Built on Sustainability

 Sustainable from the Ground Up

Opened in August 2020, The Lake House on Canandaigua is a luxury hotel and spa located on the northern shore of Canandaigua Lake. Built on a 9-acre site, its roughly 110,000 square feet include 124 guest rooms, an event barn, spa, wellness center, and two restaurants.

The entire facility is heated and cooled by geothermal power.

According to Bill Caleo, developer and President of The Brooklyn Home Company, “The development was a passion project for the Sands family. We wanted to put the Finger Lakes on the map for hospitality and honor the town of Canandaigua as it was the birthplace of our grandfather’s family business, Canandaigua Wine Company. When we decided to create a new resort hotel, energy efficiency and lowering heating and cooling costs was a priority.”

Core Values Below the Surface

Sustainability really does matter to guests. According to the University of Central Florida (UCF), “Sustainable practices make hospitality organizations stand out. Today’s travelers, restaurant patrons, hotel bookers and shoppers care about sustainability. They want to know that the companies they give their business to follow environmentally, socially and culturally sound practices.”

The decision to use geothermal heating and cooling was based on several factors. Caleo says, “We spent approximately three months weighing the options during the design phase of the project. We studied every type of HVAC system typically used in a hotel. We decided to go with geothermal because we wanted the benefits of having almost zero heating and cooling costs, we wanted a low carbon footprint, and we also wanted no condensers sitting on roofs or on condenser farms making lots of noise on property.”

It’s a decision that’s already proving to be a good one. James R. McGinn, Area Director of Operations at The Lake House, says, “[Using geothermal] has enabled us to run an extremely efficient operation, with virtually zero down time mechanically, in addition to the labor savings. There is also a sense of pride knowing you are working at a facility that is doing its part to lessen the impact on the environment."

Scaling Up by Digging Down

A large property means a significant heating and cooling load. Since geothermal energy uses deep wells to take advantage of consistent underground temperatures year-round, the team got creative with the logistics of where to drill. In the end, 66 wells were drilled in the parking lot, at a depth of 500 feet, according to Caleo.

Travelers are taking notice of these efforts. In fact, according to a recent Trip Advisor survey cited by UCF, 62% of travelers had opted for more environmentally friendly hotels, food and transportation, and 69% of survey respondents said they intended to make even more environmentally responsible travel choices in the future.

The Lake House on Canandaigua is a proven example of how successful it can be. Their website says it best: “To us, sustainability and luxury aren’t mutually exclusive—in fact, they’re perfect partners.”

Project Highlights