The GAIA Napa Valley, in American Canyon, Calif., and the Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco are among just five hotels in the world to be certified as meeting the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design code.
The LEED Green Building Rating System is a nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, according to Ashley Katz, spokeswoman for the U.S. Green Buildings Council in Washington.
LEED certification means that third-party experts have verified that the building meets standards for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
The other LEED-certified hotels are the Inn & Conference Center Addition, a Marriott in Adelphi, Md., part of the University of Maryland University College; the Kandalama Hotel, in Damulla, Sri Lanka, owned by Aitken Spence Hotels Ltd., and the Vancouver Conference Center and Hotel, a Hilton in Vancouver, Wash.