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FIRST U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL HOTELA bamboo garden to oxygenate air in the lobby, organic “sleep systems,” and recycled furniture are just a few of the features of the new Sheraton Rittenhouse Square Hotel in Philadelphia-the first environmentally smart hotel in the continental United States. The 193-room hotel, located at Locust and 18th Street in Philadelphia’s most prestigious shopping, business, cultural and restaurant district also features four non-smoking restaurants run by award-winning executive chef Tony Clark. The Sheraton Rittenhouse Square Hotel is the first hotel in the continental United States to provide fresh, filtered air, 24-hours-a-day to each hotel room, independent of the heating and cooling systems. The hotel has already won kudos for its combination of environmentally responsible and high-tech features, such as high speed Internet access in each hotel room and videoconferencing. The hotel's centerpiece is an atrium lobby with a 40-foot-high bamboo garden. Bamboo was chosen because it takes in carbon dioxide and produces oxygen at a 35% higher rate than any other plant, providing guests who dine under the treetop canopy with, literally, a breath of fresh air. Underfoot, 93%-recycled granite is used for the flooring in the lobby area. The room number signs are made are made from recycled glass. The environmental features continue in each of the 193 guest rooms, where night tables are made from recycled shipping pallets and beds are "organic sleep systems" that use 100% organically grown cotton and 100% pure wool. Mattresses and covers are chemical-free, without toxic bleaches or dyes, and even the cleaning materials are free of toxins. Bedspreads are made of organic cotton, grown in white and beige and woven into an attractive patterns. The hotel also houses seven meeting rooms, one of which contains a state-of-the-art video-conferencing center, allowing guests to conduct business meetings with colleagues across the globe. All meeting rooms and individual guest rooms feature data ports with high-speed Internet access. Guests can dine in one of four restaurants run by Executive Chef Tony Clark. They include Square Bar, a small-plate Italian restaurant; Harrison Row, serving classic comfort foods; Potcheen, an upscale pub; and the hotel's atrium bamboo garden, serving business breakfast and lunch. “We have created four restaurants with unique culinary styles and atmospheres to best serve our hotel guests, as well as Philadelphians,"said executive chef Tony Clark. Edited by Shekeria Brown |
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