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Rhode Island NYLO Honored for Recycling, Conservation Programs

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PROVIDENCE, R.I.—NYLO Providence/Warwick has received Green Hospitality Certification from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM). In a ceremony before Rhode Island’s hospitality industry elite, the 163-room, urban loft hotel was honored for its outstanding conservation and recycling programs. NYLO Providence/Warwick is the state’s first hotel to run on 100 percent renewable energy. Through a partnership with People’s Power & Light, the property offsets its entire electricity usage with a mix of local and regional solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectric power sources.

“Despite New England’s high energy costs, NYLO is deeply committed to sustainability,” says Christine Nevers, general manager, NYLO Providence/Warwick. “We’re honored to receive this recognition, while also helping our neighbors by using clean local energy.”

Like all the brand’s hotels, NYLO Providence/Warwick provides a boutique eco experience, embracing sustainability without cutting back on style. NYLO’s green construction and operating policies call for using energy efficient and recycled building materials whenever possible and incorporating them into each property’s unique aesthetic. NYLO Providence/Warwick, for example, features a dramatic and eco-conscious entrance, thanks to its semicircular driveway made of 70-year-old cobblestones reclaimed from the Old Holyoke, Mass. railroad station.

Designed to Be Efficient

Even NYLO Providence/Warwick’s hallmark urban loft design is part of its energy conservation strategy. The hotel’s exposed brick walls and polished concrete floors not only lend charm; they also stabilize indoor temperatures to cut electricity usage for heating and cooling. In guestrooms and public spaces, oversized windows and soaring glass window walls admit plenty of natural light, reducing the need for electricity still more.

To further lighten its carbon footprint, NYLO Providence/Warwick’s stylish restaurant/bar, The Loft, offers eco-friendly fare, including a selection of organic and bio-dynamically farmed alcoholic beverages. Diners find what’s good for the planet is good for the palette. The restaurant features seasonal ingredients from local farmers and purveyors. Its eclectic menu offers a choice of larger or smaller portions, enabling diners to choose full-course meals or a selection of small plates, so less goes to waste. Additional green practices include the use of a water purification system for all bottled water. Take-out containers, coffee cups, straws, utensils and napkins are biodegradable and made from corn-based products.

The Loft celebrates nature, not only in its menu, but also in its design. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of the woodsy outdoors. Glass doors open onto a 3,000-square-foot terrace and the scenic Pawtuxet River just beyond.

In-Room Recycling Offered

NYLO Providence/Warwick’s chic guest lofts combine soaring ceilings, custom furnishings and original artwork with attractive green features. Sensors shut down the lights and heating or air-conditioning when a guest leaves the room. Energy-efficient light bulbs pitch in to help save the planet too. Guests can forego having their bedding and towels changed daily. Desk pads and folio binders use recycled paper. NYLO’s exclusive line of bath amenities come in recycled bottles and have no chemical preservatives. Not far from the room, guests find recycling bins for bottles and paper on each floor.

NYLO Providence/Warwick’s eco-attitude is typical of the brand. Each NYLO hotel uses a minimum of 50 percent renewable energy, according to Patrick O’Neil, executive vice president of operations, NYLO Hotels. He says the brand has one of the most robust, Web-based utility-managed software systems available to track conservation and cut consumption still more.

“Being green is very much about doing our part for the environment, not just in words—but in actions,” O’Neil explains. “But green practices also make good financial sense. Serving fresh, locally grown food and conserving energy and water yield substantial dollar savings. We pass these savings onto our guests, who enjoy affordable luxury in the form of an eco-conscious boutique hotel at mid-priced rates, especially attractive in the current economy.”

Rhode Island’s Green Hospitality Certification Program recognizes members of the state’s hospitality and tourism industry that embrace going green, including restaurants, hotels and limousine services. The program, launched in January 2008, is a partnership between DEM; the Rhode Island Hospitality Association; Rhode Island Division of Tourism; Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau; Rhode Island Airport Corp.; Rhode Island Convention Center Authority; Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp.; The Proccacianti Group; New Harbor Corp., and Warwick Division of Tourism, Culture and Development.

Go to NYLO Providence/Warwick.

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