HYATT REGENCY ON KING
About half the hotels downtown are part of the Green Key Global Eco-Rating Program, and while a majority earn four out of five keys, TIFF’s host hotel is lagging behind the pack. The Hyatt Regency along with the downtown Hilton, One King West, Holiday Inn Yorkville, Ramada and Super 8 earn just three out of five keys. (FYI, keys are earned through self-assessed eco audits, though hotels may face spot inspections.) As with a lot of hotels, tellingly, there’s no public info on this locale’s green features. As part of a major chain, it should really invest in upping its green game. On the bright side: it’s unionized and hasn’t faced any major labour issues since the strike of 2010.
SCORE: NN
SHANGRI-LA/DELTA TORONTO
These upscale new builds both earn top points from green certifiers. Delta Toronto, on Simcoe, is currently the only hotel downtown on track to get LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). That means it’s tops for water and energy efficiency and building materials. Delta’s GreenStay program allows guests to opt out of daily housekeeping, though the program gets slammed by hotel workers. Its menu isn’t as green as Royal York’s (see Chilean sea bass), but it does donate leftovers to food banks. Not yet Green Key rated. Shangri-la isn’t LEED-certified but is so far the only hotel in Toronto to get five Green Keys.
SCORE: NNNN
FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK
An oldie but goody, the Fairmont chain calls itself the “eco activist” of the hotel industry, having first set up a greening program back in 1990. This 80-year-old hotel won’t be as efficient as some new builds, but it has made retrofits. Known for its rooftop beehive and herb garden, the Royal York location has been a pioneer in banning threatened fish from the menu and prioritizing local, organic foods “wherever possible.” It diverts 67 per cent of waste from landfill, donates gently used linens to women’s shelters, and leftover food to Second Harvest. It also earns four out of five keys in the self-reported Green Key program. There were high-profile strikes here back in 2010, but all’s quiet on the labour front now. Unionized.
SCORE: NNNN
GLADSTONE
Toronto’s longest-running hotel may be best known for its karaoke nights and one-of-a-kind artist-designed rooms, but it’s also got some solid green cred. It banned plastic-bottled drinks back in 2007 and dishes out takeout in compostable Green Shift- approved packaging. The hotel composts, uses non-toxic cleaners and mostly natural, Ontario-made bath products and serves organic coffee. Building renovations tightened up the Gladstone’s energy footprint, and its green roof helps cool the building and clean the air. Not part of the Green Key certification program.
SCORE: NNNN
THE PLANET TRAVELLER
It may not be where Hollywood’s elite sleep, but this slick, budget-friendly hostel is far greener than hotels that charge six times as much. Under the laneway next to this restored century-old building on College lie 6,200 feet of geothermal piping that heat and cool the building with energy from the earth. The awning over the rooftop bar is made of solar panels that churn out an impressive 4.7 kilowatts of energy, and the building’s LED lights help make it such a conserver of energy that it takes more power to fire up a single hair dryer then it does to light the place (about 1,500 kilowatts/hour). Solar power also helps heat the water for showers, and that heat energy is reclaimed once it runs down the drains. The rooms are bare-bones, but hands down, there’s no greener bed for hire in town.
SCORE: NNNNN
