Stay Green, Save Green

Last week while traveling on business, I checked into the Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Atlanta. As the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere, the hotel is a 73-story landmark and iconic part of the Atlanta skyline. Sitting on my bed (62 stories in the air) was a door hanger encouraging me to forgo housekeeping for a $5 coupon per day. My first thought was, what could I get for $5 at a hotel restaurant? I reconsidered when I realized that I would only be in the hotel for two nights and had more than enough clean towels in the bathroom to skip a day of someone else making my bed.

I put the door hanger out before going to bed that night and when I woke up there was a coupon slipped under my door. What I hadn’t realized when I checked in, was that there was a Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel. I was elated to splurge on a super-sized fancy coffee drink with enough credit left to pick up a pack of mints.

This eco-friendly promotion run by Starwood is just one example of a wave of domestic hotels "going green" and reducing their impact on the environment (while at the same time, appealing to travelers trying to reduce their own carbon footprint). Over the past several years I noticed international hotels have been encouraging guests to reuse towels in an effort to reduce the amount of water wasted laundering towels used only one time. I was glad to see hotels here in the United States joining the fight against wasted resources. According to Starwood's Green Choice promotion, by skipping housekeeping for just one night, I saved 37 gallons of water and 7 ounces of chemicals being used to clean my hotel room.

If you’d like to "go green" on your next trip, check out these deals that save cash and the environment:

• Overlooking acres of vineyards, Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa has been recognized by the state of California for its green initiatives. Learn more about its green philosophy on its website. Stays Sunday-Thursday through July 31 are now $169 off.
• The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, at $119 per night through August, is one of the hotels taking part in the Starwood's green initiatives company-wide.
• In Berkeley, the Hotel Shattuck Plaza uses a key-card activated energy system in its guest rooms to minimize waste. Stays in July have been reduced to $125 per night.