MILL VALLEY, CALIF.—Auberge Resorts has announced environmentally focused offerings at each of its luxury resorts across North America that will encourage guests to share in the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. Each property is introducing a new collection of Earth Month guest experiences kicking off during Earth Hour on March 23 and available throughout the month of April.
“Environmental preservation is intrinsic to the Auberge Resorts brand; our mission is to preserve the essence of place in each resort location and allow our guests to experience that cultural and environmental connection at each destination,” said Mark Harmon, CEO, Auberge Resorts. “We’ve created a variety of unique ways to showcase this commitment to our guests, who appreciate our continued concentration on sustainability.”
Each resort will recognize Earth Hour on March 23, 2013, and support the world’s largest environmental event in history between 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., when millions of people will turn off the lights within their time zone for Earth Hour in observance of the effects of climate change. Auberge Resorts will set the mood with candlelight massages, candlelight happy hours and fireside turndown experiences, in addition to other unique programming lit solely by flickering candles and the stars above.
Examples of Earth Month Activities
A sampling of additional April Earth Month activities at each Auberge resort includes:
• Seed Giveaway and Juicing/Raw Foods Classes at Solage Calistoga (Napa Valley, Calif.): Throughout the month of April, guests will have the opportunity to take a little Earth Month home. Complimentary classes on juicing and raw foods will be offered, and guests will receive a variety of seeds upon checkout.
• Pluff Mud Treatments from the May River at Palmetto Bluff (Bluffton, S.C.): The Spa at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff is inviting guests to experience a Pluff Mud treatment—which is about as close to the earth as it gets. Inspired by the rich Pluff Mud of the May River, these treatments are relaxing and reinvigorating. During the month of April, guests may enjoy a discount on the Spa Boggin couples package, the Palmetto Mud Wrap or the May River Revival in celebration of Earth Month.
• “Off the Grid” Menu at Pronghorn (Bend, Ore.): Pronghorn’s Cascada restaurant will serve a special Earth Hour menu “Off the Grid” where the culinary team will be cooking off the barbeque grid instead of cooking in the kitchens on March 23 at 8:30 p.m. From March 23 to April 23, guests may enjoy an earth-themed cocktail at Cascada as a toast to the second-largest juniper forest in the world that surrounds the resort. Also during that time, golfers will be given biodegradable golf tees instead of wooden and plastic tees.
• Earth Day Spa Treatments and Classes at Auberge du Soleil (Napa Valley, Calif.): Complimentary 60-minute Elemental Yoga classes are offered throughout the month of April, where guests may experience a guided yoga practice that explores the five key elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. All massages booked in the spa during the evening hours of April will come with the option for massage by candelight; the massage room will be illuminated by candle light only. Also available during the month of April, guests may “stay grounded” to Mother Earth by adding a Fango Mud Bath to any massage service at a discounted rate.
• Wine Cave Movie Screening at Calistoga Ranch (Napa Valley, Calif.): On April 22, Calistoga Ranch invites guests to their Wine Cave, an exquisite space deep within the hillside, for a screening of “Disneynature: Earth”, a family-friendly documentary starring some of the most magnificent creatures alive. Throughout Earth Month, guests will receive a departure gift of a local olive tree sapling to bring Mother Nature home with them.
• Lights Out Dining at Hotel Jerome (Aspen, Colo.): The newly unveiled restaurant, Prospect, will feature “lights out dining” for breakfast and lunch during the month of April. Guests will also have an option to donate to the National Forest Foundation at check-in.
• Candlelight Yoga at Esperanza (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico): Guest yoga instructor, Kari Ament of Core Power Yoga Minneapolis, will be at Esperanza for a candlelight yoga class during Earth Hour on March 23. Other activities will include outdoor astronomy lessons and organic tours offered during the month of April.
All properties are required to track their energy consumption, waste, and water consumption and submit standardized reports in the middle and at the end of each year. Auberge Resorts has implemented a Planet Auberge Report Card that includes the categories described above, in addition to property audits, creative initiatives and execution of the minimum standards (of which there are more than 50) that are agreed upon each year. The Green Spa Network awarded the company’s efforts this year with the “Corporate Sustainability Leadership Award.”
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