Hotel Skyler in Syracuse recently became one of only three LEED Platinum certified hotels in the United States.

‘To have something of this nature in Syracuse shows a dedication to sustainability in Central New York,’ said Tom Fernandez, director of marketing for the Woodbine Group, which developed and owns the hotel.

As a LEED Platinum certified building, Hotel Skyler meets the highest standards for sustainable building and development put forth by the U.S. Green Building Council, Fernandez said.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a voluntary program through which construction projects achieve a high level of sustainability and environmental performance, said Lynee Sauer, business manager of the Woodbine Group.

Located near Syracuse University at 601 S. Crouse Ave., Hotel Skyler occupies a former synagogue, Temple Adath Yeshurun. After acquiring the property in 2006, the Woodbine Group began developing the environmentally sustainable hotel in 2009 and opened the establishment this April, Fernandez said.

Green features of the hotel that contributed to the certification include: using a pre-existing building, recycling stained-glass windows in the hotel lobby from a church in Oswego, low-flow and no-flow water fixtures and a keycard management system that energizes a room when a guest swipes the card, Sauer said.

LEED certification is determined by a point system, in which the U.S. Green Building Council rating system attributes points for various aspects of sustainable building and development. The number of points earned determines a certified silver, gold or platinum LEED status.

Under LEED certification version 2.2, Hotel Skyler earned 53 points — sufficient for a platinum rating — within the metrics of sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design, Sauer said.

Fernandez said the Woodbine Group registered for LEED certification in March 2009 and learned of Hotel Skyler’s platinum rating in November, after a seven-month post-construction evaluation period.

Some guests are attracted to the hotel by its green features, while others do not know about the initiatives until they come to the property, Fernandez said. Overall, he said, guests have reacted positively to the green initiatives.

‘It shows that you can still be comfortable and stay in a chic hotel, but still be environmentally conscious,’ he said.

Although there are some upstart costs to a LEED-certified building, especially the commissioning and modeling processes, Sauer said the return on the investment is quick once the establishment is operational.

Hotel Skyler’s close proximity to SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry influenced the Woodbine Group’s decision to undertake the development of a LEED-certified hotel, Fernandez said.

‘One thing that we noticed was a lack for sustainable hotels in the Syracuse market,’ he said.

Fernandez said an environmentally sustainable hotel was very compatible to the location because of green initiatives at both ESF and SU, such as the construction of other LEED-certified buildings and SU’s Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon emissions.

The Hotel Skyler’s 58 rooms have 60 to 65 percent occupancy, Sauer said. SU and ESF drive a significant amount of guest traffic at Hotel Skyler, in addition to the many companies with sustainable initiatives moving into the Syracuse area.

Sauer said Hotel Skyler’s rank as the third LEED Platinum certified hotel in the United States reflects well on the Syracuse area as a leader in sustainability.

‘Syracuse is really positioning itself, through construction and marketing, as an up and coming sustainable city,’ she said. ‘It puts us on the front of end of that growth and sustainability.’

nagorny@syr.edu

Published on December 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm