Contact:
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations
908-876-5100
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
www.hunter-pr.com

Two Northeast Conference Centers Make "Green" A Priority

TARRYTOWN, NY – Oct. 10, 2007--The whole world, including the meetings industry, appears to be singing a green theme these days, as heightened awareness and emphasis on making strides to protect the environment for future generations infiltrates each segment of everyday life.

Hamilton Park Hotel and Conference Center, located in Morris County, New Jersey, and sister property, Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center in Westchester County, NY, managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, are doing their share to minimize the impact on their communities’ environment in addition to enhancing the experience of attendees with the implementation of a number of “green” initiatives throughout the properties.

In addition to creative ways to diminish the use of water and paper (according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average meetings use 61 pounds of waste materials and 864 gallons of water over a four-day conference) the green initiatives implemented to day include:

• A coaster that doubles as a water preserver for meeting room set-ups. When placed over the neck of the bottle, the water saver says: "place this saver over your water bottle and our staff will not remove it, conserving water and saving resources for future recycling." Since its inception, meeting attendees have consumed 25% fewer bottles of water each month, resulting in less plastic waste and significant cost savings.
• A rooftop economizer that pulls in outside air and uses it to cool meeting rooms, instead of using a compressor that uses more energy.
• New Jersey Wheels Program-- Hamilton Park Employees participate in this program that uses fewer cars on the road and gets them to work more efficiently and economically.
• Each day’s menu features the best of local fresh produce, including Jersey’s famous tomatoes and corn, with Chef Ron Roccasecca ensuring quality control
• Housekeeping’s hanger stackers and bell closets are redesigned to recycle wire hangers. Hangers are returned to the designated recycling areas and picked up on a regular basis.

Tarrytown House Estate:

• Notepads with fewer pages, thereby cutting the number of blank pages that are discarded.
• Installing water coolers outside meeting rooms for refills instead of new water bottles.
• Buying as much food as possible from local farmers and vendors. Executive Chef Paul Sant even grows some herbs and crab apples in a garden on the 26-acre site. From an environmental standpoint, it’s a much smaller carbon footprint to work with local purveyors instead of shipping from around the country or world.
• A switchover in coffee service to locally roasted, fair trade coffee.
• The installation of new air conditioners at Tarrytown House Estate has shown a 30% energy savings over previous guestroom units.
• Motion-sensitive thermostats in Tarrytown House guest rooms keep rooms at even temperature while guests are out of the room.
• By digging its own well to water 26 lush acres, the property saves thousands of gallons of reservoir water every summer, adding to the community’s savings

Both Hamilton Park and Tarrytown House:

• Collecting, shredding and recycling wastepaper from meetings.
• Over 5,000 regular light bulbs have been replaced with long life energy efficient compact fluorescents. Every compact florescent saves approximately 450 pounds of emissions from a power plant over its lifetime!

“We’re always looking to do more, so we continue to find new ways to make a greener impact,” says Steve Sackman, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing for Destination Hotels & Resorts, which owns and manages the property, and who chairs the Green Committee for the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC). “Our efforts will hopefully educate our employees and our meeting attendees to the necessity of being environmentally aware, but also give others in the hotel industry some actions steps they might take.”

###

Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center is the perfect place to experience the traditional pleasures of the majestic Hudson Valley, while enjoying gracious accommodations, gardens and resort amenities, all within an easy ride of New York City. The first and one of the foremost executive conference centers in the U.S., Tarrytown House features 212 guest rooms and an array of recreational options, including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, two tennis courts and a fully equipped fitness center, sauna and whirlpool. Massage and spa treatments are available by appointment.

Set on 13 acres of rolling woodlands in New Jersey’s historic Morristown area, just 20 minutes from Newark Airport, Hamilton Park Hotel & Conference Center presents a beautiful setting for corporate meetings, social occasions, weddings and leisure stays. The property currently features 219 guest rooms and suites, 40 IACC Certified meeting rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness club, a range of exquisite dining options and a full-service business center.

Destination Hotels & Resorts properties are located in key metropolitan and resort markets including New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, Dallas, San Diego, Aspen, Austin, Phoenix, Palm Springs, Jackson Hole, Maui and Lake Tahoe. For more information on the properties in the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection, please visit www.destinationhotels.com.