On Friday, Nov. 19, Cherry Cove and Hilton broke ground for the newest hotel brand for Hilton in Lexington Park – Home 2 Suites. The planned hotel will be the fifth worldwide Home 2 Suites for the large hotelier. The property will be added to Cherry Cove’s burgeoning list of hotel properties.
The Home 2 Suites, as planned, will be Hilton’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Certified hotel. Not only will this be the first for the hotelier, but the first LEED-Certified hotel in Southern Maryland.
The hotel will be constructed by Herman/Stewart Construction of Lanham and is being financed by Old Line Bank, which also announced that it would be creating a presence in the area at the ground-breaking ceremony.
As designed, the new hotel is shooting for a ‘Silver LEED Certification;’ the second tier above the basic LEED-Certification level. The LEED certification process was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The program is an internationally recognized green building certification system providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics.
There are four LEED levels of building certification, based upon a point system which focuses on six main categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, quality internal environment and innovation and design.
The Home 2 Suites hotel planned to be managed by Cherry Cove will focus on the following areas:
* An energy model that is projected to save 32 percent in annual energy costs
* Storm water controls to absorb rainwater back into the ground rather than running directly into the local ecosystem
* An automated pool cover to retain energy and chemicals when the pool is closed
* Hotel size in relation to site size
* Close proximity to bike routes and easy public access
* Underground parking area that will help reduce the impervious footprint of the facility and its ‘Heat Island’ effect.
Cherry Coves Chief Operating Officer, Brian Norris stated, “The building is designed to be naturally economically competitive. We’re proud to be the first LEED-Certified property for Home 2 Suites, as we know more and more consumers are paying attention to ‘going green’ when they stay in a hotel. This provides a socially responsible extended-stay option for those who want to do their part for the environment. It gives them just one more reason to choose Home 2 Suites.”
Construction is to be concluded in the first quarter of 2012.
