Bardessono

YOUNTVILLE, CA – (April 21, 2014) TripAdvisor has recognized Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant & Spa as the #1 GreenLeaders Hotel in the United States. The Top 10 highest-ranked GreenLeaders hotels in the U.S. were based on the properties that have achieved “Platinum” status in the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program, and have proven to be the most popular with travelers according to the TripAdvisor Popularity Index. These results of came from TripAdvisor’s eco-travel survey, which had been completed by more than 2,100 U.S. respondents.

The TripAdvisor Greenleaders Program helps travelers identify properties that are committed to green practices. TripAdvisor GreenLeaders have met a set of environmental standards that were developed for TripAdvisor in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® program, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the United Nations Environment Programme.

“We are honored to continually receive recognition for our efforts to wed sustainability and luxury. This is an incredible award that supports all that Bardessono strives to achieve. We would like to thank TripAdvisor and our loyal guests for this award,” said Jim Treadway, general manager of Bardessono.

One of three Platinum LEED Certified hotels in the United States, Bardessono’s green initiatives include: a subterranean, geothermal system that provides heat and air conditioning to the 62 guest rooms on the property as well as naturally heats and cools the water from the earth’s temperature of 70 degrees, on-site organic culinary gardens delivering fresh ingredients to Bardessono’s Lucy Restaurant and Bar, ionizers used for cleaning the guestrooms, low VC paints and sprays throughout the property, a commitment to recycling both water and waste, and much more.

“Not only is seeking out an eco-friendly accommodation good for the environment, but our survey also shows that most travelers find travel experiences more enjoyable when they make greener choices,” said Jenny Rushmore, director of responsible travel at TripAdvisor. “For those interested in lowering the carbon footprint of their trips, this list of TripAdvisor GreenLeaders hotels showcases properties that have a strong commitment to sustainability and are highly rated by our travel community.”

This award further demonstrates Bardessono’s commitment to providing a luxurious experience for their guests within a sustainable environment. Bardessono is the leading example in the luxury hotel industry of achieving green building and operating practices, all without compromising on service and the customer experience.

About Bardessono

Bardessono opened in February 2009 with 62 guest rooms in Yountville, California, the heart of the Napa Valley. The hotel boasts Lucy Restaurant and Bar with its own on-site, CCOF (California Certified Organic Farming) culinary garden, and a full service spa as well as personalized spa treatment areas in each of its guest rooms. We pledge to care for an uncommon set of priorities: for the environment, for each other, for our guests, for the property and for the community nearby. Together, these priorities represent a vision for unprecedented and attentive service. www.bardessono.com

About Benchmark Hospitality International®

Benchmark Hospitality International® is a recognized global leader in the management and marketing of resorts, hotels and conference centers. The company’s two distinctive portfolios of properties, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels® and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels®, represent the finest in guest-dedicated hospitality in unique destinations across the United States, in the Caribbean and Japan. As a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers, Benchmark Conference Centers® maintain the highest standards for certification in meeting excellence. Benchmark Hospitality was launched in 1980 as an independent company and today operates worldwide from offices in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, and regional offices in New Jersey, Washington State, Japan and Chile. For additional company information visit www.benchmarkresortsandhotels.com/development. To become a fan on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/BenchmarkResortsandHotels, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenchmarkHotels.

TripAdvisor has released its Travelers' Choice list for the most romantic hotels around the world. http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Romance

Bardessono only hotel named in Napa Valley

See press on the announcement:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/05/worlds-most-romantic-hotels_n_2617821.html

YOUNTVILLE, CA- Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa has been included in Conde Nast Johansens’ 2013 Award for Excellence as the Most Excellent Eco Hotel, as well as Travel + Leisure’s 500 Best Hotels in the World for 2013 and the Conde Nast 2013 Gold List.

Each of these awards is amongst the most prestigious in the luxury travel industry. These world-renowned awards are a trusted mark of quality recognized by consumers and travel professionals alike and represent the finest standard in luxury and independent accommodation.

