The Hotel Palomar in the Westwood area of Los Angeles is promising to be the first green hotel in Los Angeles. The hotel, part of the Kimpton group, has 268 guest rooms. Their green features include in-room recycling bins (yes!); energy-efficient lighting; water-efficient fixtures; toiletries made from natural ingredients by earth-friendly manufacturers; organic food and beverage options in its mini-bars and a restaurant that follows the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch's sustainable seafood guidelines. The hotel will offer wireless Internet, concierge-directed private car services in a Lexus Hybrid, hosted evening wine receptions, private trainers available by appointment, a pool and a "Mind. Body. Spa." wellness program that includes 24-hour, in-room yoga and Pilates television programming. The hotel is also pet friendly. The California Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Kimpton the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for preserving the state's resources. Rates start around $300 and it looks like the hotel is set to open in June.

Dallas is full of condo-hotel projects and they just keep getting more intriguing. As the the Dallas Morning News reports, the Hotel Palomar is trying to be the hipster hotel in Dallas. Now next to the Trader Vic's restaurant, you can find Brüt, a champagne store and lounge that is small but manages to stock 160 champagnes and sparkling wines on its shelves. The store generally pours three kinds of champagne each day.

You can also extend your stay at the Hotel Palomar permanently. The Residences at Palomar include condos, lofts and courtyard homes. The development includes the Exhale spa, a fitness center and several restaurants. The nine-story tower is home to 55 units ranging in price from ranging from $350,000 to $2.5 million for a penthouse.

Previous Dallas projects we've covered:
Mandarin Oriental
Cresta Bella
The House by Starck and Yoo
W Hotel and Residences
Lakeside Resorts and Residences

The latest hotel from the boutique chain, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is located in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. The Hotel Palomar Arlington at Waterview in the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia is a 154-room hotel on the Potomac with views of the water and the Washington skyline. The hotel has a contemporary and modern design. The hotel has the theme of "art in motion," which is carried out through the original artwork, a pewter ironwork grill that adorns the soaring two-story glass entranceway and featured sculpture such as the work of Mary Early, a sculptor known for her abstract three-dimensional works in the lobby. The hotel will have a restaurant, Domaso, which showcases Northern Italian food as well as a gourmet wine and cheese shop, Domasoteca, which will also host wine and cheese tastings.

The guest rooms feature the standard technological amenities such as flat panel televisions, DVD players, iPod docks and wi-fi access. Hotel amenities include spa treatments, a fitness center, and in-room yoga, Pilates and meditation channels and equipment. There are also 24 "Spa Suites" with Fuji soak tubs and Elliptical machines. Room rates will start at $339 and the hotel will open this fall.