“Sustainability” has become a popular buzzword in the upper echelons of the hospitality industry, with green design figuring prominently in a number of recent high-end hotels and resorts. Can the trend go mainstream?
Baltimore will find out when the new Fairfield Inn opens in the Spring of 2009. The hotel chain, part of Marriott International and with a self-described brand identity as “consistent, quality lodging at an affordable price,” would hardly seem to be a candidate to be on the leading edge of sustainable building practices. If successful, though, it would be Baltimore’s first LEED certified hotel, beating out such notable (and far more expensive) brands as Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons.
Here at Greenline, we generally believe that good design should go hand in hand with sustainable design and it’s certainly arguable whether this is the best case study for our beliefs. That said, we think it’s a good sign when a budget hotel chain and a group of developers see the bottom line benefit of going green.
