Sheraton Incheon Hotel makes green choice

The Sheraton Incheon Hotel was built in ways to reduce pollution and improve energy performance.

Located in the heart of Korea's greenest city Songdo, the international business district in the Incheon Free Economic Zone, Sheraton Incheon Hotel continues to be an environment-friendly leader in the region's hospitality industry.

Since the opening in August 2009, Sheraton Incheon Hotel has pledged to become the first non-smoking five-star hotel in Korea and promises to maintain this policy even though it may mean some loss of business.

Most importantly, the hotel's green policy started from the beginning of design and construction by strictly controlling environmental impact and pollution.

These efforts were recognized and Sheraton Incheon Hotel has become the nation's first and only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified hotel in March last year by the U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance.

The hotel is about to implement another innovative eco-friendly effort ― Sheraton brand program "Make a Green Choice", which shows parent Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's dedication to environmental sustainability. Sheraton Incheon Hotel was selected as one of the pilot hotels in the Asia-Pacific region launching the program on July 1.

Guests of the hotel will have choices when it comes to services: They are allowed to opt out of having linens and towels replaced every day and can also choose not to have daily housekeeping done. Participating guests are rewarded for an each night with a 5,000-won voucher to any of the hotel's restaurants or 500 Starpoints into their Starwood Preferred Guest program account.

Sheraton Incheon Hotel's participation in the new green program will reduce not only labor costs but also expenses for water, sewer, energy, chemical and linen. The program will also enable guests to continue their green practices while away from home.

In addition, the hotel participates in Starwood's "30/20 by 20" program which is the promise to a 30-percent reduction in energy use and a 20-percent reduction in water use by 2020.

The hotel's green policy, along with the continuous growth in business, has been recognized by numerous international awards. It won three awards at the 18th World Travel Awards 2011, the largest awards program in the travel sector worldwide: Asia's leading new hotel for the second consecutive year; Asia's leading green hotel; and Korea's leading business hotel. It has been again nominated for the three categories for 2012.

With 321 guestrooms built in modern way, Sheraton Incheon Hotel stands at the center of Songdo in the waterfront area. It is 20 minutes away from Incheon International Airport via the Incheon Bridge and 40 minutes away from Seoul.

The hotel has four restaurants ― Feast for all-day dining, Miyabi for Japanese cuisine, Bene for Italian and Yue for Chinese ― as well as Bb Bar and lounge ConneXions. Other facilities include a state-of-the-art fitness center, an indoor pool, a business center and 1,600 square meters of flexible function and meeting space to accommodate business or private events.

For more information about the hotel, call 032-835-1000.