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New Starwood Hotel brand

Published: 22/04/2008 - Filed under: News »

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Starwood Hotels and Resorts has announced a new hotel brand for the long-stay business traveller – Element hotels. The new brand, which will only include new-build hotels, starts in Lexington, MA in July, and promises 20 hotels by the end of next year in New York, Chicago, Orlando and Las Vegas. Starwood already has several hotel brands, including Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin and Le Meridien. The new brand is placing particular emphasis on the latest in green construction, products, design and operations.

"Leading the way in hotel innovations is part of Starwood's DNA and fundamental to our success," said Frits van Paasschen, Starwood's Chief Executive Officer. "With the launch of Element, we're creating a new way to build hotels and guest experiences through the lens of environmental responsibility.”

The green bit

Element’s key green features include energy efficient stainless steel appliances and lighting, water-efficient taps and fixtures and bins for paper, plastic and glass which make recycling easy. Filtered water in guest rooms and amenity dispensers in the showers reduce plastic bottle waste. In addition, Element hotels use low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints and carpets with up to 100 per cent recycled content and anti-microbial carpet pads which improve indoor air quality for guests and staff. Guests driving hybrid cars are rewarded with priority parking. Even the ubiquitous "Do Not Disturb" sign gets a green makeover, replacing the traditional paper tag with an environmentally friendly magnet.

The design of the hotels has made use of natural light (more green than electric), with  a 16-foot window wall in the lobby and oversized windows in each guest room providing sightlines to the outdoors. The brand is a spin-off from Starwood’s Westin Hotels brand and the hotels feature the Westin's Heavenly bed, spa-like bathrooms with oversize showers and rain showerheads which are water efficient, a state-of-the-art fitness center, fresh and healthy complimentary breakfast and organic pantry options, plus the latest in technology and neat extras like complimentary bikes for guests and staff and local area information on the TVs.

Element Hotel openings

2008:

• Element Lexington - open
• Element Irving, Texas 1 November 2008
• Element Las Vegas Summerlin, 15 December 2008

2009:

• Element Houston Vintage Park, Texas January 2009
• Element Arundel Mills, Maryland March 2009
• Element Denver Park Meadows, Colorado June 2009
• Element Chicago O'Hare Airport June 2009
• Element Orlando Convention Center August 2009
• Element Tampa Westshore September 2009
• Element Atlanta Buckhead September 2009
• Element Toronto Downtown, Canada September 2009
• Element Leawood, Kansas 01 September 2009
• Element Baltimore Washington International Airport October 2009
• Element Dulles North, Virginia October 2009
• Element Herndon, Virginia 01 October 2009
• Element Chantilly Westfields, Virginia 31 December 2009

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