The Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza Offers EcoRoom Accommodations

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza, located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain town of Boone, North Carolina is doing their share to protect the environment, thanks to a host of environmentally enhanced products from Green Suites®International, an environmental product and program supplier to the lodging industry.

On May 1, 2009, the Best Western Blue Ridge launched the “EcoRoom® Accommodation Program” converting each of their 73 guestrooms into healthier, more environmental “EcoRooms®.” They are the first property in the area to do so. The guestrooms feature more than a dozen different environmental products including compact fluorescent light bulbs; water efficient showerheads and sink faucets; recycling bins in every guestroom; non-toxic cleaning chemicals; a linen reuse program; and Natura brand liquid soaps and shampoo products offered in shower dispensers. Each dispenser states that use of it may “eliminate over 1000 amenity packages a year from entering our landfills,” adding that the liquid products are biodegradable, hypoallergenic and not animal tested.

The EcoRoom® Accommodation Program crowns another in a series of environmental initiatives the Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza has implemented. To conserve energy they have turned the power off and cut the hot water heaters down to entire sections of the hotel during times of low occupancy. They also collect water in a rain barrel for garden irrigation. They are considering incentives for employees to carpool and they have monthly environmental meetings to discuss different ways the hotel can be more environmentally friendly.

Shannon Wooten, General Manager for the Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza, has a passion for the environment and is committed to preserving it. When asked why she felt the need to become more “green”, she said, “It’s just the smart thing to do.”

Dan Bornholdt, President of Green Suites® International estimates that the average EcoRoom® Accommodation program prevents over 1,000 amenity packages annually from going into local landfills, 18,000 gallons of water going down the drain per year and the energy savings represent 400 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into our atmosphere. He bases these numbers on the 3,000 hotels they have supplied in the company’s 16 year history.

Due to their participation in the EcoRoom® Accommodation Program, the Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza has also received a 3-leaf rating as part of the Green Suites® Green Hotel Certification program. This program aims to recognize hotels for the positive green initiatives they’ve performed, while simultaneously challenging the hotels’ competitors to step up their environmental performance.

In an era when environmental consciousness is increasing in response to greater demands on our environment, green initiatives are vital to maintaining social responsibility in all industries, and the hospitality sector is no exception. As a Green Suites® Certified Green Hotel, the Best Western Blue Ridge Plaza is ahead of the curve in recognizing this and putting green values into practice.

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Based in Upland, Calif., Green Suites® International was founded in 1993 and assists hotels in the “greening” of their properties through the implementation, installation and development of environmental products and programs. Green Suites® International’s first focus is on hotel efficiency of energy, water, and waste while enhancing the hotel’s image to the over 50 million environmentally conscientious travelers throughout the USA. Such products include natural amenities delivered from elegant dispensers, non-toxic cleaners, air and water filtration systems and energy and water efficient products. Facilities reaping the benefits from Green Suites® International include over 2,500 hotels in 50 states and 42 countries.