“We challenged ourselves in the development of Bardessono to marry sustainability and luxury. To see our efforts so nicely recognized with first, LEED Platinum certification, and now these rankings among the best resorts in the world is really gratifying. We sincerely thank Conde Nast and Travel + Leisure,” says General Manager Jim Treadway.

This award further asserts Bardessono's unparalleled commitment to providing a luxurious experience within an eco-friendly environment.

About BARDESSONO
Bardessono opened in February 2009 with 62 guest rooms in Yountville, California, the heart of the Napa Valley. The hotel boasts Lucy Restaurant and Bar with its own on-site, CCOF (California Certified Organic Farming) culinary garden, and a full service spa as well as personalized spa treatment areas in each of its guest rooms. We pledge to care for an uncommon set of priorities: for the environment, for each other, for our guests, for the property and for the community nearby. Together, these priorities represent a vision for unprecedented and attentive service. www.bardessono.com

About Benchmark Hospitality International
Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels. The independent company, launched in 1980, is a worldwide organization operating properties in major metropolitan and resort destinations. Benchmark's international headquarters is located in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. Benchmark Hospitality is also a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers. The company's eastern regional office is in New Jersey, western regional office is in Washington, with international offices in Tokyo, Japan, and Santiago, Chile. For the location of Benchmark's properties and additional information, visit http://www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

This 62-room Napa Valley newcomer is upping the ante on green design: built almost exclusively from salvaged stone and reclaimed wood, it's the world's second LEED-certified Platinum hotel. But the modern, California-clean aesthetic (concrete floors; custom-designed couches) delivers a breath of fresh air amid Yountville's faux French and Tuscan styles. Almost everything at the hotel, from the Coyuchi cotton bed linens to the seasonal menu at the restaurant, is organic, sourced from within a 100-mile radius.

Napa Valley's Bardessono Luxury Boutique and Spa Becomes Third Hotel in the World to Receive This Prestigious Recognition

Niantic, Conn. (March 18, 2010) - INNCOM International Inc. is what one might call an ambassador of "eco-luxury" to the worldwide hospitality industry. And now its name is attached to some rather serious recognition - the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, recently awarded to the Yountville, Calif.-based Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant and Spa.

LEED Platinum, the highest designation of its kind by the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizes sustainable and environmentally friendly building designs, including hotels. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. Certification levels include Platinum, Gold, Silver and Standard in descending order of the rigor of the requirements. The 62-room Bardessono, a luxury boutique hotel distinguished by lavish spa amenities, is just the third hotel in the world to receive the Platinum certification.

John Tavares, vice president sales and marketing, said INNCOM brought energy management and integrated guestroom automation to the design mix of Bardessono.

"We've underscored the potential of green technology in the hotel industry: to provide a superior guest experience using energy that is managed appropriately and not wastefully," Tavares said. "It's a great honor for INNCOM to be associated with setting the pace and taking a leadership position in what these systems can do. LEED Platinum is a prestigious award for a property, and the end-result has more than one benefit. It isn't just energy management. It isn't just a luxurious stay. It is the combination of both of them."

Designed by Irvine, Calif.-based architects WATG, developed by Phil Sherburne and operated by Kirkland, Wash.-based MTM Luxury Lodging, Bardessono was destined for LEED certification at its blueprints. Its design, construction and operation follow LEED's Green Building Rating System guidelines. It uses solar and geothermal energy, sustainable building materials, organic landscape-management practices and energy management systems.

"INNCOM provides three vital parts of energy management in the guestroom," said Chuck Marratt, vice president of information technology for MTM Luxury Lodging. "It controls the lights in the room, the thermostat in the room, and introduces automated "solar shades" - highly technical Venetian-like blinds placed on the exterior of guestroom windows to keep heat in or out when unoccupied or empty. All cogs operate in an automated environment in the guestroom."

He described a walk-through of the INNCOM technology in use at Bardessono, noting the property has a unique design. Each guestroom has an entrance space that leads to two large areas: the living area and the bathroom. The bathroom area is notably larger than normal as it includes luxury spa amenities.

