Eco-Boutique Hotel Terra Jackson Hole in Wyoming Combines Luxury with Contemporary Design

Jackson Hole, WY – January 18, 2008 – Proving that luxury and sustainability can join forces with unprecedented results; Hotel Terra opens in Jackson Hole this winter season. The first in a collection of luxury Green hotels launched by the Terra Resort Group, Hotel Terra will offer the exceptional amenities and services expected from contemporary boutique hotels, combined with environmentally sustainable building and operating practices. Such practices include Hotel Terra’s pending LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which will put it in an elite group of just 5 LEED certified hotels in the United States.

Eco-Boutique Hotel
The 72 room, 6-story Hotel Terra is a Wyoming boutique hotel built on a half acre site, slope side to the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, within Bridger Teton National Forest, and at the gateway to Grand Teton National Park. While firmly dedicated to protecting these spectacular natural surroundings, Hotel Terra also possesses the traits of leading luxury boutique hotels: sophisticated design, superior service, thoughtful amenities, and up-to-date technology. This contemporary, ‘eco-boutique’ approach will drive the hotel collection as it grows, with each new property focused on minimal eco-impact and an extraordinary guest experience. By 2015, Terra Resort Group hopes to create between 12 and 15 Hotel Terra properties in resort locations worldwide.

Hotel Design
The design of Hotel Terra is inspired by the stunning natural landscapes of Jackson Hole and its welcoming western sensibility, while also incorporating modern materials, clean lines, and urban touches. Indigenous products in a modern application, such as rough hewn lumber with steel detailing, granite stonework lit by fanciful light fixtures, and a flagstone fireplace set against a wall of deep red leather tiles, demonstrate the fusion of old and new. The property’s atmosphere resonates with health and relaxation, with better air quality, ample natural lighting, and thermal comfort created through environmentally conscious design.

Equipped with the rooftop Chill Spa and outdoor hot tub, the ‘Terra Living Room’, two distinct restaurants, a ski and snowboard retail and ski rental shop, Hotel Terra presents vibrant and inviting public spaces for guests to enjoy. Hotel Terra’s 72 guest rooms offer single guest rooms, one, two, or three bedroom suites. Each guest room or suite at this contemporary luxury hotel will be outfitted with surround sound speakers, flat screen Hi Definition televisions, and high-performance touch screen telephones. Guests will be given complementary wireless access throughout the hotel and guest rooms.

What it means to be LEED
The LEED Green Building Rating System was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the nationally accepted standard for green buildings. LEED provides innovative strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor air quality. These efforts are designed to promote both minimal environmental impact and the health and well being of the inhabitants.

Examples of LEED, and other environmentally sound, elements in Hotel Terra:
* 100% recycled “Eco Shake” roof shingles.
* Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) carpets and pads, sealants, paint, and adhesives exclusively used throughout.
* Energy efficient heating and cooling systems, designed to customize temperature by individual zones, limiting use to specific need.
* Radiant heating in the flooring of the parking garage, which runs along the entire ground level of the hotel, reducing direct heat loss and minimizing energy use.
* Superior air quality will be maintained inside the building by circulating large amounts of outside air into the guestrooms and employing energy recovery technology which recoups 81% of the heat from the exiting stale air. The system also controls the moisture content in the air.
* Energy Star approved, extremely efficient windows, with Low E, a highly reflective coating that protects interiors from infrared light. This keeps heat inside during the winter and outside during the summer, reducing the need for energy used for supplemental heat or cooling.
* Water conservation systems: dual flush toilets, low flow water fixtures, waterless urinals in Men’s public restrooms, and native landscaping requiring no irrigation accounts for a 24% reduction in water use.
* Exterior snowmelt system operated on a thermal and humidity control system, ensuring it is only in use when necessary.
* Natural Runoff Mitigation: runoff water at the building site is collected in an underground tank, filtered, and released at a drip back into the environment, reducing potential pollution flowing into rivers, streams, and surrounding land.
* Fly ash, a coal burning byproduct, is used to replace up to 50% of the cement used in the concrete for the building, reducing landfill disposal of solid waste, energy used to produce the concrete, and the use of natural resources that would otherwise be used in concrete.
* Elimination of light pollution, avoiding disruption of nocturnal environment and migratory patterns.
* Chemical free cleaning and laundry products used throughout.
* More than 90% of the hotel interiors capture natural daylight and have access to outdoor views.
* Exclusive use of non-CFC producing refrigerants.
* Wind power accounts for more than 35% of power purchased for the Hotel.
* 80% Recycled content in the steel used throughout the building structure.
* Reduced particle pollution through use of off-site cutting, prefabricated walls manufactured in an enclosed shop.
* 50% of construction waste will be reused or recycled.
* Use of technology, such as high performance touch screen phones and a single IP cable wiring system, to reduce guest paper use.
* Access to alternative or energy efficient transportation for guests and employees.
In addition, Hotel Terra uses renewable, reclaimed or recycled materials, including lumber, bamboo, marble or granite chips, crushed glass, teak, and even seatbelts in finishes throughout the Hotel.

Terra Resort Group

Formed in November 2006, Terra Resort Group boasts a highly credentialed pedigree of operational and business talent. Company President Jamie Yarrow calls on 18 years of experience with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, most recently as General Manager of Four Seasons Palm Beach, and previously, leading the opening management team for Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole. Several industry veterans joined Yarrow’s Terra Resort Group team, lending an innate understanding of intuitive service and seamless operations. Rob DesLauriers, Chairman of Terra Resort Group and the developer of Hotel Terra, is a former professional skier turned developer and hotelier. Among other successes, DesLauriers launched the adjacent slope side Teton Mountain Lodge in 2002, a 129 room luxury hotel that emulates the great park lodges of the American West.

Terra Resort Group’s values as a company are firmly grounded in environmental responsibility and an evolutionary approach to hospitality, where excellence and innovation works with conscientious business practices and forward-thinking design to create an exceptional guest experience.