PLANT-FRIENDLY

It’s not uncommon to see hotels that allow pets, and many even make the stay just as special for them as their human companions. But, what about people who want to travel with their plants? The world’s first plant-friendly hotel, Elwood Hotel & Suites, located in Lexington, Ky., has those folks covered. Guests who book the plant-friendly package will stay in a Gardener Premier room, decorated with live plants from a local nursery partner, and equipped with three windows to let in natural light. They’ll also receive a complimentary potted succulent from a local greenhouse and locally-made botanical toiletries.

Sustainable Eating

Located in Hotel Clio in Denver, Colo., Chef Richard Sandoval’s Pan-Latin restaurant Toro promotes sustainability that you can taste. To celebrate Earth Day, Toro recently launched a plant-based campaign to create some buzz about the importance of bees. If you love some fresh, local honey, you’re in luck! On the rooftop of Hotel Clio there’s a beehive where the hotel makes its own local honey to share with its guests and the community. Currently, there are two beehives that each house about 40,000 Carniolan bees, which produced approximately 45 gallons of honey this summer.

Positive Energy

Ironically, an old Sinclair Oil building in Fort Worth, Texas, has more recently been repurposed as The Sinclair, the first energy efficient hotel in the world to power itself through ethernet cables. By doing so, the building’s energy consumption is reduced by more than 30 percent. Another first—the hotel’s backup power runs on the world’s first UL 924 lithium iron battery. In the event of a power outage, this battery can power the building for up to three hours—and takes up less space than a typical diesel generator.

And if guests want to help contribute to The Sinclar’s sustainable mission, all they have to do is workout in the on-site fitness center. The gym’s bikes and weight machines all help power the hotel through its aforementioned ethernet-based system.