Mar 5: Going Green – Part 2

You may recall the original article posted on September 21, 2007, “Going Green – the Hottest Trend?” (Editor’s note: To view previous articles, you can scroll back to this post via “older posts” or click the appropriate month until you find the date you want). In the blog, I talked about a “new” award at the last Florida’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism that recognized seven hotels that excelled in “going green”.

We’ve recently learned that in Greater Fort Lauderdale, there are 22 properties in the process of being designated “Florida Green Lodging”. This designation means that the hotel features innovational or imaginative programs for conserving natural resources, reducing waste, and minimizing pollution.

The following properties were featured in a press release from the CVB as already instituting green initiatives: The Atlantic Resort & Spa, The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, The Desoto Oceanview Inn and Desoto Ocean Spray and the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure. Also mentioned for having green practices were: the Best Western Oakland Park Inn, Sea Gate Resort, Tropic Rock Resort, Renaissance Plantation Hotel, and the Courtyard by Marriott-Weston.

So South Florida, are you doing something above and beyond to “go green”? Make sure your CVB knows about it. Make sure you add this to your publicity and marketing information, so your potential guests know about it, too. Get on the band wagon. It’s not only good for preserving our natural resources; it’s financially responsible and will enhance your “bottom line” as it is important to our visitors.