Built to use 36% less energy and 30% less water than a comparable hotel, the AAA Four Diamond, locally-owned Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, offers a glimpse of the future while celebrating the past. Sustainable practices, custom-designed furnishings, commissioned art and innovative design await guests in every corner of the 147-room luxury hotel and its adjacent restaurant, Print Works Bistro. Proximity Hotel’s green sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. It is likely that the Proximity Hotel will attain the USGBC’s highest rating, LEED Platinum, but that won’t be certain until mid 2008. Proximity features ultra efficient materials and the latest in building technology such as North America's first installation of the regenerative drive for Otis' Gen2 elevator, which reduces net energy usage by capturing the system’s energy and feeds it back into the building’s internal electrical grid. In addition, 100 solar panels on the roof generate energy to heat water. Guests also enjoy flavorful food, custom-designed furniture and original artwork in each room. As guests enter the hotel, they encounter interesting architecture and décor including a “floating” front desk made of a striking 12-foot steel cantilever sculpture, a 28-foot long mohair sofa, an interior balcony overlooking the Social Lobby and 22-foot high windows overlooking the Bluebell Garden.