"INNCOM's automated guestroom system features a magnetic strip at the guestroom door, which signals entrance and exit activity," Marratt said. "In the entrance corridor is the thermostat, which senses motion and, therefore, signals when a guest is in the room. There also are motion detectors in the living and bath areas.

"The system is fully aware of when a guest is in the room," he added. "When occupied, the system sets the lights and thermostat to predetermined levels. Also at this juncture, the solar shades outside the windows automatically are lifted, almost invisible to the guest."

INNCOM's guestroom automation system interfaces with the hotel's property-management system. That means guest-history information plays a factor in the desired room settings. "The system knows if a guest desires a room at 72 degrees," Marratt said. "And upon check-in and entrance to the room, it sets the temperature at exactly 72 degrees. And the same goes for lighting levels."

An occupied but empty room is detected when the door's magnetic strip detects door activity, but no motion in the room - meaning the guest has left the room. If so, then the lights are turned off, the temperature is set to conservation levels, and the solar shades are dropped to enhance energy management. It's what Marratt called the room's "cocoon state."

Finally, the system recognizes check-in and check-out status. If a room is unoccupied (or "checked out") and the motion sensors detect entrance and movement (from housekeeping staff, for example), then the room remains in energy management stasis, Marratt said. "The system provides for manual over-rides of lighting and temperature settings during occupancy, meaning the guest has the final say on all lighting and thermostat settings when inside the room," he added.

Bardessono was the first application of INNCOM's solar shades, which were a prototype as the hotel was designed. The company didn't roll them out until Bardessono opened in February 2009. One year later, the hotel earned its LEED Platinum certification.

"INNCOM played a major role in the LEED Platinum process," Marratt said. "There were many pieces put together to get this certification, and when we asked ourselves, 'How will we conserve energy?' INNCOM provided the perfect answer.

"INNCOM pushed its technology to the limit and provided Bardessono with an edge," he said.

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.-Bardessono has just received the highest level of official recognition possible for its sustainable and environmentally friendly design. The hotel has been awarded LEED Platinum certification, an achievement reached by only two other hotels in the world, on the first anniversary of its opening.

Phil Sherburne built Bardessono with the intention of creating a hotel that provides guests with a luxurious experience while simultaneously protecting the environment. "I believe it is critical for the development community to be a leader in the effort to preserve a healthy planet," Sherburne says. "We can't just continue to talk about environmental problems; we have to begin to act. I hope we have provided an example from which others can benefit."

The hotel's design, construction and operation followed guidelines of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. Certification levels include Platinum, Gold, Silver and Standard in descending order of the rigor of the requirements.

Many Steps Taken to Reduce Impact

Examples of some of the primary sustainable practices that qualified the hotel for LEED Platinum certification include:

* Solar power: A total of 947 solar panels are installed on the flat roofs of the buildings in a manner so as not to be visible to the neighboring community. The 200-kilowatt solar energy system provides a significant portion of the Bardessono's electrical energy requirement.

* Geothermal: Seventy-two 300-foot geothermal wells were drilled to work with a ground source heat pump system to heat and cool rooms and heat domestic water. Consequently, the only electricity used in this system is for operation of the pumps.

* Construction: More than 93 percent of building waste was recycled.

* Reuse of materials: The stone featured on both the exterior and interior of the building was recycled from the stone blocks of an old wine cellar on the property. All of the wood visible on the exterior and interior of the buildings was milled from salvaged trees, including Monterey Cypress, Orchard Walnut, Redwood and Elm.

* Heat retention: Guestrooms are constructed to minimize solar heat gain with wide overhangs and specially designed motor-controlled exterior Venetian blinds, driven by occupation criteria delivered through the fully converged IP network developed by MTM Luxury Lodging. Large expanses of glass allow winter sunrays to naturally warm rooms and enhance daytime lighting.

* Lighting: LED and fluorescent lamps are used throughout the property and IP network driven sensors in the rooms extinguish lights when rooms are unoccupied.

