An Orangeburg hotel management company is seeking an environmental stamp of approval for its future Columbia hotel.

Capital Hospitality LLC, a subsidiary of Courtesy Management of Orangeburg, will seek a silver certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for its newest venture -- the Columbia Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites.

“Green development and sustainable operations are getting a great deal of buzz in the hotel industry and according to a Cornell University report, green or sustainable development will be the new norm not just a fad as in the ‘70s,” said managing partner Hema Patel. “We realize that a healthy building is better for not only hotel guests and employees, but also for the environment.”

The five-story, 1,200-room hotel, located at U.S. 378 and Interstate 26 across from the Lexington Hospital, will include a 5,000-square-foot banquet room and a restaurant concept, The Sporting News Grill.

Ground was broken in December 2008 and the hotel is scheduled to open in March 2010.

The hotel is the first in Columbia and only one of two in the state registered to become LEED certified, said Patel, who is a partner in Courtesy Management with her husband, Steve.

Hotel Interactive Inc., an online hotel news and lodging source, cites only 13 hotels in the world that have attained LEED certification with more than 400 having taken the first step toward certification.

LEED is a third-party national certification program that recognizes sustainability by performance in five areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The four progressive levels of LEED certification are: platinum, gold, silver and certified.

Each of these ratings is achieved by gaining points in different categories of the LEED checklist.

Achieving the LEED certification will be a year-long process with collaboration between contractor MB Kahn, designer Centrepoint Architecture, and Capital Hospitality LLC.

Patel said the “green” concept is also customer orientated.

“Our goal is to meet the increasing demand of guests who appreciate an environmentally focused design as well as a high level of service,” Patel said. “Equally significant is the fact that green buildings are crucial in the fight against climate change.”

Patel said upfront costs are slightly higher for build a “green” building but recovering costs through energy savings makes it profitable.

“We know that having a green hotel will lower our operating costs,” Patel said. “Utility bills are very high and in the future they will not get any lower. I know it will cost more to do this, but there is fast payback on investment.”

As part of the LEED certification, the hotel will incorporate a ventilation system to improve air quality by circulating large amounts of outside air into guestroom.

Energy-recovery technology will be used to temper outside air by the air being exhausted from the hotel.

Other green building design features include rainwater harvesting to reduce the use of potable water for irrigation, installation of tankless hot water heaters and traction elevators for energy efficiency, installation of high-efficiency fixtures to reduce water usage, diversion of construction waste from the landfill by recycling, solar panels to heat water, local materials to reduce transportation costs, use of low-emitting volatile organic compound (VOC) paint, adhesives, carpets to reduce indoor air contamination, shuttle service in a low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicle.

Citing the Cornell study, Patel said green hotels are supposed to realize a 30 to 50 percent reduction in energy use, a 35 percent reduction in carbon emissions, a 40 percent reduction in water use and a 70 percent reduction in solid waste expenses.

Patel said all the future hotels managed and built by Courtesy will be “green,” including any new building projects in Orangeburg.

“This is where it is at,” she said. “This is the future.”

n T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com

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