Lights Out for Fairmont Hotels

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has confirmed its participation in Earth Hour 2009, a global environmental awareness event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

On Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., all 56 of Fairmont's hotels and resorts from Dallas to Dubai will go dark by turning off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - and help draw further attention to one of the world's single largest environmental issues: climate change.

In addition to switching off principal lighting, a number of Fairmont's properties will also mark this eco-friendly event with creative and innovative programming in an effort to involve hotel guests in this global phenomenon.

At Toronto's Fairmont Royal York, the hotel is creating a special line-up of "green" themed cocktails to be served in its famed Library Bar and will also illuminate its indoor pool area with more than 100 floating candles.

In Seattle, the AAA Five Diamond Fairmont Olympic will host a charming candlelit dinner featuring an impressive selection of French-inspired Northwest cuisine in The Georgian.

Spreading the word in the United Arab Emirates will be The Fairmont Dubai, which will share facts and figures about lighting usage and tips on energy conservation with guests and local businesses alike.

Not to be outdone, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, which is 50% powered by a blend of wind and run-of-river electricity generation, will light up its picturesque lakeshore with ice luminaries and invite guests to gather around a roaring fire and enjoy an old-fashioned storytelling session under the stars.

Earth Hour is a global WWF climate change initiative. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. to show their support for action on climate change.

The event began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. In 2008, more than 50 million people, including several Fairmont hotels around the globe, participated. In 2009, Earth Hour aims to reach out to 1 billion people in 1,000 cities.

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