The greenest Motel 6 yet has opened here in Northlake, Texas, diagonally across from Texas Motor Speedway and just a short distance from Alliance Airport.
The 120-room property is expected to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the end of the year. The Motel 6 Northlake-Speedway is the first newly-built Motel 6 'Phoenix' prototype in the United States. The property features a solar thermal water heating system on its roof, a white roof to reflect heat, low e-glass tinted windows, high-efficiency PTAC units with occupancy-sensing thermostats, computer-controlled dryers, and high-efficiency washers that incorporate ozone technology to allow for cold water washing.
'As the first of its kind, this new property represents a big step for Accor in the continued growth and development of the Motel 6 brand,' said Olivier Poirot, CEO, Accor North America (NA), Motel 6 and Studio 6, in a press release announcing the opening. 'We're happy to unveil the complete new look that guests can expect of Motel 6 as we continue our aggressive plans to implement this exciting new design and high standard of energy-efficiency.'
Accor North America has been gradually incorporating its Phoenix design into its owned Motel 6 motels since unveiling the new concept in March 2008. There are now approximately 60 properties that include Phoenix design elements. They represent a small but growing percentage of the 1,030 corporate owned and franchised Motel 6 properties in the United States and Canada. The Motel 6 Speedway represents the future of Motel 6. Incorporating every green element found at the motel will not be a requirement for Motel 6 franchisees; they will be options for them to consider-especially the solar thermal water heating system.
Solar Thermal Costs Coming Down
'We are presenting [solar thermal] to the franchise community as an option,' says Robert Moore, executive vice president, Technical Services and New Construction, Accor NA. 'It makes most sense with new construction. It is not easy to build into an existing building. This type of technology is becoming more and more affordable. There are tax incentives available.'
The solar thermal heating system will offset 25 to 30 percent of the energy costs tied to heating water at the property. A glycol solution in solar tubes will be heated. It will then be transferred to a heat exchanger where it will pre-heat water entering the water heater.
Moore said the Phoenix design reflected in the Motel 6 Northlake-Speedway was not originally created for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program. Once the design team working on the project realized that it met basic LEED criteria, however, they decided to pursue LEED certification.
'It is actually less expensive to build than our previous models,' Moore says. 'The way we have value-engineered the design has made it very efficient.'
Whereas the actual construction costs have not been greater than those for other Motel 6 prototypes, there have been some additional LEED-related consulting costs, according to Greg Ammon, vice president of new construction for Accor NA.
To save on costs related to heating and cooling, a Web-based, wireless occupancy sensor system will power down the motel's PTACs when guests are not in their rooms. This 'meshed' system will allow thermostats throughout the motel to communicate with one another and with the central system. The Web-based software will provide access to PTAC maintenance reports and e-mails will automatically be sent to management when a PTAC is not working properly.
Focus on Efficient Lighting
Compact fluorescents are used in guestrooms, LEDs illuminate public areas, and energy-efficient metal halide lamps illuminate parking areas. Parking lot lights are on timers. The motel itself was aligned in an east/west direction to avoid a direct hit on the long sides of the building from the hot Texas sun. Concrete paving helps to reflect heat, environmentally-friendly laundry cleaning products are injected automatically into washers, and a Web-based drip irrigation system controls the watering of native plants.
Here are some additional steps Accor has taken to reduce the environmental footprint of the Motel 6 Northlake-Speedway:
• Sink aerators keep water flow to .5 gallons per minute (gpm).
• Water flows through showerheads at 1.75 gpm.
• Toilets are low-flow and use 1.1 gallons per flush.
• Guestrooms feature wood-effect laminate flooring made of 80 percent pre-consumer recycled materials. This eliminates vacuuming and steam cleaning. Carpet is only used in corridors.
• Certified sustainable lumber was used during construction.
• Low-emitting paints and caulking were used.
• Construction materials were recycled. 'During construction, we recycled everything local construction recyclers could recycle,' Moore says.
• A heat exchanger on the roof recovers heat from bathroom exhaust for later use in interior corridors.
• Fluorescent light bulb and batteries are recycled.
Motel 6 Northlake-Speedway, which features a new exterior designed by BOKA Powell of Dallas, and a 24-hour food and beverage marketplace, has 'leap frogged' past its competitors with all of its energy-saving features, Moore says.
'It is a first for economy lodging projects,' he emphasizes.
This article first appeared on the Green Lodging News website. To sign up to receive the weekly Green Lodging News newsletter, go to www.greenlodgingnews.com. Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
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