In advance of Earth Day on Sunday, here's a look at new restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private rooms across the United States and Canada that factor environmental sustainability into their design or operations. Many of these new and renovated venues have LEED certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council or another eco-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.
Following a $325 million expansion that added more than 800,000 square feet of new space, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio received LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in August. The project added 260,000 square feet of exhibition space and a 54,000-square-foot ballroom, which holds more than 5,474 guests for receptions. The convention center’s eco-friendly highlights include the use of biodegradable bags and cleaning chemicals, drought tolerant plants, low-flow automatic faucets and dual flush valves in the restroom, bottle-filling stations, and commingle recycling compactors to divert waste from landfills.
Bamford Haybarn Spa opened at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in November. The second U.S. location of the spa, which is managed by Trilogy Spa Holdings, is located beneath the lobby of the eco-friendly luxury hotel and draws design inspiration from traditional farming haybars and the Cotswolds of England. Designed by Spencer Fung Architects, the 5,000-square-foot spa features hand-carved wooden doors, rustic branch shelves, natural willow, and two full-length tree trunks in the reception area and corridor. The spa offers a menu of facials and massages highlighting Bamford’s collection of skincare products—many of which meet the organic certification standard from the U.K.’s Soil Association—and has a Nebia Spa Shower system that uses mist, which conserves water. The spa has nine treatment rooms and a private room for small events, and hosts “Urban Wellness Retreats” for small groups—offering spa services of choice and afternoon tea and treats in the spa’s private room, which also has audiovisual capabilities. The entire spa can be rented out for private events.
The Los Angeles Convention Center unveiled a 2.21 megawatt solar array on the roof of the venue’s South Hall in April. The addition brings the facility’s total solar to 2.58 megawatts, which makes it the largest solar array on a municipally owned convention center in the United States. The six-month project, which included the construction of 6,228 panels at 355 watts each, is slated to generate 3.4 million kilowatt hours pear year, which equates to 17 percent of the facility’s annual energy usage. The system is estimated to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint by 2,554 metric tons per year. Additionally, the convention center debuted a 9,500-square-foot rooftop garden in January, which grows produce including vegetables, herbs, and citrus for in-house caterer Levy Restaurants. The convention holds some 300 events annually, and offers 860,000 square feet of multifunctional space.
Argonaut Hotel achieved Green Business Certification with the San Francisco Department of the Environment in October. The hotel’s green highlights include water-saving systems and Watermiser Faucet Flow Control Valves that account for a 15 percent reduction in annual water use; bulk bath amenities instead of individual bottles; Green Seal-certified cleaning products; low Volatile Organic Compound carpets and pads, sealants, paints, and adhesives throughout the venue; and complimentary bicycles that guests can check out. The property also recycles kitchen grease into biofuel and compost. The hotel has 252 guest rooms and 8,850 square feet of meeting and event space, which can accommodate reception-style events for as many as 1,000 guests. Spaces such as the Del Monte Courtyard, which holds 300 guests for receptions, and the Golden Gate Ballroom, which holds 380 for receptions, serve local and sustainable cuisine, use LED lights and motion sensors, and feature linen-less conference tables.
The Buenos Aires Expo and Convention Center in Argentina opened in the city’s Recoleta district in September. The LEED-certified convention center has three underground levels to preserve the landscaped parks above, along with integrated solar panels that comply with the city’s sustainability standards. The property's irrigation system for green spaces surrounding the center uses captured rain water. The 245,000-square-foot convention center offers more than 48,400 square feet of exhibit space and can hold events of as many as 5,000 guests. The center’s main auditorium can be divided into three parts and a second auditorium can be divided into two parts. The venue also has a gastronomic hall, a press room, separate access for vendors and suppliers, and complementary spaces designed to host a variety of activities.
