Hotels Holding Candlelight Reception Between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on March 27

Coast Hotels & Resorts will go dark for one hour on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 p.m. in observance of Earth Hour 2010, a global environmental event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about climate change.

On March 27, ten Coast Hotels in British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories will turn off their lights in public areas, restaurants and hotel exteriors for one full hour, underscoring the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability.  Guests will also be encouraged to participate in Earth Hour by turning off the lights and electronic devices in their guestrooms.

Participating hotels include the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites, Coast Coal Harbour Hotel and Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel in Vancouver, B.C., Coast Blackcomb Suites at Whistler in Whistler, B.C., the Coast Inn of the North in Prince George, B.C., the Coast Chilliwack Hotel in Chilliwack, B.C., the Coast Sundance Lodge in Sun Peaks, B.C.,  the Coast Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre in Calgary, Alberta, the Coast Edmonton House in Edmonton, Alberta and the Coast Fraser Tower in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

The ten Coast Hotels participating in Earth Hour will each host a candlelit reception with light refreshments for guests between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to celebrate the event.

In Yellowknife, where it will still be daylight between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., the Coast Fraser Tower will celebrate Earth Hour with a reception and presentation for staff and guests featuring Daniel T’Seleie, a climate change planner for Ecology North, who will discuss the origins of Earth Hour, climate change and energy conservation and lighting.  James Pugsley, President of Astronomy North, will bring Earth Hour to a close in Yellowknife with a presentation on light pollution.

“Our objective in taking part in Earth Hour is to help increase awareness about the impact everyone has on the environment by involving our staff and guests in this important event,” said Sherry Baumgardner, Director of Marketing at Coast Hotels & Resorts. “Sustainable change requires a concerted effort on everyone’s part but it starts with small meaningful steps, which is what Earth Hour is all about.”

Participating in Earth Hour is one small part of Coast Hotels & Resorts’ environmental protection efforts.  Through its ecoast in-house environmental program, Coast Hotels & Resorts is taking concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint. The hotel chain’s sustainability efforts encompass everything from using recyclable key cards, providing large-volume bottles of amenity products, encouraging guests to re-use towels and bed linens to using energy efficient lighting and appliances and installing hybrid heating systems at select hotels to help make the world a greener place.

About Coast Hotels & Resorts

Coast Hotels & Resorts is a leading hotel chain in western North America. The company’s philosophy of serving its guests through a superior standard of value, hospitality and service enables its continuing expansion. Coast Hotels & Resorts now owns, manages and franchises over 40 hotel and resort properties located throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, the western United States, Alaska and Hawaii. Visit www.coasthotels.com or call 1-800-663-1144 for more information.