In honor of Earth Day, here's a look at new restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private rooms across the United States and Canada that factor the environment into their design or operations. Many of these new and renovated venues have LEED certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council or another certification group. They can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
Ping-pong social club Spin, which was founded by actress Susan Sarandon, debuted its Chicago location in March. The 16,000-square-foot bilevel venue offers a space for social games, league competitions, and private lessons, along with memberships that grant access to table reservations and members-only events. The space is also available for a variety of private and corporate events including birthday parties, company teambuilding activities, and bar and bat mitzvahs. To remain eco-friendly, the space uses low-energy LED lights and locally sourced ingredients for its lunch, dinner, and late-night offerings. Additionally, Spin has partnered with Whole World Water to provide safe drinking water to those in need.
Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center completed the first phase of its property-wide renovation in January and is slated to complete its second phase by May. Renovation highlights of the 386-room hotel's 41,500 square feet of meeting and event space—which have achieved Green Star Gold Tier status from the International Association of Conference Centres—include a revamped 145-seat amphitheater and lower-level meeting space with new breakout stations and prefunction areas. The hotel also launched the "Horticultural Gallery," a sustainable ecology program on the outdoor grounds, which highlights environmentally friendly initiatives such as the property's beekeeping program. Additionally, ingredients for the hotel's food and drink recipes are sourced from fruit trees and vegetable and herb gardens. Other green highlights include new eco-friendly recycling and laundry programs, biotech diesel vans for guest transportation, and energy-efficient lighting throughout the interior.
KYU, which focuses on wood-fired Asian fare, opened in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood in February. Helmed by chef Michael Lewis and general manager Steven Haigh, the 4,000-square-foot restaurant commits to numerous eco-friendly practices, such as sourcing local ingredients and growing micro greens in a mini herb garden. To make up for the restaurant's wood grill, KYU partnered with agroforestry nonprofit Trees for the Future to donate 10,000 trees that were planted in Senegal. The venue also uses an Orca composter to turn food waste into water.
A certified Green Restaurant Association "Green Restaurant," Jimmy's Famous American Tavern opened a new location in Brea, California, in March. The restaurant has a 4,936-square-foot interior and a 1,200-square-foot open-air patio for special events that seats 80. Along with using locally raised, organic, and sustainable food for its dishes, the restaurant has partnered with Long Beach Aquarium's "Seafood for the Future" program, which aims to serve properly harvested and sustainable seafood. The venue's other eco-friendly practices include composting food waste, using biodegradable to-go boxes, printing on recycled paper, and planting drought-resistant plants for its landscaping.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, continues to maintain its eco-friendly standard, as it was recently awarded the Gold Level in TripAdvisor's GreenLeaders Program for a fourth consecutive year. Also ConventionSouth Green Meetings-approved, the resort has more than 75,000 square feet of meeting and event space, complete with in-room recycling and an option for fruit water in decanters instead of plastic bottles. In general, the hotel has LED lighting throughout, thermal water tanks for cooling, low-flow toilets, and laundry that recycles final rinse water.
The Peninsula Chicago completed a property-wide rooms renovation in April and used the opportunity to improve its sustainability program. The renovation includes a low volatile organic compound-emitting paint job, wood products that are certified by the Sustainable Forest Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council, polyurethane synthetic leather on decorative surfaces as a greener alternative, and in-room tablets for news, guest directories, room service, and spa menus. The hotel, which offers more than 11,250 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, also worked with two local charities to donate used furniture. Additionally, the hotel will participate in a coffee pod recycling program as a result of its new Nespresso machines.
Built in 1909, the historic St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio underwent a $24 million renovation and joined Starwood Hotels' Luxury Collection division last November. The 277-room hotel offers 15 indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces that amount to 31,500 square feet, including a ballroom that accommodates 500 reception-style and a terrace overlooking the city that holds 320 for receptions. The hotel also has a Texas-inspired cocktail lounge and bar and a European-inspired restaurant. The hotel's restoration was one of seven historic preservation projects honored as Preservation's Best of 2015.
The 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena opened west of the Strip in Las Vegas in April. The 65,000-square-foot arena will host more than 100 events per year—including Pac-12 men's basketball tournaments—and can hold private events in its variety of lounges, suites, and terraces. The venue was designed to become LEED Gold certified, with the help of a partnership between its developers MGM Resorts International and AEG. MGM plans to implement its Green Advantage program—which reduces negative environmental impacts in its resorts and facilities—while AEG will implement AEG 1Earth, the company's corporate environmental sustainability program.
Sushi Garage, a Japanese venture from restaurateurs Jonas and Alexandra Millán, opened in Miami Beach's Sunset Harbour neighborhood in February. The 4,000-square-foot, 100-seat space, which was designed by Alejandro Barrios, adheres to green practices by limiting the deliveries of herbs to the restaurant by growing them in house. Inspired by chef Sunny Oh's desire to showcase micro greens as more than just a garnish, the initiative incorporates micro cilantro, arugula, and red shiso into a variety of dishes on the menu.
A boutique hotel from Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria reopened in April after undergoing a full renovation. The 45-room hotel now features the 32-seat Ashlar Restaurant and Bar, which serves mid-Atlantic fare and local historical wine and spirits. The venue has 2,000 square feet of meeting and event space and seats 80 or holds 100 for receptions. The renovation opened up the first floor to allow for more natural light and also replaced lightbulbs and fixtures with LED energy-efficient bulbs. Additionally, the hotel was given a low volatile organic compound paint job, and its new low-flow public toilets provide individual cloth hand towels instead of paper towels.
The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, is slated to open in downtown Manhattan this summer in a LEED-certified building. The 287-room hotel, which has a nine-story atrium, will feature an interior design from Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and restaurants from chefs Tom Colicchio and Keith McNally. Colicchio's Crafted Hospitality will also be on site for catering and private events. The hotel will have 4,700 square feet of meeting and event space, which will accommodate as many as 300 for receptions.
