ORNL’s Guesthouse Receives LEED Gold Certification

August 15, 2011

OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE – The home of one of the nation’s largest science-and-energy laboratories is now home to first LEED Gold Certified hotel in Tennessee in recognition for its modern and efficient blueprint.

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) recognizes construction that encourages sustainability, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has just opened its $8.85 million Guest House built to those rigorous specifications. Paragon Hotel Company manages the award-winning 47-room overnight lodging facility for the United States Department of Energy.

The ORNL Guest House, at 8640 Nano Center Drive, opened exclusively for scientists who visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s laboratory in eastern Tennessee. While the lab, with its $1.65 billion budget, employs 4,400 people, it also draws some 3,000 research guests annually.

“The scientists who come and stay with us at the ORNL Guest House are among the most brilliant minds in the world,” says Mitesh Patel, executive vice president of Paragon Hotel Company, which also operates the Comfort Inn in the nearby town of Oak Ridge. “And the fact that the Guest House has been certified ‘Gold’ for its environmentally sound construction and design—that all makes this particular property a special member of the PHC family.”

Oak Ridge National Laboratory was born in 1942 on an isolated farm as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s fabled Manhattan Project. During World War II, the super-secret project developed America’s atomic bombs. Today, ORNL scientists solve challenges in energy, security and physics.

“Paragon Hotel Co. is enormously proud to be part of the nation’s scientific and national- security infrastructure,” Patel says. For more information about Paragon Hotel Company, visit http://www.phc-hotels.com.

About Paragon Hotel Company

Founded in 1995, PHC is a hospitality real estate management and development company based in Anderson, SC. The company’s vision, “constantly challenging the status quo,” complements its mission to acquire, develop and manage a portfolio of unique properties and lifestyle experiences for the enjoyment of our guests, while delivering exceptional financial results to investors and positively impacting the surrounding communities. The company’s portfolio of more than 2,100 rooms in South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee includes hotels within Hilton, Marriott, Intercontinental, Best Western, Choice, Carlson Hotels Worldwide and Wyndham Worldwide franchises.