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Greening Hollywood: Hotel Palomar, La's Newest, Hippest Eco-Friendly Hotel
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by Paige Donner
TheSyndicatedNews columnist
Paige Donner is an entertainment and environmental journalist who has written for Variety since the 90's. She currently contributes regularly to The Huffington Post with her column Greening Hollywood, which discusses the convergence of Entertainment and Environmental issues. She also contributes to Script Magazine, the LA Times, American Cinematographer, Moving Pictures Magazine and others.
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Hotel Palomar Los Angeles, newly opened on the Wilshire corridor in Westwood, incorporates more than 40 eco-friendly practices into its daily operations as part of the Kimpton Hotel's award-winning and environmentally-responsible standards. Beyond paying lip-service to the green trend, Kimpton sees its eco-friendly efforts as inherent in its very existence.
California's Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded Kimpton its most prestigious ecological honor, the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, which goes to businesses that focus on preserving the state's resources.
EarthCare, Kimpton's company-wide environmentally friendly program, includes protocols that preserve water, energy, land and air without sacrificing service, style or comfort.
In fact, it is one of the more stylish and downright sexy hotels in its class. It's exemplary in demonstrating that sustainability can be tasteful and fun. Dramatic, luxurious details such as the leopard and zebra skin print terry cloth robes that come standard in all the rooms give you just a hint of the touches that set the Palomar apart.
But more on Palomar's eco-friendly practices: Among them are in-room recycling bins; energy-efficient lighting; water-efficient fixtures; toiletries made from natural ingredients by earth-friendly manufacturers, such as L'Occitane; organic food and beverage options in its mini-bars and a restaurant that follows the sustainable seafood guidelines.
Pure Hollywood
Designed in collaboration with Beverly Hills interior designer Cheryl Rowley, the 19-story Hotel Palomar welcomes guests with an ambiance inviting of an A-list clientele. Shocks of ice blue and lipstick red throughout are reminiscent of the seductive hues favored by starlets from Marilyn Monroe to Scarlett Johansson.
"At Kimpton, each one of our 42 hotels tells a different story and ours is unique to Los Angeles. 'Art in Motion' reflects LA's vibrant energy and thriving art scene - all the things that make the city so alluring," said John Douponce, general manager of the Hotel Palomar Los Angeles.
Rowley, of Beverly Hills, has designed five Palomar hotels for Kimpton, including the Hotel Palomar Dallas, Hotel Palomar Dupont Circle in Washington D.C., Hotel Palomar San Francisco and the Hotel Palomar Waterview in Arlington, Va.
Women travelers will love the Hotel Palomar's "Forgot It? We've Got It!" list of essential travel necessities. The pet-friendly hotel also caters to gadget-lovers with in-room LCD flat screen televisions and complete iHome sound systems.
"The Hotel Palomar carries the Kimpton promise to provide the highest levels of comfort and customer care in a way that also preserves planetary resources. We do this because we believe it's the right thing to do. Simultaneously, we find that our guests who share this core value, feel really good about doing business with Kimpton," said Barbara Piagari, director of sales and marketing of the Hotel Palomar Los Angeles.
Amenities at the Hotel Palomar Los Angeles also include wireless Internet, concierge-directed private car services in a Lexus Hybrid, hosted evening wine receptions (often serving organic wine), private trainers available by appointment, a classic Hollywood-style pool and a "Mind. Body. Spa." wellness program that includes 24-hour, in-room yoga and Pilates television programming.
Services & Amenities
* Wired for press junkets and filming
* Same-day laundry and dry cleaning service
* Pet friendly. Pets are pampered stars with special service options that include massage, acupuncture, day car, pet walking service, personal pet attendant
* Onsite Business Center open 24-hours: Includes copier, fax, high-speed Internet access for both PC and Mac computers, and printers
* Wi-Fi access in rooms and public areas for registered guests
* 24-hour in-room dining
* 24-hour valet parking
* Complimentary wine hour daily in the hotel's living room lobby
* Complimentary overnight shoe shine service
* Concierge service
* Concierge-directed private car service in a Lexus Hybrid
Accommodations: The Hotel Palomar Los Angeles boasts 268 guest rooms including 30 suites (two presidential suites and 24 spa suites), 103 doubles and 135 guest rooms with king size beds.
San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants was founded in 1981 by Bill Kimpton. Kimpton takes pride in its commitment to social responsibility and leads the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its EarthCare programs. Kimpton received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction by the Market Metrix Hospitality Index for the entire year of 2007. Among the privately held company's newest properties is the Hotel Monaco Alexandria and Jackson 20 restaurant in Virginia, which opened in January 2008 in addition to Hotel Palomar Los Angeles which opened officially in mid-June.
Address: 10740 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Reservations: 800-472-8556
Published: Aug 25,2008 23:31
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Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
Paul M. J. Suchecki
Paul M. J. Suchecki has more than 30 years of experience as an award winning writer, producer, and cameraman. He's written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Currently he writes, produces and shoots for LA CityView Channel 35 and his more than 250 articles for Ehow.com are approaching half a million readers.
Coby Kindles
Coby Kindles is a freelance journalist, screenplay writer and essayist. She has been a staff writer at Knight Ridder and a regular contributor to The Associated Press.
Debbie Milam
Debbie Milam is a syndicated columnist for United Press International, an occupational therapist, family success consultant, and motivational speaker with more than 20 years experience. Her work on stress management, spirituality, parenting, and special-needs children has been featured in over 300 media outlets including First for Women, The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, The Hallmark Channel, PBS and WebMD.
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter has covered the residential real estate industry for more than 15 years. He has contributed real estate stories to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine, Home Magazine, Smart HomeOwner Magazine and many others.
Jack Nargundkar
Jack Nargundkar has been repeatedly published in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is also an author of "The Bush Diaries" published in July 2005.
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