09/02/12, 18:25:35 EST

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'Greenest' Hotel in America Opens in Greensboro

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Proximity Hotel provides comfortable luxury as it goes for LEED Platinum Certification.

Built to use 40% less energy and 30% less water than a comparable hotel, the just opened Proximity Hotel offers a glimpse of the future while celebrating the past. Sustainable practices, custom-designed furnishings, commissioned art and innovative design await guests in every corner of the 147-room luxury hotel and its adjacent restaurant.


Proximity Hotel's sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System(TM), the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. With the goal to attain Platinum Certification (the first hotel in the United States to achieve the highest LEED certification), Proximity features ultra efficient materials, the latest in building technology, North America's first installation of the Otis Gen2 elevator (generating electricity as it descends), restoration of 700 linear feet of a stream and 100 solar rooftop panels that heat enough hot water to supply 100 homes.


While many of the 70+ energy and health enhancements will not be outwardly visible to guests, visitors are sure to notice the oversized windows providing abundant natural light and great amounts of fresh air.


Guests will also enjoy flavorful food, custom-designed furniture and original artwork in each room. Upon entering the hotel, visitors encounter interesting architecture and decor including a "floating" front desk made of a striking 12-foot steel cantilever sculpture; a 28-foot long mohair sofa; an interior balcony overlooking the Social Lobby; and 22-foot high windows overlooking the Bluebell Garden.


The hotel features 7,000 square feet of private event space, a spacious fitness studio, outdoor swimming pool, and a "guest living room" on each floor. Proximity's oversized guest rooms and suites have multiple 50 square-foot windows, custom furnishings, high definition television, Magi beds and signature bathrooms.


Proximity's restaurant, Print Works Bistro, uses fresh, local food in creating both traditional and modern versions of classic European bistro dishes. With three walls of windows overlooking the gardens in the dining room, no seat is far from any one of the 52 seven-foot tall operable windows. In addition to an extensive wine list, Print Works offers a smoke-free bar and plenty of outdoor terrace dining by the restored stream. Sustainable practices in the bistro include sensor-controlled ventilation for the kitchen, geothermal energy for the restaurant's refrigeration equipment and tabletops made of reclaimed walnut.


Built and operated by Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, Proximity is just a stone's throw away from its sister businesses, Lucky 32 Kitchen and Wine Bar, Green Valley Grill and the Four Diamond O.Henry Hotel. Like the O.Henry, Proximity will be in and of her community, evidenced by local architectural influences and using local artisans to provide elements of the décor. The hotel and restaurant are named after the Proximity Manufacturing Cotton Mill (built in 1896) and Proximity Print Works Mill (1912), which are central to Greensboro's rich textile history.


Proximity is offering a special opening rate of $119 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and $144 for Monday-Thursday through January 12, 2008. Reservations can be made by contacting 336-379-8200 or visiting www.proximityhotel.com.

 Printable Version  | published Nov 14, 2007