Hotel Chains Grapple With Meaning of Green

The Wall Street Journal

As director of Element, a brand of environmentally conscious hotels being developed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts World Wide Inc., Nicholas Lakas picks his way across a landscape of so-called green products each time he steps into his office.

Among the items: salt and pepper shakers billed as 100% recyclable; piles of towels and sheets made with organically grown fibers; boxes of organic snacks; and a countertop slab made from recycled materials.

"We get so many products, so many phone calls," Mr. Lakas says. "I have nowhere to put it, and we are always looking at it and evaluating it." He is shopping for environmentally friendly products -- from plates and light bulbs to heating and air-conditioning systems -- to be used in the first hotel in the planned chain of 90. Starwood announced the brand a year ago, pitching it as an environmentally and socially conscious hotel room at a reasonable price.

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