For a long time, "green hotels" meant rustic eco-lodges deep in the Amazonian jungle or over-water bungalows set on the edge of some far-flung tropical island -- accommodations that seem to fit organically with their remote, pristine environments.

But now, hotels closer to home have caught on to the environmental lodging concept, pairing innovative eco-practices with stylish design and forward-thinking technologies. This school of green emphasizes equal parts comfort and conservation, bringing "earth-friendly" to new heights of fashion.

A prime example: San Francisco's chic new 86-room Orchard Garden Hotel, the first hotel in California and the fifth in the United States built to the LEED ("leadership in energy and environmental design") standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Orchard Garden reduces heat emissions with highly reflective roof materials that deflect the sun's rays, lower surface temperatures, and reduce the amount of air-conditioning required in the building. Low-flow plumbing reduces water usage, and a dedicated basement recycling center sorts paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, and metal.
The piece de resistance? The room key controls everything from lighting to air-conditioning. Remove the card when you leave, and the power automatically shuts off. This innovation alone reduces energy consumption by about 20 percent.

Going green might seem tough for an establishment surrounded by asphalt, but the hotel's general manager, Stefan Muhle, asserts that city hotels can do plenty, including using recycled materials for the beds, carpets, and drapes. In fact, Orchard Garden's downtown location actually makes it even more environmentally friendly, says Melanie Lapointe, assistant project manager for Swinerton Builders, the hotel's contractor. "We're not cutting down trees in virgin land. We're using an existing site and contributing to urban redevelopment," she says. "By using the city's established recycling programs, we've also been able to divert 75 percent of the construction, demolition, and land-clearing wastes from landfill, something we couldn't do in a rural setting."

Of equal importance, Muhle's goal with the Orchard Garden "is to show everyone that being green and being luxurious aren't mutually exclusive." So each of the rooms, designed in a pale green-and-beige palette (using low-VOC paints, of course), exudes an air of spa tranquillity. Botanical-rich Aveda products line the bathroom's marble counter, while sleek, Japanese-inspired sliding doors and wooden headboards feature sustainably grown maple certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.