Yosemite Lodge at the Falls in California has unveiled two prototype guestrooms that incorporate eco-friendly elements, with the goal of rolling out the program to all 245 rooms. The hotel’s owners, Delaware North Companies, along with Richard Kollath and Edward McCann of Kollath McCann Creative Services, evaluated every design selection-including insulation, paint, textiles, and light fixtures-based on proximity, sustainability, recycled content, and resilience.
A new electronic key card entry system integrates with the room’s energy controls, using a lock that requires 50 percent fewer batteries than older locks, with the batteries lasting for nearly four years. After unlocking the room, the guest places the key card in a wall slot just inside the door, activating select circuits that power lighting and electronics. When the guest removes the key from the slot upon leaving, the room reverts to its unoccupied, energy-saver state, automatically reducing the demand for power to circuits that feed the television and accessory lights. Super dense insulation made of 85 percent recycled newspaper offers an R-value similar to fiberglass, while low-maintenance double-pane windows helps conserve energy further. Additionally, high-performing toilets are intended to save nearly 5,000 gallons of water each year.
The prototype guestrooms also incorporate compact fluorescent lights, low- and no-VOC paints, carpet and porcelain tiles derived from recycled materials, countertops made of 85 percent glass collected from curbside recycling bins (along with drinking glasses made from wine bottles), long-lasting Old Hickory furnishings, a high-definition TV with a sensor that detects when a guest has stepped away from the TV and turns the picture off, and 100 percent organic cotton sheets.