* Low water use: Low water flow fixtures, dual flush toilets and waterless urinals are used. Outdoors, drought-resistant indigenous landscaping prevails, serviced by an efficient buried drip irrigation system.

* Water recycling: All grey and black water is treated and recycled for irrigation uses by the Town of Yountville.

* Creek-side protection: Buildings are set back 35 feet from Hopper Creek with native riparian plants installed to restore a hospitable natural environment for wildlife and fish while minimizing soil erosion.

* Compost: With a goal of contributing as little as possible to the waste stream, the Bardessono composts all kitchen and garden vegetable and plant waste in an "Earth Tub."

BARDESSONO HOTEL, RESTAURANT AND SPA - California's First and Only LEED Platinum Hotel

Receives Highest Honor - LEED Platinum Certification

February 9, 2010, Yountville, CA -- Bardessono has just received the highest level of official recognition possible for its sustainable and environmentally friendly design. The hotel has been awarded LEED Platinum certification, an achievement reached by only two other hotels in the world, on the first anniversary of its opening. The state of California, a leader in environmental innovation, now has its standard bearer for the hospitality industry.

Phil Sherburne built Bardessono with the intention of creating a hotel that provides guests with a luxurious experience while simultaneously protecting the environment. "I believe it is critical for the development community to be a leader in the effort to preserve a healthy planet. We can't just continue to talk about environmental problems, we have to begin to act. I hope we have provided an example from which others can benefit", said Sherburne,

The hotel's design, construction and operation followed guidelines of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. Certification levels include Platinum, Gold, Silver and Standard in descending order of the rigor of the requirements.

Examples of some of the primary sustainable practices that qualified the hotel for LEED Platinum certification are: (for a full list of sustainable practices visit Bardessono):

Solar Power: 947 solar panels are installed on the flat roofs of the buildings in a manner so as not to be visible to the neighboring community. The 200-kilowatt solar energy system provides a significant portion of the Bardessono's electrical energy requirement.

Geothermal: 72 300-ft. geothermal wells were drilled to work with a ground source heat pump system to heat and cool rooms and heat domestic water. Consequently, the only electricity used in this system is for operation of the pumps.

Construction: Over 93% of building waste was recycled.

Reuse of materials: The stone featured on both the exterior and interior of the building was recycled from the stone blocks of an old wine cellar on the property. All of the wood visible on the exterior and interior of the buildings was milled from salvaged trees, including Monterey Cypress, Orchard Walnut, Redwood and Elm.

Heat retention: Guest rooms are constructed to minimize solar heat gain with wide overhangs and specially designed motor-controlled exterior Venetian blinds, driven by occupation criteria delivered through the fully converged IP network developed by MTM Luxury Lodging. Large expanses of glass allow winter sunrays to naturally warm rooms and enhance daytime lighting.

Lighting: LED and fluorescent lamps are used throughout the property and IP network driven sensors in the rooms extinguish lights when rooms are unoccupied.

Low Water Use: Low water flow fixtures, dual flush toilets and waterless urinals are used. Outdoors, drought-resistant indigenous landscaping prevails, serviced by an efficient buried drip irrigation system.

Water recycling: All grey and black water is treated and recycled for irrigation uses by the Town of Yountville.

Creek-side Protection: Buildings are set back 35 ft. from Hopper Creek with native riparian plants installed to restore a hospitable natural environment for wildlife and fish while minimizing soil erosion.

Compost: With a goal of contributing as little as possible to the waste stream, the Bardessono composts all kitchen and garden vegetable and plant waste in an "Earth Tub."


About Bardessono:

The Bardessono opened in February 2009 with 62 guest rooms, restaurant and spa in Yountville, California, the heart of the Napa Valley. We pledge to care for an uncommon set of priorities: for the environment, for each other, for our guests, for the property and for the community nearby. Together, these priorities represent a vision for unprecedented and attentive service. [url]www.bardessono.com[/url]

About MTM Luxury Lodging:
MTM Luxury Lodging is a luxury hotel management company headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., just outside of Seattle. The company specializes in managing independent luxury hotels, inns and resorts, which are located in spectacular settings and are distinctive with an abundance of character, ambiance and a flair for exemplary regional cuisine. Its premier collection of boutique hotels includes Cave B Inn at SageCliffe (Quincy); Hotel 1000 (downtown Seattle); Willows Lodge (Woodinville); and Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa (Kirkland). Other MTM luxury properties from coast to coast include The Liberty Hotel (Boston) and Bardessono (Napa Valley). Without exception, MTM managed hotels are among the very best in the markets they serve. [url]www.mtmluxurylodging.com[/url].

