Eco-Travelers: What You Need to Know About Staying at Green Key Hotels

If you’re an eco-business traveler concerned about your impact on the environment, Green Key certified hotels may be a great fit for you.

The essence to qualifying as a Green Key hotel lies in their approach to water conservation, waste, and energy conservation. How does that play out when you’re staying at a Green Key hotel? Here are some answers.

In Your Bathroom

Shower power. The good news is, your shower experience should be similar to home. In a Green Key hotel, water flow must not exceed 9 litres per minute, or 2.377 gallons per minute. Here’s a handy conversion link for you.

As a point of comparison, the average US shower uses 2.1 gallons per minute, or 7.9 litres per minute.

Royal flush. The newly installed toilets will not provide more than 6 litres per flush or 1.58 gallons per flush. The average US toilet uses 3.5 gallons per flush.

Paper picks. Your toilet paper and paper towels will be made of non-chlorinated materials.

Linen limits. Towels (and bed linens) will be changed only upon request, so the diva behavior some travelers exhibit at hotels — expecting new towels after every shower — will be discouraged here.

Bulb behavior. Energy efficiency is the prevalent theme throughout the resort, so light bulbs in the bathroom and throughout your room will be 75% energy efficient.

In the Restaurant

Rest assured, your dining options after a long day of meetings will be fresh. Sustainable, eco-friendly sustenance means at least three types of food and/or drink products will be organic, eco-labeled, fair trade-labeled, and/or locally produced. The restaurant will either be non-smoking or provide a non-smoking section.

Green Activities

When it comes to recreation, Green Key establishments will promote nearby nature conservation areas for you to explore and unwind after work, and will either provide or promote bicycle rental opportunities.

To find Green Key hotels and resorts in the areas where you are traveling, you can click on this link, or contact AmTrav at 800.795.8371 to help you with booking your Green Key travel experience.

By: Denise D.