"We are always striving to better serve our community, our guests and the globe with efforts as aggressive as this redesign and as small as using 'green' cleaning products," France Langan, director of sales and marketing, says. "This is a priority for the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza."

Built in 1977, the hotel's recent redesign included installation of solar film on windows to create a better thermal climate, reduce solar heat gain and reduce air conditioning load. Other green initiatives adopted at the hotel include a solid waste management policy, which requires recycling and other diversion of ongoing consumables, durable goods, facility alterations and additions, and mercury-containing lamps.

The hotel is within the 2.3-million-square-foot 350 West Mart Center. Operated by Hostmark Hospitality Group, the 25-story development has also been awarded LEED Gold Certification. The Mart Plaza has adopted a policy giving preference to LEED-qualified green products for cleaning supplies, office supplies, furniture, electronic equipment, lamps, and renovation materials.