I’ve been traveling for the past couple weeks and recently checked-out of the the newly renovated Elan Hotel located near Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.  This boutique hotel is conveniently located near The Beverly Center and The Grove, is comparably affordable, modern, yet comfortable.  i stay green, a site that allows travels to rate and review “green hotels” gives Elan Hotel 3 stars and as a certified member of the California Green Lodging Association, they engage in best practices for energy conservation and environmental sustainability.

My stay lasted three nights which was a good amount of time to experience the amenities.  The zen-like lobby is an oasis in a sea of hustle and bustle that awaits outside and since it is a small hotel, my room was only a short walk from the lobby.  I was pleased to find a comfy bed (wish the sheets were organic cotton) and bathroom amenities housed in recycled paper packaging (wish they used organic products sans artificial fragrance), but the stay was more or just as comfortable as my past stays in mega-hotel chains.  A note card on the bathroom counter encourages guests to leave paper and plastic out of the trash cans, indicating the cleaning crew would recycle them and as many hotels do these days, they encouraged guests to only have sheets changed and bath linens exchanged when necessary.

I enjoyed my time at Elan Hotel, happy with my room (and the cozy bed!) and the accommodating staff, pleased about the price and location, but if you’re looking for a “dark green” or 5-leaf green hotel, this may not be entirely green enough for you.  On the other hand, if you’re in search of a property that is making changing towards reducing their environmental impact, then Elan Hotel definitely fits that bill.