Travelers have ranked Berea’s historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant as sixth in the top ten Eco-Friendly Hotel in America. USA TODAY just concluded a four-week travel award contest during which voters named vote for their choice among 20 U.S. hotels that have gone above and beyond to promote environmental sustainability.
As the contest organizers pointed out, Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant proves that you don’t need to be new to be ‘green.’ The hotel, built in 1909, has earned LEED Gold status through its eco-forward renovation, completed in 2009, which added an energy efficient heating and cooling system, energy star lighting, “green approved” cleaning products and a comprehensive recycling program in partnership with Berea College that owns the hotel.
Laurie Roelofs, Chair of the College managing committee for the hotel said, “I’m so proud that the Boone Tavern Hotel, first built at the inspiration of Eleanor Frost, my predecessor as First Lady of Berea College, in 1909, continues more than a century later to welcome travelers from across the country and beyond for a comfortable and very sustainable visit.”
General Manager Gary McCormick said, “We are very pleased that Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant of Berea College was selected as one of the top 10 eco-friendly hotels in the US. As the first LEED certified hotel in Kentucky, we continue to focus on operating the hotel in the most eco-friendly practices.”
Boone Tavern was built as an inn for guests of Berea College, which continues to own it and partially staff it with the College’s students. As the Hotel approached its centennial in 2009, Boone Tavern underwent a comprehensive $11 million+ renovation and became the first hotel in the state of Kentucky awarded LEED certification. Aside from Boone Tavern, other LEED-certified buildings on the Berea’s campus include Lincoln Hall, the first LEED-certified building in Kentucky, and the Deep Green Residence Hall.
In addition to Boone Tavern, others in the top ten include ARIA Hotel Tower in Las Vegas, NV; The Hotel Skyler in Syracuse, NY; The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, NC; and Nature Inn at Bald Eagle in Howard, Pennsylvania. All the hotels in the contest earned certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council. Boone Tavern achieved the Gold standard by LEED. The 20 nominees for Best Eco-Friendly Hotel were considered based on input of a panel of hotel experts, as well as industry awards, LEED certification level and guest reviews.
For the complete list of rankings, please visit http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-eco-friendly-hotel/, and for more information on Boone Tavern please visit, http://www.boonetavernhotel.com/.