Proximity Hotel in North Carolina is First to Earn LEED Platinum

“Conservation doesn’t have to mean deprivation,” is how host Ali Ogden wraps up her seven-minute video tour of the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, which recently became the first hotel in the U.S. to earn LEED Platinum certification. (The video was created for National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler blog and is available on YouTube.) Certified together with its Print Works Bistro, the hotel has 4,000 ft2 (400 m2) of solar water-heating panels on the roof, uses ground-coupled heat pumps for cooling, and features an innovative hydronic distribution system to deliver heating and cooling to guest rooms. Among the many other green aspects are locally produced furniture, abundant fresh air, and the restoration of an adjacent stream. Proximity, owned by Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, opened for business late in 2007 and achieved LEED certification in October 2008. Details are at www.proximityhotel.com.

“Conservation doesn’t have to mean deprivation,” is how host Ali Ogden wraps up her seven-minute video tour of the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, which recently became the first hotel in the U.S. to earn LEED Platinum certification. (The video was created for

National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler blog and is available on YouTube.)

Certified together with its Print Works Bistro, the hotel has 4,000 ft² (400 m²) of solar water-heating panels on the roof, uses ground-coupled heat pumps for cooling, and features an innovative hydronic distribution system to deliver heating and cooling to guest rooms. Among the many other green aspects are locally produced furniture, abundant fresh air, and the restoration of an adjacent stream.

Proximity, owned by Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, opened for business late in 2007 and achieved LEED certification in October 2008. Details are at www.proximityhotel.com.