[url]http://www.elitemeetings.com/property/bardessono-napa-valley/[/url]

http://www.elitemeetings.com/property/bardessono-napa-valley/

Napa Valley, Calif., January 14, 2009-- Globetrotting eco-adventurers looking for an authentic travel experience will want to move Bardessono to the top of their 2009 travel wish lists. Driven by the desire to wrap everything in an earth-friendly blanket of luxury, every element of this LEED-Platinum aspiring Napa Valley hotel, spa and restaurant is designed for the traveler craving couture comfort.

What will the discerning traveler find at the Bardessono? A touch of glamour awash in green; a return to old-fashioned, highly personalized hospitality; and an experiential hotel where quality and environmental ethics always trump the latest fads. More specifically, theyll discover:

*Custom-designed on and off-site adventures created by Guest Services Director Cristina Salas-Porras
*A luxurious green spa heated and cooled by an underground geothermal system, which offers an East-meets-West-inspired menu
*Organic spa couture from In Fiore, a blossoming skincare company whose homeopathic treatments and products have gathered a loyal following from San Francisco to Tokyo
*Smart guestrooms disguised as sumptuously appointed suites and offering in-room spa services, 24-hour in-room dining, complimentary filtered still and sparkling water and exquisite Coyuchi organic linens and terrycloth
*An esoteric list of locally distilled and crafted spirits, loose leaf herbals from Oakland-based Modern Tea, Blue Bottle micro-roasted coffees and espressos, all fashioned to tempt even the most discriminating bar culture enthusiasts
*Complimentary services from the on-site bicycle shop and use of a bike for the duration of their stay
*Custom Cuisine crafted by Executive Chef Sean OToole from fresh, local ingredients
*Six acres stunningly landscaped with drought-tolerant foliage, organic herb gardens and vineyards tended by viticulturist Doug Hill
*A modern hotel sensitively crafted from: recycled stone and salvaged orchard Walnut, Cypress, Redwood and California Bay woods

In collaboration with Cello & Maudru Construction and a host of extraordinary craftsmen, ecopioneer Phil Sherburne created this holistic haven in the heart of the walking village, Yountville. In fact, its just a few footsteps " or a quick bike ride " from the restaurants and wineries that have turned this Napa Valley town into an epicurean hub, including Michelin-ranked establishments like The French Laundry, Bouchon and Bistro Jeanty.

Set to open its doors next month (just in time for Premiere Napa Valley), Bardessono is a classic in the making. Its a sustainable property designed to age and change with the times.

About MTM Luxury Lodging www.mtmluxurylodging.com
MTM specializes in managing independent luxury hotels, inns and resorts which are the best in the markets they serve,
are located in spectacular settings and are distinctive with an abundance of character, ambiance and a flair for exemplary regional cuisine. MTM manages the award-winning, iconic Willows Lodge, also developed by Phil Sherburne as well as the Liberty Hotel, Boston and Hotel 1000, Seattle both of which recently opened to rave review from the luxury travel media.

About Phil Sherburne www.Bardessono.com
Phil Sherburnes work as an eco-developer began 20 years ago with his work in Decatur Island in the San Juans where
he maintains a weekend home with his wife and two daughters. As a Harvard honors graduate, Phil distinguished
himself early in community and urban planning work. He is widely recognized for his: Ford Foundation work in
Boston; early HUD accomplishments in Chicago and urban planning during a pivotal time in Seattles development.
He owns hotels in Woodinville, Washington and Santa Barbara, California.

