KELOWNA, B.C.—The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites continues to charge forward with environmentally responsible initiatives. Not only has the hotel installed an electric vehicle charging station, they have just received LEED Silver Certification for their new environmental wing through the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party certification program that rates buildings to the highest environmental performance standards in Canada. “This was quite the process,” says Brenda Rayburn, director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites. “However, for me, the length of time and validation from construction to criteria completion has affirmed the integrity for LEED Designation. We are absolutely thrilled with our achievement.”
Built with sustainability in mind, designed by Rocky Point Engineering, the new wing will use 37 percent less energy and more than 40 percent less potable water than typical buildings in its industry. Guests can spend the night in one of the 23 new suites constructed with low VOC (volatile organic compound) materials and recycled wall coverings while charging their electric car, should they have one.
The new 90 volt charging station, installed by Sun Country Highway, will take between 20 minutes and two hours to charge an electric car, complimentary to all hotel guests.
Number of EVs on the Road Increasing
“The number of electric vehicle owners is growing rapidly in British Columbia, and the Best Western Kelowna Hotel wants to stay on the leading edge of this market trend,” adds Greg Salloum, owner of the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites. “According to the Pembina Institute, by 2030, one in three vehicles on the road in BC will be electric. BC is already a leader in hybrid ownership, doubling the national average. We know that battery electric vehicles save about 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional car and we want to be a part of that movement towards renewable energy.”
Achieving these two milestones is a natural step for this green-focused Kelowna hotel. With geothermal heating and cooling, a solar thermal system (separate from the new environmental wing), water-saving showerheads, carbon offsetting for guests, green housekeeping, and progressive recycling programs, the Best Western Kelowna Hotel has become a nationally recognized green business leader. “Our hotel was acknowledged at the recent Washington D.C. Earth Day rally this year as a Best Western hotel that exemplifies leading sustainability practices in the hospitality industry,” says Rayburn. “We are constantly trying to improve our impact on our environment and community and people are taking notice.”
With numerous green leadership awards, the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites is setting a new standard of “business as usual,” saving money, water and energy, and taking advantage of the new business and marketing opportunities that come along with being known as a sustainable company. For this Kelowna hotel, which serves not only guests from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Toronto but those from all over the world, it just makes sense to go green.
Initiatives that helped the Best Western Kelowna Hotel achieve LEED Silver Certification:
• Diversion of 91 percent of construction waste onsite from the landfill;
• Thirty-six percent reduction in design energy cost, compared to a typical building built to meet the Model National Energy Code for Buildings;
• Thirty-seven percent reduction in energy consumption compared to a typical building built to meet the Model National Energy Code for Buildings;
• Installation of water efficient landscaping uses 50 percent less water than typical landscaping which aims to be waterless within two years of completion;
• Exemplary performance credit for saving more than 40 percent potable water compared to a typical building within its industry;
• Fifty percent of the wood used in the project was FSC Certified;
• Provide alternative transportation programs for staff;
• Most of the construction materials (carpets, sealants, paint, adhesives, woods and laminates) are low to no VOC;
• Seventy-five percent of the spaces have access to daylight;
• Established green cleaning program throughout the hotel that includes the use of Green Seal and Ecologo certified cleaning products; and
• Host green building tours of the entire hotel.
Go to the Best Western Kelowna Hotel.
