Built and operated by Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, the Proximity Hotel opened in November 2007. In October 2008, the hotel and the adjacent Print Works Bistro restaurant became the first in the hospitality industry to be awarded LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council. The design and construction of the hotel were led by Dennis Quaintance, CEO of Quaintance-Weaver. Proximity Hotel is located near the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Quaintance-Weaver opened their first hotel, O.Henry Hotel, four blocks west in 1998. Proximity Hotel and Print Works Bistro, are named for two cotton mills in Greensboro. These mills were part of Cone Mills, with more than a century of history in the textile industry. Cone Mills was known as the world's largest manufacturer of denim fabric and the United States' largest printer of home-furnishings fabrics.
Sustainable Practices
This hotel uses 41% less energy than a conventional hotel/restaurant by using ultra efficient materials and the latest construction technology.
100 solar panels covering the of rooftop heats 60% of the water for both the hotel and restaurant.
The bistro bar is made of salvaged, solid walnut trees that came down through sickness or storm and room service trays made of Plyboo.
Newly engineered variable-speedhoods in the restaurant uses a series of sensors to set the power according to the kitchen's needs and adjusts to a lower level of operation.
Geothermal energy is used for the restaurant’s refrigeration equipment, instead of a standard water-cooled system.
North America's first Regenerative Drive model of the Otis' Gen2 elevator reduces net energy usage by capturing the system’s energy and feeds it back into the building’s internal electrical grid.
A direct line of sight to the outdoor environment for more than 97% of all regularly occupied spaces.
Building materials with recycled content include reinforced steel with 90% post consumer recycled content, sheetrock 100%, asphalt 25% and staircase steel 50%. Concrete contains 4% fly ash, the mineral residue left after the combustion of coal that is diverted from landfills.
87% of construction waste was recycled, diverting 1,535 tons of debris from landfills.
Guestroom shelving and the bistro’s tabletops are made of walnut veneer, over a substrate of SkyBlend, a particleboard made from 100% post-industrial recycled wood pulp with no added formaldehyde.
A green, vegetated rooftop will be planted on the restaurant to reduce the “urban heat island effect.”