Media Contact:
Pamela Hunter / Ashley Teplin
Studio-707 - 68 Coombs Street, Napa
Tel: 707-258-1699 - Mobile: 707-738-3506
E-Mail: admin@studio-707.com

Phil Sherburne, a pioneer in modern green development, will open his long-awaited Bardessono hotel, restaurant and spa in California's famed Napa Valley during the first week of February.

The 62-room luxury hotel with its 92-seat restaurant and bar is situated on the Bardessono family farmstead in the heart of historic Yountville. Sherburne, who was hand-picked by the Bardessonos to develop their six-acre property, promised an ecologically-friendly development that would literally 'tuck itself' into Yountville's tiny wine country community.

With the help of Seattle architect Ron Mitchell, Sherburne oriented the property's 540-square-foot guest rooms around a series of four courtyards, giving the property a more compact, intimate feel. Guest parking is contained in an enclosed valet space as there are no vehicular traffic corridors through the project. The property blends itself into the surrounding community through a series of extended community walking paths. All buildings and landscaping were set back 35 feet from nearby Hopper Creek. Landscape design bordering the creek is native and sustainable.

The landmark development, which is applying for Platinum LEED certification - the highest and most rigorous form of green development accreditation in the United States - could well be the 'greenest' luxury hotel in America today.

In the tradition of his other award-winning projects, among them Decatur Island, the property employs a wide range of environmental initiatives, covering everything from material reuse to solar power and geothermal energy to onsite waste management, low water use and LED and fluorescent lighting.

The property will obtain approximately half of its electricity need from a 200-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system discreetly mounted and concealed atop the hotel's flat-topped roofs. To heat and cool guest rooms as well as the property's domestic water supply, a system of eighty-two 300-foot geothermal wells were drilled to work with a specially developed ground source heat pump system.

Structurally as well as aesthetically, the Bardessono makes prodigious use of 'up-cycled' materials including recycled steel, green glass tiles as well as fly ash concrete. (Fly ash, a glass-like powder recovered from gases created by coal-fired electric power generation, is a recyclable material often used as a replacement for Portland cement.) Salvaged wood from locally-sourced Monterey Cypress, Walnut, Redwood, Eucalyptus and California Bay Laurel trees is featured throughout the property, used for everything from siding and ceiling beams to furniture and bathroom flooring. Locally quarried Tuffa stone, salvaged and re-cut from the Bardessono family's original homestead, adorns the hotel's entry way as well as its reception and dining areas.

Low profile as it may appear, the Bardessono was appointed with luxury in mind. A rooftop swimming pool lends rare views of the Stags Leap Palisades and Mayacamas Mountains while offering private poolside cabanas and a pizza oven. Guest rooms feature generous amounts of natural light as well as their own private landscaped courtyard. All rooms are equipped for in-room spa services and some feature both indoor and outdoor showers. A few have outdoor heated tubs. Bed linens, towels and robes are made from locally sourced organic cotton, all of which is green certified. Interior furnishings and features were crafted by a team of artisans selected by Sherburne especially for the Bardessono.

A one-time University of Oregon student activist-turned urban policy planner, Sherburne began his career not in private development but public housing. Before that, he lived on his family's Oregon dairy farm. It is this combined experience that Sherburne carried with him into the development business more than 20 years ago. It is his touchstone for creating developments that balance the interest of the private client with that of the public and nature at large. The Bardessono, Sherburne's latest effort, follows in this 25-year tradition.

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF."The Napa Valley community of Yountville, Calif., with a population of a little more than 3,000 people, is now home to one of the greenest lodging establishments in the United States"the 62-room luxury Bardessono hotel, restaurant and spa. Set to open the first week of February, the development should earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification later in 2009. If it does reach that goal, it will be only the second hotel in the United States to do so. The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., is the other.

The owner and developer of the property is Seattle-based Phil Sherburne. His previous lodging developments include the 86-room Willows Lodge located just outside Seattle in Woodinville, Wash., and the 23-room luxury Inn of the Spanish Garden in Santa Barbara, Calif. Sherburne has also been involved in other well-known developments including the 600-acre Decatur Island residential housing and community project in Washingtons San Juan Islands.

