NEW DELHI: In exciting news for eco-conscious travelers and advocates of sustainable tourism, India is poised to launch its inaugural green hotel—The Park Hotel in Hyderabad. Scheduled to commence operations by mid-2009, this impressive 280-room establishment will entail investment totaling approximately Rs 350 crore, reflecting a 15% increase compared to conventional hotels. Smokers might want to reconsider their stay, as 90% of the hotel’s area will be designated as non-smoking.
A second Park Hotel property is in the pipeline in Pune, having recently secured a 90,000 sq ft site, and it will also embrace the principles of green building construction. “In the case of the Hyderabad property, we will be pursuing certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Our aim is to achieve at least a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) gold rating for this hotel.
Conversely, for the Pune project, we are only targeting a LEED certificate, not a gold or platinum rating,” stated Deepak Bali, Vice President of Projects at The Park. To accommodate smokers, there will be designated smoking lounges, ensuring that over 90% of the premises remains non-smoking.
Currently, there are about nine eco-friendly hotels in India boasting ECOTEL certification, such as Lotus Suites located in Mumbai and Uppal’s Orchid in New Delhi. An eco-friendly hotel emphasizes construction with recycled materials, while a green building is defined by its focus on energy efficiency. “Although the initial construction costs for a green hotel can be approximately 15% higher, we anticipate recouping that through operational efficiencies. Green hotels can reduce energy costs by an impressive 34.7%,” Bali explained.
India currently hosts 17 certified green buildings and has around 170 registered properties with the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) that are awaiting LEED certification. While an exact global count is not readily available, very few hotels have received certification as green hotels, with the Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco being a notable example. According to estimates from the IGBC, the number of certified green hotels worldwide is expected to reach at least 100 within the next two years.