Sofitel Minneapolis

Xcel Energy supports Sofitel with Hotel Energy Conservation Award

Minneapolis, MN (September, 2008) " Sofitel Minneapolis, premier French luxury hotel in the Twin Cities, has recently been awarded an Xcel Energy Hotel Energy Conservation Award for its success in taking significant steps towards reducing energy use.

We at Sofitel Minneapolis are delighted to be recognized for our energy conservation efforts, said David Larson, Director of Facilities. We take great pride in being environmentally responsible, and look forward to building on these efforts moving forward.

The Xcel Energy Hotel Energy Conservation Award celebrates the achievements of organizations in the hospitality sector that have taken significant steps to reduce their energy use. Their efforts highlight the importance of energy efficiency in combating climate change and serve as an inspiration to other individuals and organizations. Hotel award winners were selected based on their answers to questions on such topics as: what kind of energy-efficient projects their facility completed in the last three years; what impact their facility conservation projects have made on their overall energy use; whether or not their energy conservation efforts led directly to broad internal support of energy efficiency practices; if any energy-efficiency projects are planned for the next year; and if they conduct any long-term planning in regards to energy-efficiency.

In the past three years, Sofitel Minneapolis has successfully completed lighting, motor, variable frequency drive, cooling, and energy management system projects, effectively cutting their overall energy use by three to five percent. The hotel is also planning to replace more compressors and lamps with energy-saving fluorescent bulbs in the coming year.

One of the larger energy efficiency measures that Sofitel Minneapolis took in 2008 was purchasing renewable energy. In February, Sofitel Hotels became the first hotel chain in the U.S. to choose wind power and become an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partner. Sofitel has partnered with wind energy supplier Community Energy, Inc. to purchase clean, renewable energy for all nine Sofitel locations in the U.S.

Sofitel Minneapolis strives to uphold Accors Hotel Environmental Charter, an environment management tool for every Accor hotel that lists 65 actions that each hotel is encouraged to accomplish. The 65 actions are divided into eight areas: informing and raising awareness; energy; water; waste water; waste; ozone layer; biodiversity; and green purchases. Some of the specific actions, for example, include installing LED exit signs, compact fluorescent light bulbs and water-saving showerheads.

Sofitel Minneapolis has consistently been ranked one of the top hotels in the Twin Cities for its service, customer care, amenities, and overall appeal. Earlier this year, Sofitel Minneapolis was awarded the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for the 25th consecutive year. Sofitel Minneapolis was also included in the Expedia Insiders Select 2008 list, an annual ranking of the top one percent of hotels and resorts around the world based on customer feedback in terms of value and quality. Most recently, Sofitel Minneapolis restaurant La Fougasse has been nominated on Best of Citysearch 2008 for Best Brunch and Best Fine Dining.

Sofitel Hotels are in major destinations across North America: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Miami and Washington, D.C.

For more information on Sofitel, please visit www.sofitel.com or call 1-800-763-4835.

Because no one country or city is the same, Sofitel has made each of its 200 hotels around the world a truly unique establishment. Combining the spirit of each place with the values of modernity, refinement and absolute comfort, they are all imbued in their inimitable way with the French art de vivre.

Whether their setting is a great business metropolis like Paris, New York or Bangkok, or nestling in the landscape in Indonesia, Polynesia or Brazil, each Sofitel hotel offers travelers a genuine haven of peace. So that each guest, for an overnight stay or longer, during a business trip or for a holiday, can enjoy the rich variety of these unique places in comfort and tranquillity.

Accor, the European leader in hotels and tourism, and a global leader in corporate services, operates in nearly 100 countries with 170,000 employees. It offers to its individual and corporate clients 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:
- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, All Seasons, Red Roof Inn, Etap Hotel, Formule 1, Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands: over 4,100 hotels and 486,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lentre ;
- Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 23 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor Services products " meal and food vouchers, people care, incentive and loyalty programs.

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: K.C. Scharnberg
Elmore Public Relations
Tel: 713-524-0661
kc@elmorepr.com