Starwood is launching a "green hotel brand" called Element, with the first property opening in July in Lexington, Mass., and 20 more hotels scheduled to open in the next year.

The hotels are built with technology that saves water and cuts electric use, including heat-reflecting roofing materials, energy-efficient appliances and 16-foot windows to allow natural light into common areas. Laundry bags will be reusable, hybrid cars will get preferred parking, and garbage cans in the rooms will make it easy for guests to recycle.

Starwood has applied for certification for the Element hotels under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. LEED is a nationally recognized benchmark for design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED certification means that third-party experts have verified that the building satisfies criteria for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

Only six U.S. hotels are LEED certified, though well over 100 have registered to be evaluated. The six are the GAIA Napa Valley, American Canyon, Calif.; the Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francisco; the Inn & Conference Center, a Marriott in Adelphi, Md., part of the University of Maryland University College; the Vancouver Conference Center and Hotel, a Hilton in Vancouver, Wash.; and the Len Foote Hike Inn, in Dawsonville, Ga.

News courtesy: BusinessWeek, 4/21/2008