Is Copenhagen home to the world's greenest hotel?



If being green means being ugly, then the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers in Denmark seems happy to forgo prettiness.

Hotel goliath InterContinental is claiming their 366-room hotel in the Danish capital is among the most eco-friendly accommodation anywhere in the world.



Sun beam: The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers has solar panels covering its 85-metre exterior.

The hotel is the largest solar panel building in northern Europe with a 85metre exterior and roof made up entirely of energy-absorbing panels.



This alone generates approximately 170,000kw/h of power every year and although it isn't quite enough to run the hotel, it is still a significant amount - consider that most European homes consume around 5,000kw/h per year.

Keeping guests both warm and cool is powered by a groundwater-based heating system, which draws water from 100metres below the hotel.



Using the earth beneath the building's foundations as a source of both heat and ventilation, the system enables the hotel to be heated or cooled using around 90 per cent less energy than more conventional methods.

"Future hotel guests will require hotels to run their businesses and operations based on environmentally friendly principles, without compromising on modern comforts and luxury," explains Mr. Allan L. Agerholm, the general manager.



"We have therefore made the decision to build the most environmentally friendly hotel building in Denmark - even the hand dryers in the public toilets have been selected based on their energy consumption."

Energy saving lightbulbs and eco-friendly computers and kitchen equipment also add to the green glow.

More on eco-friendly hotels

The Proximity Hotel in North Carolina is regularly voted the world's greenest hotel. 60 per cent of the hotel's hot water is heated by 100 solar panels on the roof.

Before a hotel can officially call itself 'green' it must meet current EU regulations that state emissions must be under 5.7kg per guest per night.