First green star hotel on the horizon

A deserted 1970s commercial building transformed into a modern hotel is on track to achieve Australia's first Green Star rating for a hotel.

Canberra-based development company, Geocon, is on track to achieve Australia’s first Green Star rating for a hotel.

Abode Woden, an adaptive reuse project which opened in September last year, has registered to achieve a Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia after being redeveloped by developer Geocon.

“Hotels previously fell outside the scope of the Green Star rating system, so we worked together to create a custom-built Green Star rating tool which enables Abode – The Apartment Hotel to join the league of Green Star leaders,” says the GBCA chief executive Romilly Madew.

The GBCA and Geocon collaborated to identify best practice benchmarks for sustainable hotel developments, with a new Green Star – Custom rating tool the result. Geocon now has exclusive use of this Green Star rating tool, and Abode Woden has been registered to achieve Green Star certification.

“Many hotels make claims of being green, but Abode – The Apartment Hotel is on track to be the first brand – and Abode Woden the first hotel – to achieve the third-party tick of approval for its sustainability,” says Nick Georgalis, managing director of Geocon.

“We understand that truly sustainable practices can deliver dividends – from reduced operating costs and higher profit margins, to improved staff productivity and brand equity.  Achieving a Green Star rating just makes good business sense."

Source:  The Australian - 14 March 2014