On a recent business trip, I had the pleasure of staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Olathe Kansas (http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/kansas/hilton-garden-inn-olathe-MCIOLGI/index.html) . This particular hotel was built by the Heart of America Group (http://www.heartofamericagroup.com/) and was the first hotel in the state of Kansas built to LEED certified building standards. Enerworks Inc. had the honour of being chosen to supply the solar hot water heating system for this building so I was naturally excited to stay here.
I travel a lot for business and I was very impressed with this hotel. The rooms were quiet, the on-site restaurant (http://johnnysitaliansteakhouse.com/olathe/) was wonderful and the hotel staff were extremely accommodating upon our extra late night arrival and throughout our stay. This hotel even have a touch screen monitor in the lobby for information about the hotel that includes all the features which have been installed to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of the hotel. I spent about 30 minutes touching the icons which explain how the hotel elevators use regenerative breaking to generate electricity on the way down, how the LED lighting offers better illumination while reducing electrical consumption and pollution (LED’s last longer than CFL’s and don’t require mercury) and of course how the solar hot water system is heating the water for the hotel.
Many people still believe that you have to give up “creature comforts” to be environmentally responsible. The minute you walk in the door at this hotel, you will realize just how inaccurate this misconception is. If you take the time to watch this video about the hotel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ04THevfr8) you’ll likely agree that this hotel offers more amenities than most hotels which don’t have any these energy saving features. If you’re in Olathe, KS (just outside Kansas City) and in need of a hotel, be sure to look up the Hilton Garden Inn because in addition to getting a great night sleep, you’ll be supporting a business which is working hard to reduce the environmental footprint of your travel.
