2 New LEED Certified Hotels Open Their Doors In Los Angeles

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED promotes sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems for buildings that implement better environmental and health performance. With hotels being structures that usually accommodate a large amount of people, and use a lot of natural resources, LEED hotels give us the peace of mind that being chic doesn't have to be detrimental to the environment. And that always looks good.

With a supreme location, The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica opens its doors in front of some of the most prime real estate in Los Angeles – steps from the Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade, and shopping mecca Santa Monica Place, the Shore Hotel is not only well-situated, it's a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered property that offers eco-friendly accommodations with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The Shore Hotel is the first and only newly constructed LEED registered hotel in the city of Santa Monica. It was also recognized at the 41st annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards for the city's best architecture.The open-air, U-shaped design of the main hotel building has a stainless steel-clad trellis over the street-side of the courtyard, which unifies the two wings of the main building creating an outdoor "living room," with an outdoor pool, a water feature, and patio dining at Blue Plate Taco (of local Santa Monica Blue Plate and Blue Plate Oysterette fame), the hotel's food and beverage establishment.

During its development and construction, the hotel took significant measures to ensure that the design, construction and operation of the facility will reduce the impact on the environment.

Highlights of some of the sustainable features of the Shore Hotel:

• 50% of construction waste was recycled or salvaged
• Wood used in the project is from sustainable forests
• 10% of all building materials are from within a 500 mile radius of the project
• 'Low flow' water fixtures, significantly reducing water consumption
• Native landscaping, reducing the extent of required irrigation
• Sophisticated building controls system, continually monitoring and adjusting energy usage
• In room energy management system, avoiding energy consumption in unoccupied guest rooms
• Low VOC (Volitile Organic Compounds) materials
• Maximized access to natural daylight

Located in the heart of LA's Miracle Mile District, and directly across the street from publishing magnate Conde Nast's office, there's no other hotel of this quality in this dense business district of LA. Designed by the award-winning KNA Design, Killefer Flammang Architects and MID Design, this brand spanking new Los Angeles hotel used sustainable resources and green building materials to achieve a LEED-Certified designation. Modern design, contemporary elegance, and high-tech functionality with in-room "media hubs" for powering up those laptops, iPads, and iPhones, are all eco-chic at its finest.The hotel also boasts a new eatery by celebrity Chef Eric Greenspan of popular "The Foundry on Melrose" fame. With panoramic views of the Los Angeles skyline and Hollywood Hills, the Roof on Wilshire is the hotel's signature rooftop restaurant and bar. Chef Eric Greenspan's "Bold American" cuisine features innovative and creative twists on classic comfort foods. While salads are crisp and cool highlighting seasonal ingredients, go big or go home – and order Eric's monster burger with a fried "skirt" of cheddar cheese. Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.

Perfect for the "plugged in" business traveler, hotel rooms are functional and stylish, and amenities include, a board room, a business center, and a rooftop pool with epic views of the Hollywood Hills. The Hotel Wilshire not only looks (in its design) and tastes great (thanks to Chef Greenspan); its LEED certification takes any guilt out of looking so good.

Highlights of some of the sustainable features of the Hotel Wilshire:

• Use of building materials with high recycled content. For example, carpeting was made of recycled materials and installed without harmful VOC adhesives.
• High efficiency HVAC systems route heating and cooling throughout the building based on individualized, local controls using much less energy than traditional temperature control systems.
• Employee uniforms are made from recycled materials.
• All lighting is LED or compact fluorescent, significantly reducing electrical usage.