Chicago's River North gets a LEED-ing hotel

The Windy City might be home to Green Seals and hip, Energy Star-rated hotels, but most folks consider LEED certification king of "standardized green." That's what makes the LEED Gold Certification (Existing Buildings, Operations & Maintenance) of the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart such a big deal. As of this month, it's the first LEED certified hotel in the city.

Built in 1977 in the River North district, it's not the most chic building you could imagine, but what it lacks in luster, it makes up for in intelligence. A part of the 2.25 million square foot, 25-story 350 West Mart Center, the hotel is made up of 521 guestrooms and recently underwent a redesign that updated several hotel areas and added solar window film that will help the building to better maintain its temperature.

The hotel has also adopted many new eco initiatives, including a Sustainable Purchasing Policy that makes purchasing green products (like cleaning supplies, furniture, electronics, etc.) a priority.

For visitors who love art (River North has the largest concentration of art galleries in the U.S. outside of Manhattan) and design, and a solid selection of dining options, this is a convenient location to stay.