Eco-travel
An Eco-Luxury Waterfront Staycation! The Saybrook Point Inn & Spa
T
hink you have to travel far to find an eco-friendly, luxury inn? Think again, because there’s an exquisite option right here on the Connecticut River. Twen- ty-six years ago, Stephen Tagliatela’s family opened the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa with a mission…to buy as much as possible local, made in the U.S. and keep it environ- mentally friendly and sustainable. Not an easy task and certainly not something most people were thinking about in 1989. But his dedication and success has earned him the awards of being one of the first hotels in Connecticut to be certified green and the first certified Clean Marina in the state. Along with all of the typical environ- mentally friendly initiatives hotel own- ers can make such as (water recycling) low flow showerheads, dual flush toilets, recycling baskets in guest rooms, energy efficient lighting, solar panels, bird houses to reduce the mosquito population natu- rally, environmentally friendly cleaning and laundry products and a generator that runs on biofuel, Tagliatela has implemented some pretty cutting-edge sustainable efforts as well.
Installing the e4 Smart Digital Thermo- stat with ecoMODE played a major role in helping the premiere four diamond water- front New England inn and spa become the first full-service hotel in Connecticut to achieve the ENERGY STAR ranking by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A typical thermostat in a hotel room has what’s called a two degree drift, meaning that if you set it for 70 degrees, the tem-
38 Natural Nutmeg
perature may fluctuate from 69-71 degrees before it kicks on to cool the room. With ecoMODE, a three degree drift is allowed, which doesn’t sound like much and certain- ly isn’t noticeable to the guest, but allows the inn to save 30% on oil usage. And if you open the door from your room leading out to the porch, the thermostat automati- cally shuts off and turns back on when the door is closed. Another interesting feature this system has is that it’s connected to the front desk and knows when a guest has checked in and automatically turns on to cool the room. Have you ever thought about what a
waste it is when you only use the soap or toiletries once or twice in a hotel room? Stephen Tagliatela has an answer for this too. The Saybrook Point Inn & Spa is proud to support Clean the World, an organiza- tion that distributes recycled soap products, along with appropriate educational materi- als, to impoverished countries worldwide, and to domestic homeless shelters. All of
the leftover soap and shampoo from the guests’ stays goes directly to Clean the World. And Tagliatela doesn’t stop there. One of the toughest things to do in maintaining an eco-friendly property is to get all of the staff on board to implement the many day to day things that need to happen in order to keep it sustainable. So, they came up with a brilliant idea called the Green Team. Each month employees meet to discuss new concepts and make suggestions for environmentally friendly practices. For example, the dishwasher noticed that he had to run half full racks of dishes through the washer in order to keep up with the demand because there weren’t enough plates to get the restaurant through the night. By ordering more plates, they were able to save 20,000 gallons of water. What a great way to involve the staff and save the environment! So, you think all of these eco-friendly
practices come at a price of reduced luxu- ry? Not so fast…the beauty and hospitality of this property will take your breath away and you won’t even notice what’s going on behind the scenes. The words that come to mind when you first walk through the doors of the inn to entering your luxurious room to strolling along the docks of the marina and if you’re smart… to booking a treat- ment at the spa? Pure elegance, tranquility, rejuvenation, romance, and most of all… peace. The rooms are quaint and exquisite, with plush king-sized beds, waterfall show- erheads, and sliding doors that open onto your own private porch that overlooks the
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