Green Acres
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The architects and engineers worked with Colorado-based company East West to add features that minimize the building’s impact on the environment and the local community. This is present in the design of the building itself, which includes a roof made from recycled tires, energy-efficient lighting and double-paned windows with argon gas filling the void between the two panes. This aids in the insulating ability of the glass as well as absorbing/reducing outside noise.
The LEED point system also rewards good stewardship initiatives taken during the construction process. When the hotel’s Gypsum-based drywall manufacturer refused to drive directly to Avon to deliver the Westin’s drywall order on the grounds that policy required all deliveries to be routed through Denver, The Westin Riverside agreed to a higher delivery fee to finally get the Gypsum drywall manufacturer to re-route.
The environment was spared 215 miles’ worth of delivery truck fuel emissions, the Gypsum manufacturer got more money for a 29.9-mile delivery than it would have gotten for making the policy-mandated 245-mile delivery, and The Westin Riverside scored additional points toward LEED certification.
The Westin also earned points toward its LEED certification by making the Riverfront Express Gondola used to transport Westin guests to the mountaintop of Beaver Creek ski resort also available to residents of the city of Avon at no cost.
As cars are not permitted in the gondola area, the snow surrounding the area stays clean. At the town’s request, the hotel fed the drainpipe used for melted snow directly into the marshland foundation it was built on, thereby helping to replenish the natural horticulture of the adjacent riverbank. Five acres of the hotel’s 19-acre property have also been available to the public in the form of parklands with a bike path, connecting guests and townspeople to riverside towns all the way to Vail and beyond.
Trotter estimates the hotel’s sustainable features increased the manufacturing cost by 5 percent. The Starwood Co. and East West expect to recoup this investment in five to 10 years.
Although the Westin Riverfront is well on its way to becoming Colorado’s first LEED-certified hotel, it’s not unique in its efforts to capitalize on the opportunity for green-branding. The Cheyenne Mountain Resort was just awarded Silver Tier certification by the International Association of Conference Centers after a retrofitting process.
Like its neighboring hotels, the Colorado Springs Marriott and the Broadmoor, the Cheyenne Mountain Resort went through the costly but eventually cost-saving process of replacing most of its incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Although Brian Healy, the director of engineering at the Colorado Springs Marriott, was able to install energy saving thermostats and dual LED reading in every guestroom, Marriott restricts the water conservation initiatives that so many Colorado restaurants now embrace.
The hotel’s restaurant, according to Healy, is obliged by Marriott headquarters to provide complimentary water whether or not the patrons request it, thereby overriding Colorado’s water conservation initiatives to protect this particular way of positioning Marriott as a luxury hotel brand.
Healy also expressed frustration with the Marriott Corp.’s reluctance to support recycling initiatives on the grounds that on-site recycling bins containing bottles and cans might also counteract Marriott’s luxury brand’s image.
Despite the imposed limitation, however, Healy’s upgrades managed to pay for themselves within a year’s time of their completion, and the hotel received an award for successful energy reduction from the Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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