Deal Dissector: Eco Power Package at The Fairmont Washington, D.C.

In yet another move to prove that living “green” will cost you way more money than not doing so, the D.C. Fairmont has created the Eco Power package, billed as “the ultimate cosmopolitan experience for environmentally aware travelers.” This trendy and earth-conscious package will accept 999 of your United States dollars (before tax) in exchange for the opportunity to stay in the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite, a super-eco-friendly room designed using organic materials, recycled materials and materials made from rapidly-renewable resources. You’ll also get to use of a Lexus hybrid for tooling around, and enjoy a bottle of organic wine and local artisan cheeses on the house. If that doesn’t leave you feeling green, the Fairmont will also make a $100 donation to the National Geographic Society for every Eco Power package sold.

The meat (pardon, tofu) of the issue is this: you can get a “regular” room tomorrow at the Fairmont for $209 a night. This temporary domicile will still be luxurious, and although not furnished by eco-designer Kelly LaPlante, it appears that both types of rooms are powered using traditional power sources, and the furnishings used in the Lexus rooms are already doing as much good for the environment as they’re going to — whether you use them or not.

Realistically, the ultimate benefactor from this package arrangement is not our suffering Mother Earth, but the Fairmont Washington, D.C. It is commendable to buy and use recycled and sustainable materials, but the hotel has already bought its room furnishings and won’t necessarily make future purchases from sustainable vendors either way. The loaner car sounds nice, but according to the reviewers at Edmunds, the extra-heavy Lexus LS 600h L Hybrid only gets better gas mileage in the city (and actually gets worse mileage on the highway) than its non-hybrid counterparts. So, you’ll be burning just as much petroleum as the next guy, despite the word “hybrid” displayed boldly on your front doors. A regular Lexus LS 460 rental, with better overall gas mileage, could cost you as much as $450 in our nation’s capitol, but that still only puts the total price at $659 if you stay in the non-LaPlante room. The $100 donation to National Geographic is a conscience-friendly extra, but if you give the society money yourself, it’s tax deductible, you can designate what your donation goes toward and (best of all) you’ll end up with a subscription to the magazine.

So far, we’re talking about $759 in the regular room versus $999 in the “green” room (quotes intentional). We all know a bottle of organic wine and a hunk of artisan cheese shouldn’t cost $140, and besides, the package doesn’t really do anything stellar for the environment. Invest the extra money in some real earth-friendly ventures (solar power panels, a hybrid of your own, planting a row of trees) and show the Fairmont what real eco power is all about.