Lodging gets a green focus at the Element Hotel in historic Lexington, Massachusetts. It’s fitting that the town that saw the birth of the American Revolution should be the first location for this innovative brand of properties by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Element claims to be the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties meet the requirements for certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system.
Element Lexington opened on July 1, 2008, and was recently awarded a LEED Gold rating, becoming the first Starwood property and the first hotel in Massachusetts to receive this designation. Element’s design uses large windows to bring in natural light, making interior spaces flow naturally into the outdoor areas.
Though the hotel has no restaurant, a breakfast buffet is included daily, as is a nightly happy hour with beer, wine, and appetizers. In addition to Element’s bar, guests have the option of visiting the lounge at the adjacent Aloft Hotel and charging drinks and food to their rooms at Element. Guests also have access to barbecue grills on the outdoor terrace.
Robin Pereira, a social attendant at Element who spends a lot of time interacting with guests, says visitors appreciate the hotel’s soothing, relaxing atmosphere. “This hotel is all about living well, being green, and healthy choices,” Pereira says. “I really think it’s going to be a trendsetter.”
Eco-friendly Design
Among the green features of Element Lexington’s guestrooms are anti-microbial carpet pads made from 25-percent recycled content, couch cushions made from soy, desk chairs made from 41-percent recycled content, and beds with wood frames from certified forests. Each room also has a kitchenette with Energy Star appliances, as well as recycling bins for paper, glass, and plastic.
Artwork is mounted on recycled tires, and all rooms have energy-efficient light bulbs and oversized windows for natural light. Rather than paper Do Not Disturb signs, Element offers environmentally friendly magnets for guests to put on their doors.
Bathrooms feature water-efficient fixtures, along with soap and shampoo dispensers rather than disposable toiletries. Water filtration reduces the need for bottled water, which is not sold anywhere in the hotel. Another green feature is the saline indoor pool, which uses no chlorine.
Element Lexington also has bicycles available for guest use, a very popular amenity given the hotel’s proximity to the Minuteman Bikeway. Other amenities include free wireless Internet access, complimentary use of two computers in the lobby, coin-operated laundry facilities, and a 24-hour snack store by the reception desk.
A Successful New Brand
“The response has been great,” says Front Desk “Guru” Kate Murphy. “We’re getting a lot of people who love that green concept, that healthy living. People who are really interested in recycling, etc.” Because of its location in the Route 128 technology corridor, Element Lexington attracts a lot of business travelers. “Element is soothing, it’s relaxing. After a long day at work, you want that,” Murphy says.
Donovan Smith from Lehigh Acres, Florida, recently stayed at Element Lexington and calls the hotel’s innovations “a fascinating idea.” As an employee of Demilec, Inc., which offers environmentally friendly spray foam for energy-efficient construction, Smith knows something about green building. The large windows and bamboo floors of the guestrooms immediately caught his attention. “It gave me that ‘a-ha’ feeling when I walked in,” he says. “Bear in mind that most of green building you can’t see, but when you first walk in here you get the idea of the difference.”
Following the success of the Lexington property, Starwood recently opened Element hotels in Las Vegas and Houston. More than 20 additional Element hotels are slated to open over the next few years.
Annika S. Hipple - Annika S. Hipple is a freelance writer and editor based in Seattle, Washington. She has written for a wide range of print and online ...
