Hotel Keeps Eye on Environment

Philadelphia is home to what is billed as the first “environmentally smart” hotel in the U.S., which opened last month.

The 193-room Sheraton Rittenhouse Square Hotel occupies five floors of a renovated building, on downtown’s Rittenhouse Square, that also has offices and rental apartments. Its features are aimed at the allergy-plagued and the environmentally concerned.

The hotel’s air-filtering system removes particles as small as five microns (five-thousandths of a millimeter), including mold, pollen and some bacteria, according to Barry Dimson, co-owner of the hotel and president of a design-consulting firm. Smoking is banned everywhere, including rooms. Bed linens, mattresses, bedspreads and drapes are made of undyed organic cotton; carpets are nylon. In the lobby, the floor is 93% recycled granite, and the wall paneling is made from bamboo, a fast-growing and therefore easily renewable resource, Dimson said.

Introductory room rates through April 4 start at $149, subject to availability; regular rates are $269. Reservations: tel. (215) 546-9400.