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Hilton Pittsburgh Towers
I chose the Hilton Pittsburgh for a conference in October 2004 because it was a Green Seal certified property and in a park-like setting in town. The park-like setting was a beautiful location at the point where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers meet to create the Ohio River. It is adjacent to the river walk and walking distance to many good restaurants, shopping, mass transit, and is close to the rest of the city and to universities.
Their green steps that qualified them for Green Seal certification include a towel and sheet program, energy efficient lighting (75 percent of the property is compact fluorescent), low-flow shower head and sink aerator, recycling, recyclable and durable to-go containers (specifically no styrofoam or plastic), and green training.
Green Seal steps Hilton Corp won't allow include bulk soap and shampoo dispensers, conference tables without tablecloths, or bulk condiment containers except in the employee cafeteria.
Though there were hangers promoting towel re-use, mine were changed, even with a request to leave them and the sheets, so weren't practicing water conservation as much as they could have. It would seem their green training isn't effective. And though I specifically requested durable cups during the conference I was offered foam cups, something that is not disallowed by Green Seal. My shower head was a massaging style that didn't work well so I feel it probably wasn't low-flow. My shower had moldy grout and caulk. When I called to get a burned bulb replaced -- taking three calls to get action -- they did replace the incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, a great step toward energy conservation and more cost effective maintenance issues.
Some of the extra issues I look for include energy efficiency, cloth shower curtains and curtain liners, recycling, as well as no liner for the wastebaskets. Though the Hilton Pittsburgh had window film on the south-facing windows to cut heat-gain, the film was old, cracked, and peeling. I didn't see any evidence of recycling in the hotel. My shower had cloth shower curtains and liners. It lined its wastebaskets with plastic bags.
Posted by Kit Cassingham
