Hotels all around the world are pushing hard to go green and tell their customers all about it. The InterContinental Hotels Group has created a whole website devoted to the project. The solar powered 'Innovation Hotel' will include a variety of green features including the forwarding of all unused non-perishable food to charities or food banks, solar panels on the roof to heat water, a rainwater harvesting system to supply water to toilets, a roof garden rich in shrubbery to provide extra insulation, windpower to generate electricity for the hotel, recycled glass windows, furniture and fittings made entirely from recycled materials and household waste to provide heat and power. The plan is to use the virtual property if the Innovation Hotel to gradually roll out to all HG brands within the next few years.
Th Innovation Hotel has a green roof planted with low-maintenance plants which helps keep it cool in warm weather and insulate it in winter. Also on the roof there will be solar panels. Natural lava stone signage at the entrance and on the lawns replaces traditional plastic and metal signs. The decor is low emission paint, all the artwork produced by local artists to ensure a low carbon-footprint and there are recycling bins for guests to use. Left over food scraps are composted to create a fertilizer for use on hotel plants and lawns. Bathrooms feature low-flow showerheads and dual flush toilets. The hotel is more of a prototype of what green could be rather than the design for any specific hotel but it is an intriguing look at the variety of green options available for hotels.
