Green Hotels for Eco Travel

Posted by Jamie McIntosh May 6, 2009

Once a year, I get together with my best friend from college for a long weekend of gossip and shopping. Finding a hotel with a comfortable bed close to shops and attractions always tops the list, but this year we discovered a green hotel that exceeded all of our expectations. The Q Hotel and Spa in Kansas City reinvented itself as a green hotel in 2007, starting with an idea for in-room recycling and extending the green notion to sustainable operations in everything from its Prius guest shuttle to its organic, fair trade coffee in the lobby bar.

I’ve stayed in hotels that give a nod to water and energy conservation by requesting guests to use their towels for multiple days in a row. This feels chintzy; more like a way for the hotel to realize savings than a true attempt at corporate responsibility. However, when a hotel exhibits sustainable decisions at all levels, I feel better about reusing towels or making other small changes to help the business reduce its environmental footprint.

If you’re looking for a green hotel to complement your eco travel plans, consider one that engages in some of the same practices as the Q Hotel and Spa, such as: