WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Starwood will launch in July a green hotel brand that will only use LEED guidelines in July, with more than 20 scheduled to open by the end of next year.

The first ELEMENT hotel will open in Lexington, Mass., in July before the brand surfaces in the Las Vegas, Houston and Baltimore areas. The first location served as a testing ground of sorts for green building techniques that have been incorporated into a road map for future locations.

"With the launch of ELEMENT, we're creating a new way to build hotels and guest experiences through the lens of environmental responsibility," said Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen. "By testing and refining ELEMENT in our own laboratory, we are developing an economically responsible LEED-certified hotel concept that is accessible to developers and designed to be replicated, promising a more sustainable future."

Based on the first test location, Starwood has determined that LEED certification can be achieved with hardly a cost premium, which can be recouped within a few years.

Geared toward longer-term travelers, ELEMENT hotels will sport appliances and features that consume a minimum of electricity and water. Hybrid-driving guests will received priority parking. Natural lighting and low VOC carpets and paints made from recycled content will be used, as well as filtered water to curtail bottled water consumption.