It's not unusual for the beautiful ladies of Santa Monica to get a facelift when they reach that 'certain age'. When the legendary grande dame is the historic Hotel Shangri-La, that body-re-building costs $30 million. The result is a sleek new look with equally modern green amenities and practices.
The Hotel Shangri-La sits on Ocean Avenue, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a spot where you can't help being aware of the environment. There are ocean views from nearly every room.
Hotelier Tehmina Adaya says, "Hotels are notoriously one of the biggest offenders to the environment, and we wanted to challenge this idea by incorporating easy elements to eliminate excessive and unnecessary waste." What this Art Deco gem is doing to be sustainable and eco-friendly includes --
- bath amenities from Natura Green. Packaging is made recycled paper and bottles are bio-degradable (made from a cornstarch based product), and all products are non-animal tested.
- $5.00 off Overnight Valet Parking for guests driving a hybrid vehicle.
- Bottled Water provided from Natura Waters. All carbonization and filtration will be done on-site and glass bottles are sanitized and re-used.
- Non-toxic, organic cleaning products used for housekeeping.
- An Electric Cart for hotel staff to use for running local errands.
- All paper products and stationary printed on recycled paper.
- Rooms furnished with Dual Flush low flow toilets.
- Newspapers will be delivered to guest rooms upon request, not as a standard, to save thousands of copies that are never read.
- The restaurant is being supplied by local vendors and purveyors, and the wine list features primarily American wines to help lower carbon impact.
- There are double layered the windows to prevent loss of heat and air conditioning, and compact fluorescent lighting is used throughout the hotel.
- Even the pool is eco-friendly -- it is solar heated.
Hotel Shangri-La also has partnered with a recycling agency to pick up all bottles and cardboard, since recycling bins are not a standard city service in Santa Monica.
They've also partnered with Midway Car Rental agency, which offers the largest selection of hybrid cars and is located blocks from hotel. Their fleet includes the Toyota Prius, Lexus RX400 SUV and LS600 sedan, Chevy Tahoe and Toyota Camry.
Hotel Shangri-La is an architectural gem and historic landmark. Built in 1939, it is an Art Deco beauty combined with Hollywood allure and Los Angeles history.