Pilot, a seasonal oyster bar in New York from the team behind Grand Banks, opened in August. The bar, which is located aboard an American schooner in Brooklyn Bridge Park, serves nautical-theme cocktails and oysters from New York and across the country. The bar will have a revamped menu when it opens for its first full season in May. The bar’s commitment to sustainability includes a zero-waste policy and a partnership with the Billion Oyster Project—a citizen science project coordinated by the New York Harbor School, which aims to restore one billion live oysters to the New York Harbor by 2030. The 150-foot-long boat offers three event options: the Captain's Table for private dining for as many as 12 guests, cocktail parties on the foredeck for as many as 30 guests, and full buyouts for as many as 150 guests standing.
In April, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, announced a partnership with Unison Energy to commission a six megawatt combined heat and power system to reduce its carbon footprint. The new system will cover 64 percent of the venue’s peak electrical demand and 90 percent of its annual electrical consumption, which is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 63 percent. Waste heat from the system will be used for the resort’s domestic water and space heating. The venue, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has nearly 2,000 rooms and 600,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space—including an exhibition hall that can hold as many as 10,000 guests.
Hyatt Regency Lake Washington opened at Seattle’s Southport in July. The 12-story hotel has 347 guest rooms and 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, which includes a ballroom that seats 1,200 theater-style. The hotel also has the 236-seat Water’s Table, a Northwest-inspired pan-Asian restaurant led by executive chef Vincent Savignano. The LEED Silver-certified hotel’s commitment to sustainability includes a energy-conserving daylight sensor lighting system, a green-friendly vendor preference program, and a recycling initiative that includes mixed-use recycling and compost. It also serves on-tap local wines.
The Ridgeline Hotel Estes Park opened in May 2017 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. In March, the 147-room hotel announced a new “Green Meetings” initiative that gives groups the options to make their meetings more eco-friendly. Event planners can choose sustainable food and beverage options, recyclable service ware, and reusable glassware. Food waste is composted at the hotel’s onsite food digester. The hotel also has a program that allows guests to opt out of housekeeping. For meetings and events, the hotel offers more than 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor conference space that seats as many as 700 guests.
West-bourne, a California-inspired vegetarian cafe from hospitality veteran Camilla Marcus, opened in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in January. The restaurant serves all-day breakfast and healthy grain bowls in a 1,100-square-foot space that seats 30 guests and holds 50 guests for receptions. The venue’s sustainable efforts include using recyclable and compostable to-go packaging; washable menus made from recycled vinyl; napkins made from denim scraps; and partnerships with vineyards that focus on sustainability and natural wine-making processes. The restaurant also focuses on menu engineering to reduce food waste, which includes mixing otherwise discarded vegetables into falafel. Through a partnership with the Robin Hood Foundation, a portion of every purchase at the restaurant benefits the Door, a nonprofit that supports local job training.
Iveagh Garden Hotel, a low-energy hotel located in a former bank building, opened in Dublin, Ireland, in February. The transformation of the bank building into the 145-room hotel was overseen by a development team led by Brian McGill, whose goal was to create the lowest carbon footprint possible. The hotel’s existing plumbing and heating systems, which ran on fossil fuel, were removed and replaced with a natural energy system powered by an underground river located 50 meters below the venue; it provides heating and cooling for the hotel without burning fuel. The hotel also features an onsite gas turbine that produces hot water for hotel use, low-energy elevators, and LED low-power lighting throughout the venue. Eurotech Renewable Limited led the design and implementation of the hotel’s eco-friendly elements. For meetings and events, the hotel has a main event space called Downstairs that holds 200 for receptions. Elle’s Suite, a space for private dining, welcome receptions, and theater-style meetings, seats 40 or accommodates 80 for cocktails.
Fast-casual restaurant Shake Shack opened its fifth Las Vegas location at Las Vegas North Premium Outlets in December. The national brand—which specializes in burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, crinkle fries, and frozen custard—has a commitment to green architecture and eco-friendly construction. The venue was constructed with recycled and sustainable materials, such as booths made from lumber certified by the Forest Stewarship Council and table tops made from reclaimed bowling alley lanes. The 3,600-square-foot space seats 154 guests inside and 50 guests on the patio.
