Step inside a guestroom in Boston’s Lenox Hotel and you might notice the Aveda amenities that await in the marble bathroom. Your eye may be drawn to the gleaming brass chandelier illuminating the bed topped with a down duvet. If you’re packing your laptop, you’ll quickly appreciate the high-speed WiFi.

But you won’t notice that the room was cleaned with non-toxic products, painted with “no VOC” (volatile organic compounds) paints and kept comfortable by a thermostat that detects whether the room is occupied or not and adjusts accordingly. These are just a few of the many aspects that make the Lenox Hotel one of the growing number of green hotels that await business travelers.

One of the pioneers in the green hotel movement, the Lenox Hotel began its environmental stewardship in 1989, a time when “people didn’t even know there was a problem,” explained Tedd Saunders, executive vice president of the Saunders Hotel Group and president of EcoLogical Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in the greening of tourism businesses worldwide. “We have made huge progress in terms of recognizing the problem and finding a solution. The market has responded with products, and consumer attitudes are changing quite dramatically. It’s similar to the time when non-smoking rooms were first offered. People didn’t know to ask for them.”

Today, a growing number of travelers are asking about the environmental policies of a hotel before booking. “A lot of governments — such as the government of Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — have procurement policies that require them to do business with companies with green policies,” said Michelle White, director of environmental affairs for Fairmont Hotels. Even the individual traveler is going the extra step to make sure they’re making a green choice. “Right now because the environment is on their minds, a lot of people are aware and want to make sustainable lifestyle choices.”

Fairmont, which began instituting its brand-wide environmental policies in 1990, has expanded its efforts to include environmentally friendly meetings with its EcoMeet program. “That program rolled out in 1999 to select Canadian properties and now we have decided to update it and roll it out across the portfolio,” White said. “It gives you an opportunity to mitigate the impact of your meeting. Also, we offer the opportunity for part or all of a meeting to be carbon neutral by [offering businesses the opportunity of] buying renewable energy certificates to offset their stay. The group can offset a luncheon, a workshop or an entire event.” After a function, the hotel also distributes untouched food to local shelters.

IDENTIFYING GREEN

You want to do your part. You want to make the green choice. But how do you define a green hotel? “That’s the $64,000 question,” said Saunders. “There are a number of good standards, but not one national or international standard. It’s overdue.”

In the meantime, business travelers will find several specialized certification programs that identify hotels that have met environmental standards in particular areas. The EPA awards the Energy Star designation to facilities with superior energy performance. Green Seal certifies hotels that meet the Green Seal environmental standard for use of environmentally responsible products. And Audubon International’s educational division, Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, recognizes selected resorts and other businesses as Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries if they demonstrate that they maintain a high degree of environmental quality in five areas: environmental planning, wildlife habitat management, resource conservation, waste management, and outreach and education. Recently the program even designated the United States’ first “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for Business,” the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort near Atlanta.

Some hotels detail specific eco-friendly features on their company Web sites. Kimpton Hotels, another pioneer in the field, provides specific features of its EarthCare program, from recycling bins in the guestrooms to implementation and auditing of low-flow systems for faucets, toilets and showers to honor bars that stock organic snacks and beverages.

A growing number of travelers are asking about the environmental policies of a hotel before booking.

No time to do the research? Online tools, such as eco.orbitz.com, the eco-travel “microsite” of Orbitz, make the job easier. Eco.orbitz selects green hotels and even offers suggestions for eco-volunteer efforts in the area if you have some spare time.

DINING GREEN

Although much of a hotel’s green factor comes from its physical plant — from energy to waste management to maintenance — the food and beverage side of a hotel stay also contributes to a hotel’s environmental friendliness. The average restaurant meal travels 1,500 miles before it reaches the plate — a statistic eco-friendly hotels are working to change. “An important aspect is sustainable cuisine, sourcing our local or regional cuisine,” White said. “The Fairmont prides itself on offering an authentically local experience and that includes local cuisine.” Several Fairmont hotels even have their own on-site herb gardens.

For some, the dining goes a step further. Island Outpost, the Jamaica-based chain, has its own organic farm. The company also purchases most of its meats and seafood from local vendors. After a day of business in Kingston, travelers return to the chain’s Strawberry Hill to a cup of local Blue Mountain coffee, mangoes from the hotel orchard, entrees flavored with herbs from the garden and side dishes featuring fruits and vegetables from local farmers.

GREEN IS GOLD

For these hotels, going green has obvious environmental and ethical benefits. But what about the bottom line? Some are finding that reen can be gold, paying dividends such as lower operating costs and higher customer loyalty. “When talking to groups of hoteliers, I ask, ‘do you know of any other business approach where you can save money and reap these benefits?’” Saunders said.

And for the guest? Sometimes there are monetary paybacks; at Fairmont’s California properties, for example, guests arriving in hybrid vehicles receive complimentary parking. Yet “economic benefits tend to go toward the [hotel] company and not the guest, although reducing resource consumption ultimately will result in a decrease in the rate of increase in costs for all parties involved,” noted Chris Lane, vice president of environmental affairs for Xanterra Parks & Resorts which operates resorts in U.S. national and state parks.

Lane does, however, see numerous non-monetary benefits for travelers at an environmentally conscious hotel. His list includes low VOC and off-gassing in rooms due to environmentally preferable materials being used; better lighting from efficient compact fluorescent lamps; healthier foods from sustainable and organic food selections being placed on menus; better air quality as hotels use cleaner-burning boilers (propane-fired instead of fuel oil-fired) in buildings and cleaner burning transportation systems such as alternative fuel vehicles, electric vehicles and hybrids.

Business travelers also find that there is no need to choose between green or luxury. “We are not asking our guests to sacrifice any of the quality and luxury of their experience,” said the Lenox Hotel’s Saunders. Similarly, Fairmont’s White noted, “Fairmont’s program is absolutely seamless; we are a luxury hotel brand. If you go to a Fairmont property, most of the greening is back of the house. The guests never see the compost facility or realize they have a low-flush toilet.”

Whether measured in terms of a sense of doing something to help the environment or making a healthy choice for oneself, choosing a green hotel is becoming an increasingly important option for many business travelers. As Saunders noted, “We are all travelers on the same road, and we have to take care of it.”