Salamander Resort & Spa launches “Meeting Green” Program

Opening in March 2011, luxury Salamander Hospitality resort near Washington, DC, offers plans for ecologically sound meetings

Middleburg, VA – As construction continues and interest in booking the property increases, Salamander Resort & Spa announces the launch of a new group meetings initiative called “Meeting Green.”

When it opens in March 2011, the resort will become one of the first luxury destination resort and spas in the United States to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. In addition to the building’s physical characteristics, which include extensive waste, water and energy management programs, Resort Management Company Salamander Hospitality is creating a practical program in which group attendees can participate in environmental sustainability.

“Our goal for Salamander Resort & Spa is to take a leadership role within the hospitality industry by continually looking for innovative ways to enhance our luxury resort guest experience, while maintaining sensitivity to our environment,” says Prem Devadas, president of Salamander Hospitality.

Located in the beautiful and historic Village of Middleburg, the 168-room luxury resort sits on 340 acres in the midst of Virginia’s horse and wine country. However, it is only 35 minutes from Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport to the east and 30 minutes from Winchester Regional Airport to the west.

Salamander Hospitality CEO and Founder Sheila C. Johnson stated her intent to create an environmentally sensitive resort by placing 252 of the resort’s acreage into a conservation easement, held jointly by the Potomac Conservancy and the Town of Middleburg. In addition, commitments were secured to use native plants to minimize irrigation, and employ unobtrusive external lighting to preserve nocturnal views and minimize light pollution.

By establishing the “Meeting Green” program, the resort will offer Basic, Intermediate and Advanced plans for groups wanting to make sure their stay is as ecologically sound as possible. These programs go beyond the usual guest recycling programs, printing on recycled paper with soy based ink, and use of non-chemical housekeeping cleaners.

Some of these additional measures will include:

• Creation of all menus utilizing many sustainable and organic products produced within a 50-mile-radius, including the large on-site chef’s garden, to minimize transportation and carbon footprint. Attendees will be able to cook with many of these ingredients at the resort’s culinary studio.
• Special menus including a 50-percent reduction in animal proteins, supplemented by vegetable proteins at meal functions
• Use of potted plants instead of "cut flower" arrangements on banquet tables
• Use of specially filtered water served in pitchers
• Electronic meeting flyers and hand outs, accessed via a special Internet site or by e-mail
• Promotion of off-site events and tours that ingrain event attendees in the area’s natural environment with minimal impact. In fact, there are 22 wineries within 30 minutes of the resort, and four less than ten minutes away.
• Utilization of energy saving horse-drawn carriages and bicycles to take hotel guests to and from the Village of Middleburg

The resort is also renovating the 100-year-old-plus Stallion Barn, which still stands on the grounds and is only a few hundred feet from the on-site equestrian center, and turning it into function space – part of 12,000 square feet available for group usage.

In addition, Salamander Resort & Spa is creating two “treehouse” treatment rooms in the edge of the woods overlooking a creek. The resort’s spa features 14 additional treatment rooms inside the main building, seven of which include an outdoor treatment patio.

The design architect for Salamander Resort & Spa is WATG from Irvine, CA, and the architect of record is Architecture, Inc, of Reston, VA. Renowned Residential Designer Thomas Pheasant of Washington, D.C., designed the King Guestroom and inspired the overall design. Forrest Perkins of Dallas and Washington, D.C., is the interior designer and interior architect of record. BluSpas of Whitefish, MT, is the spa consultant, Turner Construction of New York City is the general contractor, and Mark G. Anderson Consultants of Washington, D.C., is the project manager. The resort’s culinary director is Todd Gray, co-owner of Equinox restaurant in Washington, D.C.

For more information about Salamander Resort & Spa, or to reach the group sales department, call 540-687-3600 or visit http://www.salamanderresort.com/. The resort has special pre-opening group offers available, and to view the property’s e-brochure, visit www.salamanderresort.com/ebrochure/pr.



About Salamander Resort & Spa

Set on 340 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains amid Virginia’s famed horse country and lush vineyards, yet only a 35- minute drive from Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport, Salamander Resort & Spa is scheduled to open in March 2011. Designed to blend into the natural environment in which it sits, the resort features 168 luxurious rooms and suites, a 23,000-square-foot spa, a full-service equestrian center, Virginia Piedmont-inspired dining, a dedicated cooking studio, wine bar and a unique array of conference and banquet facilities. The resort also offers guests a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf experience at nearby Creighton Farms Estates. For more information, call 540-687-3600 or visit http://www.salamanderresort.com/.



About Salamander Hospitality

Salamander Resort & Spa is managed by Salamander Hospitality, a privately owned and operated company based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila C. Johnson in 2005, the company owns, manages hotels, resorts and inns that reflect the authenticity and character of their surrounding environment. The portfolio includes Innisbrook Golf Resort and Club in Innisbrook, Fla., host to a PGA TOUR stop every March, and Woodlands Inn near Charleston, SC, which is one of only four properties in North America to hold Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings for both accommodations and dining. Salamander Hospitality also operates a division of gourmet prepared food markets called Market Salamander with locations in Middleburg and Innisbrook, FL. For additional information, call (540) 687-3710 or visit http://www.salamanderhospitality.com/.