Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE:HOT) plans to open an Element-branded hotel in Burnaby near Metrotown next year, a company spokesperson told Business in Vancouver July 16.
"Element is the first major hotel brand to mandate that all hotels pursue LEED certification," said Paige Francis, Starwood's vice-president of global brand management for specialty select brands.
Not only will the hotel be built in a way that adheres to LEED standards but the hotel will also operate in a way that affects the environment as little as possible, she said.
Those practices do not inflate prices, Francis added.
The Element brand is a relatively new addition for the global hotel behemoth, which operates 1,146 properties in almost 100 countries.
Starwood launched Element in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 2008 and has opened 10 more hotels since then. In addition to Burnaby, Starwood plans to open another four Element-branded hotels across the world next year.
"We're doing what's right for the environment but without any compromise to the traveller experience," Francis said. "Our bathrooms, for example, are spa-inspired. We have a rainfall showerhead that provides an experience that gets great praise and feedback from our travellers, and yet it's low flow."
Bosa Properties will own the Element Hotel building and the hotel itself will be managed by Atlific Hotels.
Starwood's seven other properties in Metro Vancouver are:
- the Westin Grand;
- the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre;
- the Westin Bayshore;
- the Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport;
- Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport;
- the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel; and
- the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel.
