The Good Hotel is a new hotel (opened in 2008) in sunny San Francisco with a lot of green features. Better yet? It was listed in our Budget Travel series as “the first hotel with a conscience” and a great place to stay, with prices from just $55 (low season rock bottom) to around $230. You can also get a complimentary tour of San Francisco from a Golden Gate Greeter for free if you stay there!
This hotel is located in downtown San Fran (home to lots of earth-lovin’ hippies, but we’re not talking Humboldt), and is eco-friendly, pet friendly, and even invites guests to participate in local philanthropic adventures. The rooms have “‘Good’ Amenities: bed frame made of 100% reclaimed wood, light fixture made of glass water bottles and toilet top sink,” but don’t worry. You won’t be without a hairdryer, flat screen TV, iPod docking station, or anything else important. There’s also a heated pool across the street to which guests have access, and you can borrow bicycles to get around.
Sales Manager Emily Oestreicher told Tonic.com about whose idea the green initiatives originally were: “The green initiatives are something that the GM and I are both particularly interested in. The bicycle borrowing was something that I saw a hotel in Palm Springs and in Portland (Oregon) and the general manager, Herve [Blondel], was able to see enough of my enthusiasm to want to move forward with that. So he gave me the leeway to sort of figure out and coordinate it and we made it happen.” Oestreicher also reportedly came up with their popular Twitter page, where you can find deals on rates and more (you know, before Twitter was obvious).
Some more good ideas:
“The eco-friendly hotel décor features reclaimed and recycled construction materials. Vending machines in the lobby are stocked with wallets made from FedEx envelopes and are one example of our inventive ideas to promote a good lifestyle. We are also as fun as we are inventive. You’ll find humorous touches like “Be Good” written on walls of your room.” — The Good Hotel.
Every Joie de Vivre Hotel also gives a minimum of $200 per guest room to local charities every year. And P.S. Complimentary parking for hybrid cars! This hotel really is Good.