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1000th Hotel Earns Green Rating Through iStayGreen.orgsEnvironmental...

Recently The Sutton Place Hotel (http://www.istaygreen.org/property.cfm/hid/11243766) 's8211; Toronto, Canada became the 1,000th lodging property to complete iStayGreen.org'ss online self-audit earning a 4 Green Eco-Leaf Rating. The eco-rating allows the public to know the specific environmental initiatives in place at a property, which enables the environmentally conscious traveler to make informed lodging decisions.

Properties complete the comprehensive online self-audit and earn a Green Eco-Leaf Rating ranging from one to five Eco-Leafs with 5 Green Eco-Leafs being the highest level attainable. Ratings are based on environmental initiatives in-place at the property. Only 18 properties have earned the coveted 5 Green Eco-Leaf Rating thus far; ten in the United States, two in Canada, and one in each of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Indonesia, and Ecuador.

Around two thirds of the properties completing the self-audit fall between 2 and 3 Eco-Leafs on the Green rating scale. The Green Eco-Leaf Ratings breakdown as follows: 8% 4 Eco-Leafs, 29% 3 Eco-Leafs, 37% 2 Eco-Leafs, and 25% 1 Eco-Leaf. While 72% of Green lodging is located in the United States (http://www.istaygreen.org/us.cfm), over one fourth of the iStayGreen.org audited properties are located outside the U.S., with 18% located in Canada and 5% divided fairly evenly between Australia/New Zealand and Great Britain.

Richard Varner, founder of iStayGreen.org states: iStayGreen.org helps hundreds of thousands of unique visitors each month find and book environmentally friendly hotels (http://www.istaygreen.org/properties.cfm) and is continuing to experience dramatic growth. He went on to say Today alone 21 new properties were awarded the Green Eco-Leaf Rating. At our current rate of growth it is anticipated that before the end of 2009 over 1,250 properties ranging from Bed 's38; Breakfasts to Luxury Spa Resorts will have received their Green Eco-Leaf Rating.

The lodging industry recognizes the need to create a sustainable future for travel. Properties completing the self-audit and earning the Green Eco-Leaf Rating range from high rise metropolitan hotels to eco lodges, and from luxury resorts to family run bed and breakfasts. Some properties that have recently completed the online self-audit program include:

>    West Harvest Inn (http://www.istaygreen.org/property.cfm/hid/10205298) - Edmonton 's8211; Canada

>    The Howard - Edinburgh - Great Britain

>    Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Main Line - Philadelphia 's8211; PA

>    Spartanburg Marriott Renaissance Park - Spartanburg 's8211; SC

>    Hacienda Chichen Resort - Chichen Itza 's8211; Mexico

>    The Oswego Hotel - Victoria 's8211; Canada

>    Intercontinental Buckhead - Atlanta 's8211; GA

>    Comfort Inn (http://www.istaygreen.org/property.cfm/hid/10196869) - Orillia 's8211; Canada

>    Crowne Plaza (http://www.istaygreen.org/property.cfm/hid/10199789) - Herndon 's8211; VA

>    Swissotel - Kunshan 's8211; China

>    Quality Inn (http://www.istaygreen.org/property.cfm/hid/10213629) - Hemet 's8211; CA

>    Inn by the Sea - Cape Elizabeth 's8211; ME

>    Zenaida Cellars - Paso Robles 's8211; CA

>    Stock Hill Country House - Dorset - Great Britain

>    Lake Louise Inn (http://www.istaygreen.org/property.cfm/hid/11260041) - Lake Louise 's8211; Canada

>    Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa - Victoria 's8211; Canada

>    Hilton Garden Inn Luton North - Luton - Great Britain

>    B's38;B Eurialo - Siracusa 's8211; Italy

>    Hotel Villa Roncuzzi - Russi 's8211; Italy

>    Balamku Inn on the Beach - Majahual 's8211; Mexico

>    Best Western Seven Seas - San Diego 's8211; CA

>    Holiday Inn Northampton West - Northampton - Great Britain

Lodging properties are gaining significant marketing advantage by promoting their Green initiatives, especially when those initiatives have 3rd Party endorsement, such as the Green Eco-Leaf Rating. iStayGreen.org encourages all lodging properties to take advantage of this marketing opportunity and complete the environmental self-audit to earn the Green Eco-Leaf Rating. Presently the self-audit is being provided at no cost. Upon completion, the property is awarded a badge that is displayed on their website creating Green Trust with the eco-concerned traveler.

To find out how a property can earn the Green Eco-Leaf Rating, contact Richard Varner at 602-864-5553 or rvarner (at) istaygreen (dot) org.

About iStayGreen.org:

With iStayGreen'ss rapidly growing searchable directory of 100,000 lodging properties and over 4,600 Green Listed, it'ss easy for anyone to quickly locate and compare Green lodging worldwide. To earn a Green Eco-Leaf Rating, hotels must complete a thorough self-audit, and then are rated based on their eco-initiatives. The site also provides an effective way for hotel owners and operators to promote all of the good Green things they are doing. Visitors to the site can create their own profiles, add friends, recommend properties, upload photos, form groups, create and respond to forum threads, make reservations, and add comments and reviews to hotel profiles.

Contact:

Richard Varner

602-864-5553

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