What does it take to win the Sustainable Hotel of the Year Award? It starts with sustainable bamboo floor entryways, recycled content carpet, dual-flush toilets, filtered drinking water, organic cotton sheets and linens, and all-natural biodegradable soaps, shampoos and moisturizers in bulk dispensers.
The historic Zion Lodge in Zion National Park also included compact fluorescent lighting, automated heat and air-conditioning sensors, use of biodegradable and non-toxic cleaners, complimentary organic coffee and tea, key card lighting controls and LED nightlights in its six eco-friendly suites, which earned the award at the HotelWorld Global Hospitality and Design Award Ceremony and Expo in Las Vegas last night.
The award was presented to the Zion Lodge’s Denver-based operator Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
"With its setting in one of the country’s most breathtaking national parks and because of its remarkable history, it is especially critical to do everything we can to minimize the environmental impact of Zion Lodge," said Chris Lane, vice president of environmental affairs for Xanterra. "We have been successful in implementing new technologies and products, and we are already applying those successes to programs at other Xanterra lodges and resorts throughout the country."
The Zion Lodge, which features 81 motel-type guest rooms and 40 Western-style cabins, also uses renewable solar energy and wind energy to provide 85% of its energy needs. Other lodge-wide practices include reducing water usage by only serving water on demand in restaurants, discontinuing the use of table cloths, composting food waste, providing in-room recycling containers, avoiding chemical pesticides, replacing bottled beer with beer on tap, restoring two acres of non-native grassland to its natural state and offering sustainable food choices in restaurants.
Xanterra also purchased electric and hybrid vehicles and retrofit two other vehicles to propane. The company installed an energy-efficient, on-demand propane boiler in place of a polluting diesel-fired boiler.
The lodge has pursued third-party verification of its environmental programs. Its environmental management system is ISO 14001-certified, and the lodge joined the EPA National Environmental Performance Track program and is an EPA Energy Star Partner.
An interactive video display in the lobby of Zion Lodge explains its many environmental practices to guests and includes real-time monitoring of the on-site solar photovoltaic system.
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