Kimpton pursues brand-wide Green Seal certification

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 29, 2010 – San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today its pursuit of an aggressive national milestone for environmental responsibility. Kimpton, with 50 hotels in 22 major metropolitan cities, is in process to become the first lifestyle boutique hotel company in the U.S. to attain 100 percent Green Seal certification at the Silver level.

At present, 46 of 50 hotels have completed the rigorous application process for Green Seal certification, which includes an on-site audit. Half of those have already received certification. The rest are anticipated to be awarded certification within the next 90 days. The remaining four, including two opening this spring, will begin the certification process this year.

Green Seal certification is an important third-party validation of Kimpton’s more than 80 environmentally responsible operational practices under the company’s EarthCare program, and allows Kimpton to more effectively measure its nationwide reductions in waste, energy and water consumption. For example, at Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco in Chicago, which earned Green Seal certification in 2009 along with Kimpton’s Hotel Burnham and Hotel Allegro in the same city, tracking methods required for certification revealed that 116 tons, or 45 percent, of all of recyclables were diverted from landfill last year. This effort equates to the preservation of 1,977 trees, 477,042 kilowatts of electricity, 44,192 gallons of oil, 814,065 gallons of water and 349 yards of space diverted from landfill.

“These statistics reflect the impact of just one Kimpton hotel,” said Niki Leondakis, chief

operating officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “Once attained, Green Seal certification will enable us to quantify our efforts across 46 properties initially, and then benchmark our progress year over year to continue to aim higher and achieve even greater positive results from our EarthCare practices. This certification reaffirms for our guests and each hotel in our collection the impact our shared contribution makes on individual communities and the planet overall.”

To qualify for GS-33 Green Seal certification, a hotel must demonstrate sustainable practices in the following areas:
Waste minimization, reuse and recycling
Energy efficiency, conservation and management
Management of fresh water resources
Waste water management
Hazardous substances
Environmentally sensitive purchasing

Certification requires an initial evaluation by Green Seal, including an extensive on-site audit of the property, and annual monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance. The GS-33 standard recognizes three levels of environmental achievement:
Bronze: Entry level, meets essential environmental leadership elements
Silver: Meets a more comprehensive level of required leadership operations
Gold: Meets additional criteria demonstrating hotel is at the forefront of environmental leadership

“We congratulate the Kimpton hotels on committing to such an ambitious goal,” said Dr. Arthur Weissman, President & CEO of Green Seal. “As their certified properties in Chicago alone have already prevented an estimated 1,500 tons of greenhouse gasses, Kimpton is helping to create a more sustainable world.”

Kimpton hotels that have already achieved Green Seal certification include: The Morrison House (Alexandria, VA); Hotel Monaco (Alexandria, VA); Nine Zero (Boston); Hotel Marlowe (Cambridge, MA); Hotel Allegro (Chicago, IL); Hotel Burnham (Chicago, IL); Hotel Monaco (Chicago, IL); the Cypress Hotel (Cupertino, CA); EPIC Hotel (Miami); Hotel Monaco (Portland, OR); Vintage Plaza Hotel (Porland, OR); Argonaut Hotel (San Francisco, CA); Harbor Court Hotel (San Francisco, CA); Serrano Hotel (San Francisco, CA); Hotel Monaco (San Francisco, CA); Sir Francis Drake (San Francisco, CA); Prescott Hotel (San Francisco, CA); Hotel Monaco (Salt Lake City, UT); FireSky Resort & Spa (Scottsdale, AZ); Hotel Vintage Park (Seattle); Hotel Monaco (Seattle); Hotel Monaco (Washington, DC); Hotel Palomar (Washington, DC); Hotel George (Washington, DC); Hotel Rouge (Washington, DC); Topaz Hotel (Washington, DC); and Hotel Madera (Washington, DC).