Our History
Long before green was fashionable, Louis Davenport brought a conservative approach to running one of America’s exceptional hotels in Spokane, Washington. His was the first hotel to condition the air so that cleaning efforts were minimized; he installed the first central vacuum system in a hotel so that one set of motors and filters cleaned all 405 rooms; he was the first to design air walls in his ballrooms so that several events could be held while heating or cooling only one space. Mr. Davenport may have been called frugal in his day. Today, he’s called a man ahead of his time and his practices Historically Green.
Our Commitment
The Davenport Hotel and Tower has been committed to environmental protection and sustainability for over 90 years, guided by it’s original proprietor Louis Davenport in 1914 and continuing today with the hotel’s owners Walt and Karen Worthy. Our Historically Green Program strives to minimize our hotel’s operational impact on the environment through resource conservation and best practices.
Our Hotel
With 611 guest rooms and suites, 33,000 sq. ft. of meeting and banquet space, three restaurants and over 500 employees, our mission is to work diligently to minimize our waste and conserve natural resources, particularly through energy and water conservation. Environmental responsibility is integral to our culture and we are eager to share with you our Historically Green Program.
Energy Efficiency Embraced
In 2002 and again in 2007 the hotel and tower received incentives from AVISTA Utilities for following the Energy Efficiency Program, approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission for electricity and natural gas conservation. These incentives were given based on building out and implementing the following energy efficiency measures:
Water: High efficiency water cooled chillers, Variable Frequency Drives (VFD’s) on chilled and heating water pumps, VFD’s on chiller tower and 10 Air Handling Units (AHU).
Natural Gas: High efficiency boilers, compressors and chiller fan coil units.
Electricity: Guest room heat pumps, elevator replacements (main hotel), fan coil units in guestrooms, VFD’s on heating and chilling pumps.
Light Bulbs: Retrofitted lighting throughout main hotel, use of compact fluorescent bulbs throughout hotel and tower, motion sensors for lights installed in all back of the house areas and public bathrooms.
Windows: Low E Windows installed in all guests' rooms and insulated 1st Floor Windows.
Elevators: Energy efficient Otis Gen2 elevators were installed in the new Tower. The special steel corded belts wrap around smaller pulleys making them lighter using up to 50% less energy then conventional elevators.
Guest Room Energy Management System: Installed with unoccupied shutdown motion and heat sensors and shut down at check out technology, which provides automated energy control in each guest room and can be controlled remotely, for optimum setbacks and start up time.
Walls and Ceilings: All walls and ceilings were insulated with vapor barrier throughout main hotel and tower.
Annual Energy Savings:
Main Hotel 3,685,759 kWh and 110,098 Natural Gas Therms
Tower 734,526 kWh and 1,006 Natural Gas Therms
Waste Reduction Practices:
Recycle white office paper, cardboard, wood pallets and newspapers
Recycle cooking oil and grease, batteries, aluminum cans and glass
Donate to local charitable organizations used hotel sheets and pillow cases
Employee break room, banquet department, and restaurants use reusable items such as cloth napkins, glass or plastic drink ware, ceramic plate ware and metal cutlery which cut down on use of Styrofoam or plastic.
Earth Friendly
Printed Materials: The vast majority of items we print are printed on paper that contains 10%-30 % post-consumer waste and from pulp that is sustainable, renewable forest. The paper company is both FCS and SFI certified.
Public Areas: We offer cloth hand towels in all of our public bathrooms, instead of paper, that are laundered. All meeting rooms’ lights are on dimmers and scene controls to give only light needed for events and have programmable HVAC systems allowing usage only when rooms are occupied and can be controlled remotely, for optimum setbacks and start up times. Elevator controls improved efficiency, as did the installation of the double sets of entry doors at both main entrances of the hotel and tower, which limit inside conditioned air loss as well as a revolving door in 1st Ave entrance (main hotel).
Guest Rooms: Refillable soap and shampoo dispensers are offered in all guest rooms; towel and linen reuse program is offered to all guests, all showers and toilets are “low flow” rated. (See guest room energy management system above).
Employees: Commuter Solutions Program, including discounted bus passes, which reward our staff for finding alternative methods to work other then driving. An extra large freight elevator was installed in both buildings to cut down on trips to guest room floors.
Coffee: Royal Cup Coffee is 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified and offered throughout the hotel.
Cleaning Products: Mt. Hood Chemical products are used throughout the hotel, which are environmentally friendly, sustainable products, which are in compliance with the EPA’s Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI).
Your Opportunity
As a customer of The Davenport Hotel and Tower, you can participate in helping us conserve energy by voluntarily using our linen and towel reuse program in the guest rooms. If you are planning a meeting or event with us, you may choose to donate leftover food products to a community food donation program in Spokane.
FROM FIELD TO TABLE:
A loaf of Davenport Hotel French bread says a lot about how we do business. First, we buy our flour from Shepherd’s Grain, a local farmer’s cooperative whose members employ no-till farming methods that are kinder to the soil. Second, we buy our honey from contented bees at Tate’s Honey Farm in the nearby orchard country of Greenbluff. Third, we buy our olive oil from across the street, at the Coeur d’ Alene Olive Oil Company. From field to table, the ingredients travel fewer than 50-miles. This way, we burn less diesel fuel, support local businesses and deliver a superior product to your table. Anyone can serve bread. The Davenport Hotel serves an experience that is better for you and better for our planet.
If you can’t make it to our table for a loaf of bread, we invite you to pick up one of our bread kit bags in the Davenport Hotel Signature Collection store. Packed for us by Christ Kitchen, all the ingredients are right there in the bag… just add water, knead and bake!
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