Hospitality: Hyatt at Olive 8, Pan Pacific Hotel, The Fairmont Olympic

The Hyatt at Olive 8

As the first LEED-certified hotel in Seattle, the Hyatt at Olive 8 sets the standard for all future construction projects, hotel or otherwise. Since the beginning, the Olive 8 project aimed to be green, with 90 percent of the construction debris being diverted back into the building. Not wanting its green reputation to go down the drain when the facility was completed, the Hyatt at Olive 8 was furnished with dual-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads and a mechanical water system to lessen consumption. The Hyatt at Olive 8 uses 29 percent less water than a building with a traditional plumbing system, saving 2.4 million gallons a year.

Location: Seattle Employees: 260 Website: olive8.hyatt.com

Guests can enjoy food from the locally stocked Urbane restaurant, where the menu shifts to accommodate seasonal availability. Guests also can relax in Elaia, an eco-conscious spa that uses organic skin care products and also features a rigorous recycling program.

Runners-up:

Pan Pacific Hotel Seattle

Location: Seattle Employees: 85 Website: panpacific.com/seattle

Pan Pacifics green efforts have a strong focus on the community, with leftover food being donated to Seattles Table (a Food Lifeline program), and unused toiletries being donated to YMCA residents. In addition to community work, Pan Pacific also has a property-wide recycling program and uses low-flow plumbing, toxin-free cleaning products and water-based paint throughout the hotel. Guests can join the effort with in-room recycling bins and paperless check-in and check-out.

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle

Location: Seattle Employees: 450 Website: fairmont.com/seattle

In order to decrease the hotels footprint, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel began educating employees and guests on reducing the amount of waste produced. Through staff education and working with business partners, The Fairmont was able to increase its overall recycling rate from 32 percent in 2008 to 53 percent in 2010. The increase in recycling also reduced the number of trips to the landfill to four per month from seven per month.

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