Gilded green: sustainable lodging meets the luxe-boutique.

AuthorKennedy, Linda T.
PositionGetaways

Put an ecological conscience with thoughts of a weekend trip and one might conjure up images of camping, since using Mother Nature's products on an overnighter suggests little more than roughing it. Going au naturel now, though, has a luxe connection.

Park City-based The Sky Lodge and Salt Lake's Hotel Monaco are two boutique hotels that are adding a little green to the lavish weekend getaway. "People mistakenly think eco means sitting on a dirt floor in a cave," says Bill Shoaf, managing director of The Sky Lodge. "You can have an ecological conscience and still have a great experience. I think if you walked around this building, you wouldn't know [it's sustainable]--eco-smart is just a fact of life."

After decades of sprawling lodges, resorts and multi-story hotels, eco-luxury boutique hotels are sprouting up across the country, redefining American opulence as something with a social conscience. And, at Utah's eco-boutiques, environmentally friendly is definitely not sparse.

The Sky Lodge

The Sky Lodge rises from the remains of Park City's historic railroad station (Zoom restaurant), rail tact building (bakery) and Lumber Mill (Easy Street restaurant and bar), yet the entire complex is comprised of only 3 percent natural wood, including wood beams brought in from an old railroad trellis near the Great Salt Lake. The steel stud construction eliminated wood framing, and the exterior siding is fiberboard that mimics historic lapboard and does not require painting for 50 years. Also, the concrete used in the building was pre-cast in Salt Lake to reduce the carbon footprint in construction.

From Africa comes Ithemba (meaning "hope" in Xosi), the intricate copper wire and bead design in the bathroom's sliding panel doors weaved by HIV-impacted women. The work was contracted through 3 form, a company that works with various groups throughout Africa who help impoverished women find meaningful work.

Appointments in all the rooms include high efficiency appliances, recycled carpets and eco-friendly paint. Sustainable practices even extend to the restaurant.

"Everything is made on the premises with local products from sources with sustainability in mind, those with fair farming practices," says Shoaf.

Hotel Monaco

In a renovated bank...

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