time.
• All of our hallway lighting is energy efficient CFL and/or LED lighting (unless dimmable lights are in use). 

Organic Products

• Every honor bar is equipped with organic beverages as well as organic food products.
• In-room coffee is organic (where applicable).
• Organic wine is served during certain months as part of Kimpton Hotels’ complimentary wine hours.
• Complimentary lobby coffee is organic and/or shade grown coffee (where applicable). 

Paper

• Check-out envelopes are only offered on a by-request basis.
• Phone books are offered to guests on a by-request basis, effectively removing all phone books from guests’ rooms.
• All hotel materials (in-room and bills) are printed on post-consumer recycled paper.
• All printers in every hotel are, by default, set to double-sided printing when it is available. 

Toxics

• All soaps, shampoos, and conditioners in the guests’ rooms are produced using natural ingredients and are purchased from companies who are environmentally-friendly.
• Low/no use of VOC paints in the hotels’ back-of-house spaces.
• All carpet cleaning services use completely non-toxic and low VOC cleaning products.
• All required spot cleaning for carpets employ non-toxic cleaning products.
• All break rooms are equipped with napkins that are unbleached and/or have been produced using recycled content. 

Waste Management

• We are the first boutique hotel chain to offer in-room recycling bins
• Hotel-wide recycling of:  Cardboard, paper, glass, cans, and plastic (where municipal services are available).
• We also have recycling initiatives for:  Batteries, cell phones, computers and other electronic peripherals, and in-room electronics (including DVD’s, radios, and televisions).
• Donation of shampoo and conditioning products that have been only partially used to local charities.
• Donation of towels and linens to local businesses and/or charities.
• Providing reusable/washable mugs for our morning coffee service that is offered to guests as well as in the back-house areas and break rooms.
• Not using any Styrofoam cup products.
• Reuse of towels and linens is encouraged to our guests using signage that has a description of how it is environmentally-friendly.
• Recycling of coat hangers used for uniforms and dry cleaning, returned back to the dry cleaning company.
• Recycling of toner and ink cartridges.
• We provide eco-friendly hair dryer bags (where applicable)
• All honor bar water bottles’ water comes directly from the United States.
• Central placement of recycling bins, in places such as meeting rooms, business centers, fitness rooms, and more, offering guests and employees the ability to recycle their newspapers and bottles.
• Recycling bins for all employees at work stations.
• Twine wrap or stickers have replaced toilet paper wraps.
• Public and employee bathrooms are equipped with C-Fold towels that have been produced using recycled content.

Water

• Installation of water efficient faucets into all hotel rooms.
• Installation of water efficient shower heads into all hotel rooms.
• Installation of water efficient toilets into all hotel rooms.
• All water-efficient products are checked up on by certified professionals to make sure that they are working properly and have been installed correctly in order to maximize the environmental friendliness.

Kimpton Hotels are Green Seal Silver Certified

Green Seal is a non-profit environmental organization that has a goal of setting environmental standards and certifying services and products that want to be held to the mandate of one of the finest eco-friendly groups out there.  Green Seal is an organization that is desperately needed in the landscape of business development and innovation.  They drive businesses like Kimpton Hotels to do their best in order to preserve the environment and have the least impact possible while being able to increase the efficiency of their operations.  Environmental efficiency has many benefits, and Green Seal is working to provide each and every company out there that wants to get involved with standards to comply with.

The Kimpton Hotels have received the silver certification, maintaining the environmental standards set out by Green Seal.  With 20 years of service as an environmental standards organization, Green Seal has strict guidelines which companies must meet, and Kimpton Hotels is very proud of their achievements thus far in the environmental field.

Kimpton is extremely committed to the preservation of the environment and becoming even more efficient as a business by implementing even further eco-friendly components into the hotels’ day to day operations.

Energy Star Partner with Hotels and Restaurants

Receiving Energy Star ratings in all of the Kimpton Hotels and restaurants is a great achievement and has been accomplished by staying dedicated to the eco-friendly values set out by the EarthCare program within Kimpton.  The Energy Star system is an operation run by the EPA and the United States Department of Energy and was created in 1992 in order to improve energy efficiency across the board.  There is now a compliance with these guidelines worldwide and Kimpton is extremely proud to be a member of this prestigious environmental certification.

Energy Star assesses the energy consumption of a given business or workplace and rates it based on their mandate.  They also provide education for the organizations that they work with; giving them the information they need to become even more energy efficient.

Awards and Accomplishments

Kimpton Hotels are committed to environmental preservation and have received awards to that affect.  Below you will find many awards that Kimpton has received for their efforts to operate a company that is committed to eco-friendly initiatives.

• All Kimpton Hotels have received the Green Seal Silver Certification
• Condé Nast World Savers Award – 2009:  Kimpton Hotels was a co-winner of this award in the preservation category for its EarthCare program and overall dedication to environmental preservation.
• National GeoTourism Award, - 3 consecutive years:  National Geographic and the Travel Industry and Association of America’s Traveller magazine awarded Kimpton Hotels this award for environmental stewardship in the travel industry.
• Hotel World—Corporate Citizen of the Year: Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants – 2008: Awarded to Kimpton Hotels to recognize their “hospitality excellence”.
• San Francisco Business Times - 1st Place Green Award Large Business – 2008
• International Restaurant & Hotel Awards' (IRHA) – Kimpton Hotels was awarded the Green Award for the Moderate Hotel category - Hotel Triton, third place – 2008
• Kimpton Hotels has also achieved recognition from the California EPA Green Lodging organization, receiving that certification for their environmental initiatives and commitment to running an environmentally efficient business.