Hotel Industry Booms With Sustainable Style

nat rosasco • May 18, 2016

The hotel industry runs on a 24-hour schedule, 365 days per year, so it’s no surprise that countless hotels succumb to an extremely high amount of energy use. However, many of these hotels are turning to sustainable solutions in order to reduce that amount. According to this United States Green Building Council (USGBC) article , hotels cover over 5 billion square feet of space in this country. Therefore, the strides the hotel industry is putting forth make a huge positive impact on not only the hotels themselves, but also on their guests and the environment.

An article in The New York Times explains that eco-friendly practices from hotels come in the form of low-flow shower heads, energy-efficient boilers and coolers, and extensive recycling programs. Furthermore, hotel interiors can feature furniture with reclaimed materials, FSC certified wood, and low-VOC finishes, such as the products we, at Reclaimed Table offer.

Virgin Hotel Chicago

Virgin Hotels has taken a major stance on sustainability because, as they believe, “doing good for people and planet is good for business.” With green roofs for better storm water management, green housekeeping, and hotel-wide recycling, among other initiatives, their new Chicago hotel has obtained LEED Gold status. Virgin Hotels’ goal is to eventually have net zero carbon and net zero waste.

The Peninsula New York , pictured at the top of the page, is installing all LED lighting throughout the hotel and eight new energy-efficient elevators. Though the lighting alone will cost $250,000 and the elevators ring in at $1.1 million, the cost in energy savings will be more than worth it in the long run.

However, according to an article in Sustainable Chicago , the upfront costs of choosing sustainable solutions are not always easy to swallow. Daniel Wellborn, a Principal with the Chicago-based interior design, branding, procurement, and consulting firm, Gettys Group , explains in the article, ‘“When that’s the case, we go into sneaky sustainability mode…Without increasing costs, we’ll go for materials and products that are sustainable and just put them into the specifications.”’ Many suppliers today, Reclaimed Table included, offer eco-friendly products, making it simple for firms like Gettys to stick to their goals when it comes to sustainability. Plus, today’s sustainable products come in a large range of design styles, allowing them to match any aesthetic necessary.

Hotels are also encouraging their guests to engage in greener practices, such as reusing linens and towels and foregoing cleaning services in exchange for rewards points. At the Marriott, such an incentive led to an 11-17% decrease in water and sewer expenses related to laundering.

The Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis was designed with sustainability in mind. Image from here.

Because of cost-savings and a positive brand image associated with going green, the amount of green hotels is rising. USGBC explains, “Today, LEED-certified hotels of all sizes are found in more than 40 U.S. states, 31 countries and five continents.” For instance Starwood’s Elements hotels and Hyatt Hotels all incorporate LEED mandates in their design specs.

The movement isn’t only being pushed by hotels, but also by cities. The NYC Carbon Challenge , which began in 2007 in order to encourage universities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, recently added hotels to the initiative. These hotels have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent in the next ten years. The New York Times article mentioned earlier explains that this reduction is “a move that could reduce emissions by more than 32,000 metric tons and save $25 million of energy operating costs.”

We’re thrilled with this work being done by the hotel industry and are looking forward to seeing it expand further. We’re also proud to be able to play a role in it with our sustainable furniture that can contribute to LEED points. Please take a look at what we can offer the hospitality industry here.

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Inventory Sale

By nat rosasco • January 22, 2019

Reclaimed Table's huge selection of one-off, custom table tops are being sold at deep discounts at our Villa Park showroom. Find the durable tables you need for your next project, at prices you won't come across again!

Client Feature: Oak Tables & Benches for Navy Pier's Centennial Vision

By nat rosasco • July 17, 2018

Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier has always been a popular attraction since it opened just over 100 years ago in 1916. It currently welcomes 9 million guests per year. As explained on the Navy Pier website, the Pier was designed by architect Charles Sumner Frost and was originally based on architect’s Daniel Burnham’s “the People’s Pier” in his 1909 Plan of Chicago . It was originally known as “Municipal Pier,” but was renamed in 1927 in honor of the World War 1 Navy personnel who were housed there. As we blogged about a couple of years ago , Navy Pier has been undergoing renovations in honor of its “Centennial Vision” to reimagine and enhance the pier. While updating the pier with new programming and a greener landscape, this vision has also been attracting more local eateries ( like Tiny Tavern ) and shops, creating a space that’s more inviting to local Chicagoans. After providing pieces for the first phase of the remodel last year, we were pleased to continue to be part of this project for the recently completed phase two. Partnering with Gensler, we provided white oak tables and benches near the main entrance and for the brand new, 200,000 square foot Family Pavilion that features over 50 businesses. Fortunately, these pieces were created not only with their visual aesthetic in mind, but also to impressively withstand this sort of high traffic area. We also built the reclaimed red and white oak blade signs flanking all of the restaurants and shops, which creates a unified look within the complex. Much like the Pier, these signs have an interesting, rich history behind them. The red and white oak wood used to make the signs were actually horse fences on a farm in Mercy County, Kentucky that dates back to the late 1800s. Mercer county was one of the first settlements in the state, and the farm itself, Shawnee Springs, was originally over 2,000 acres. In the 1970s the farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. We knew the Navy Pier project was the right one for this specific wood-- historic wood for an historic landmark. (See our other applications of reclaimed red and white oak Kentucky horse fence here .) Check out photos of our tables, benches, and signs at the recently updated and unveiled Pier below. And if you’re in the Chicagoland area, you can check them out for yourselves in person, along with a whole host of entertainment on the Pier. Interested in some durable tables and benches for a high-traffic area? Contact us here to get started on your next project.

Aging Booker's Bourbon: Finding the 'Sweet Spot' for Flavor

By nat rosasco • June 18, 2018

When it comes to aging bourbon, Booker’s small batch bourbon has the process literally down to a science. Currently produced by the Jim Beam distillery, it was Jim Beam’s grandson, Booker Noe, who founded this brand in 1992 with bourbon from barrels he personally selected. According to the Booker’s Bourbon website, Booker was actually raised at a Kentucky distillery and brought his family’s six generations of master distillery knowledge to his bourbon batches. How does Booker’s perfectly age their bourbon? As we pretty much all know, bourbon ages in wooden barrels. When the weather becomes hot and humid, like it does during those sticky Kentucky summers, the wood expands and absorbs the bourbon, allowing for a chemical interaction between the bourbon and the wood. In colder weather, the wood contracts and the bourbon escapes the barrel’s walls. This interaction changes the spirit’s taste and color. The longer bourbon is in the barrel, the smoother the taste, (up to a certain point, that is). Barrels are kept in rackhouses where temperatures can easily be regulated. Rackhouses were originally built out of stone with several wooden floors and an exposed dirt basement to control humidity and large temperature swings. The windows were designed to keep the buildings well-ventilated.