Travel

New England Green Hotels and Inns

How to Find an Environmentally Friendly Hotel or Inn in New England

Want to go green on your next stay in New England? This guide will help you find environmentally friendly green hotels and inns in New England. These lodging properties go the extra mile to protect the environment by conserving water and energy, minimizing waste, recycling, serving fresh local foods and more.

1. Vermont Green Hotels

Looking for green hotels in the Green Mountain State? More than 100 inns, B&Bs and hotels in Vermont have been recognized for their green practices. Vermont has really taken the lead in New England in promoting lodging properties with environmentally friendly practices. The Green Hotels in the Green Mountain State program, a collaborative effort involving several state agencies and organizations, sets guidelines for hotels and inns to follow if they'd like to receive a green hotel designation.

2. Seaport Boston Hotel

This eco-friendly hotel is a two-time winner of the Boston Green Business Award. Green initiatives include in-house honey production courtesy of 270,000 bees that occupy seven hives on the eco-friendly rooftop! In April 2012, the Seaport Hotel added complimentary charging stations for electric vehicles.

3. Connecticut Green Lodging Certified Hotels

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging certification program encourages the state's hospitality industry to embrace a comprehensive assortment of green practices. Check this list of properties that have earned certification if you are looking for a green hotel in Connecticut.

4. The Red Lion Inn

Red Lion Inn Stockbridge Massachusetts Photo

The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was the winner of the Massachusetts Lodging Association's Good Earthkeeping Award in 2008. The historic inn was recognized for its energy and water conservation efforts, recycling programs, the use of native plants in its landscaping, the use of green cleaning products, plus other environmentally sensitive practices.

5. Inn by the Sea

Inn by the Sea, located near Portland in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, underwent a multi-million dollar transformation that allowed it to emerge as an eco-friendly luxury beach destination when it reopened in the spring of 2008. Inn by the Sea is the first hotel in Maine to heat with biofuel and the first to be carbon neutral. Highlights of the renovation include many new eco-friendly features such as a solar-heated pool with a salt/chlorine system, air-to-air heat exchangers, dual flush toilets and recycled rubber flooring in the cardio room. The inn's five-acre seaside indigenous garden is certified as a wildlife habitat.

6. The Lenox

The Lenox Hotel in Boston's Back Bay was green long before green was in vogue. Since 1989, the Saunders Hotel Group, the boutique hotel's owner, has made environmentally friendly practices part of its mission--even in urban settings. Eco-conscious features of this hotel include everything from efficient lighting and waterless urinals to healthy cleaning products. Chandeliers are cleaned ultrasonically using only water and sound waves! Guests find tips for green living in their guest rooms and can watch environmental movies on a dedicated Eco Channel. The hotel was named Energy Star Partner of the Year in 2005.

7. Irving House at Harvard

This large guesthouse near Harvard Square employs many environmentally friendly practices. Breakfast and snack items are purchased locally; food waste is composted; solar energy is used for hot water heating; shampoos, soaps and lotions made by eco-friendly companies are available to guests in dispensers to avoid waste; innkeepers guide guests to sights and events that can be reached on foot or via public transportation. The inn received the EPA's Energy Star Label in 2005.