US: Hotel Verdant, a boutique hotel with sustainable initiatives, has opened in Racine, south of Milwaukee, on Lake Michigan.
The 80-room, four-storey hotel was once the iconic Zahn’s Department Store, which dates back to 1898, although the building has been vacant for 40 years.
Dominion Properties of Milwaukee transformed the site into the boutique hotel after a $40 million reconstruction project.
Aiming for a LEED Gold-certified building status, the property features chemically neutral materials, a live green roof, solar panels (pictured), ground-sourced HVAC system, and soon-to-be installed wind turbines.
Hotel Verdant will also follow carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality practices, as established by the US Green Building Council.
There are 10 EV charging stations at the property, bicycles to borrow and a self park system.
Hotel Verdant’s partnership with The Racine Art Museum (RAM) has seen more than 200 works of original local art in guest rooms and public space throughout the hotel.
EV charging has become and important issue for those choosing which hotel to stay at in the UK with a recent survey showing that 77 per cent of guests would be willing to pay for an EV concierge.
Image: Live green roof with solar panels. Credit: Hotel Verdant