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(Jacksonville, FL 08/16/07) The Florida Department of Environmental Protection designated the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront as Duval County's first Green Lodging award recipient during a ceremony at the hotel on August 16, 2007. This designation recognizes the commitment of the hotel to conserve and protect Florida's natural resources. The presentation was made by DEP Northeast District Assistant Director Bill Green. Special guests included Mayor John Peyton and Kim Sims President of MHI Hotels L.L.C.

"We are proud to be Duval County's first green hotel and to set the example for others in our industry," said Michael Keeler, General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront. "Instituting green conservation practices are not only the right thing to do for the environment, but they are also good for business. The upgrades we've made will decrease our operating costs and increase our business opportunities with a wide variety of environmentally-conscious business markets," he added.

Certification from the Florida Green Lodging Program is based on water and energy conservation, waste minimization, recycling, indoor air quality, environmentally preferable purchasing, pollution prevention, and program sustainability.

To be eligible for the certification, the Crowne Plaza had to meet several requirements such as buying in bulk, leasing office machinery, using refillable containers, and operating a 100 percent non-smoking facility.

In addition the hotel installed new water-reducing showerheads in every guest room and replaced traditional incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps. Over time, these new lamps are projected to decrease the hotel's electrical use by nearly 75%, save up to $82 of energy per bulb, and last almost ten times longer than incandescent bulbs.

The hotel also instituted a towel and linen reuse program and an extensive recycling program. Bins for collecting cardboard, office paper, newspaper, magazines, aluminum, plastic and glass can be found in all office and back of the house areas. The Crowne Plaza also utilizes environmentally-preferable cleaning products and high-efficiency air filters to improve air quality.

Opened in 1964 as the Hilton Jacksonville, the hotel became the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront in March 2006 and recently completed more than $4 million in renovations. The 292-room property boasts private walk-out balconies, many overlooking the St. Johns River, 12,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a fitness center, and an outdoor pool and sundeck.

MHI Hospitality Corporation is a self-advised hotel investment company organized in August 2004. As a REIT, MHI owns hotel properties operating under well-known national hotel brands such as Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Groups and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.