The Bardessono, which is managed by MTM Luxury Lodging, Kirkland, Wash., is set on the Bardessono family farmstead in the middle of Yountville. The Bardessono family selected Sherburne to develop the property based on his previous success developing green projects. The chief designer on the project was Ron Mitchell, an architect who at the time was working out of the Seattle office of Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo. He now has his own firm in Seattle.

What Sherburne, Mitchell and many others have created is a green hotel unlike any other. Because of its location in Yountville, it was designed not to be intrusive. It has a low profile and blends well into the surrounding community through a series of extended community walking paths. The propertys 540-square-foot guestrooms are located around four courtyards. Guest parking is contained in an enclosed valet space as there are no vehicular traffic corridors through the project.

Each buildings flat roof is fitted with a carefully concealed photovoltaic solar system and reflective material. Sherburne estimates the 200-kilowatt solar system, which includes more than 900 solar panels, will meet about 50 percent of the hotel, restaurant and spas electricity needs. Twenty-five percent of the cost of the solar installation will be paid for through a rebate from the State of California. A federal tax credit will also be available to Sherburne after the property opens. Including incentives and savings gained through energy conservation, his conservative estimate on payback for the solar system is six years.

To heat and cool guestrooms as well as the propertys domestic water supply, a system of 82 300-foot geothermal wells were drilled to work with a specially developed ground source heat pump system. Sherburne says the underground system will reduce the noise level on the property and will use very little energy.

Perhaps the most unique attribute of the Bardessono is its widespread use of reclaimed, regionally sourced wood and other recycled materials. Salvaged Monterey Cypress was milled into 60,000 square feet of siding for the hotel buildings. Inside the property, flooring in guestroom bathrooms and dressing areas was made from walnut trees that were uprooted by farmers at the end of their productive life. Walnut wood was also used to craft guestroom doors. Redwood from wine barrels was used in ceilings in public areas and furniture throughout the property was made from different types of salvaged wood. Locally quarried Tuffa stone, salvaged from the Bardessono familys original homestead, was used in the entry area of the hotel. During construction, 93 percent of all construction waste was recycled.

The following are some additional ways the Bardessono is working to minimize its environmental impact:

Organic cotton bed linens, towels and robes will be featured.

Guestrooms are constructed to minimize solar heat gain and include wide overhangs. Occupancy sensors prompt motor-controlled venetian exterior blinds to close when guests are not present in guestrooms. Sherburne says he purchased them from Germany because they were not available in the United States. Large expanses of glass in each guestroom allow the winter suns rays to naturally provide warmth. Sensors also turn off lights and other electrical devices.

LED and fluorescent lamps are used throughout the property.

To ensure a high level of air quality, low-VOC paints and adhesives were used. By not using carpeting, draperies or bedspreads in the guestrooms, allergens are minimized.

Low flow fixtures such as dual flush toilets and waterless urinals are used. Outdoors, drought-resistant plants prevail. All grey water and black water is treated and recycled for irrigation by the Town of Yountville.

Concrete used on the property has significant recycled fly ash content and the steel is made mainly of recycled material.

The Bardessono composts all kitchen and garden waste in an Earth Tub, and locally produced and organic food products are selected whenever possible.

Dispensers are used for shower and bath products and hotel cleaning products are organic.

As part of an ongoing commissioning process, monitoring devices were installed to gather data to determine the effectiveness of the solar, geothermal and external shade systems.

For Sherburne, building in a sustainable manner is important. It is a reflection of my personal values to a large degree, he says. We have to take the health of the planet more seriously. I wanted the project to demonstrate how you can integrate environmental design into a hotel successfully.

Sherburne says the entire project will end up costing about 10 percent more than a standard hotel its size. That extra cost, he says, will be recovered over time through the propertys many design innovations and technologies.

Ironically, Sherburne did not set out to pursue LEED Platinum from the beginning. It was suggested by the projects architect along the way and an environmental consultant was hired to assist with the documentation and application process.