Palazzo in Las Vegas: LEED Green and Luxury

I was recently invited by the hotel to experience their LEED silver eco-friendly luxury. TVs are everywhere – in the comfy living area, and the plush bed area, and even in the bathroom. Soak in the tub and watch TV. Or shower in the separate glass area. The colors are soothing and low key beige and taupe. As an added touch, I could lay in bed and operate the curtains and drapes to reveal the sun drenched LV vista. A true delight to be able to bring sunlight into the room without getting out of bed.

And yet, there is one important difference between my stay in The Palazzo, and some of the other luxury hotels in Las Vegas. The Palazzo is a LEED –Silver hotel, meeting their rigorous standards for reducing the impact on the environment and promoting sustainable vacationing.

Saving Water and Electricity

“Building in the desert is always a challenge with its limited natural resources,” explained Nicholas Rumanes, Vice President of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., the parent company of The Palazzo, "so we took measures to build a property that would mitigate a lot of the natural resource issues."

In particular, the scarcity and corresponding wise use of water is crucial. Although guests will likely not be aware, there are water-efficient showerheads, high efficiency toilets and low-flow bathroom faucets. The hotel also uses a refrigerator air system that uses less water for cooling. More efficient lighting reduces the interior heat buildup in rooms and lowers the need for the air conditioning. Across the Las Vegas campus, “We save 97 millions gallons of water a year,” says Rumanes.

Electric consumption is also reduced by room motion sensors, pioneered at The Palazzo. Guests come in and set thermostat, but when they leave the room the system automatically goes into hibernation. When guests are out of room for six or seven hours, the temperature is automatically setback by several degrees. But when guests come back, the air conditioning wakes up and immediately resets itself to the guests desired temperature level.

I also appreciated that lights are turned on and off via one switch by the door. I could turn the lights off with one flip, and turn them back on the same way when I got back, instantly lighting up the room.

Going Solar

Solar energy is also a key part of their ecological efforts - both thermal and electric. The swimming pools use solar heated water. In the summer, the pools require less heating, and the excess solar energy is diverted to the hotel’s hot water system for use in kitchens and hotel suites. The program has been so successful that the Palazzo expects to expand the plant some time in 2010.

Recycling Waste

There’s also a robust recycling program, that sorts the trash into dry and wet waste from the restaurants, casino, and suites. Dry waste, such as paper and bottles are recycled in the hotel, but the wet waste goes to pig farm in northern valley, providing food for the pigs and compost as well. “We’re the largest recycler in the Valley with 45 tons of recyclables a day, out of 70 to 80 tons of waste during peak,” says Rumanes with justifiable pride.

There are many luxury hotels around the world. Some are so spectacular that one might be tempted to ignore the eco aspects. But, some are plush, lush, and green that makes being a supporter of sustainable travel a pleasure.. Palazzo is one of them.