With tourists and business travelers feeling the pinch of higher gas prices, seeing the city of Los Angeles is a snap while staying at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, with LA’s highly efficient public transportation system right outside.

With tourists and business travelers feeling the pinch of higher gas prices, seeing the city of Los Angeles is a snap while staying at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, with LA’s highly efficient public transportation system right outside.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve the experience of our guests while also doing right by the environment,” says Chris Orr, Director of Marketing & Sales. “People should know that the public transportation system in Los Angeles can take you wherever you want to go, without all the stress or cost of renting a car and parking. Plus the metro can be considered eco-friendly because it takes cars off the streets, reducing green-house gases.”

While there’s a lot to see in its direct vicinity, the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa is just a few steps – barely a half city block – away from the Hollywood&Highland Station on the Metro Red Line. This subway stop is one of the main conduits of the MTA, LA’s subway and bus system, and connects guests to the rest of the system.

The Red Line subway is the easiest, quickest way to visit both Downtown Los Angeles and Universal Studios. Enterprising guests can also take the Green Line down to Manhattan Beach and frolic in the sea, jump on the Gold Line to visit the cultural smorgasbord that is Pasadena with all its museums and art festivals, or ride the Rapid Bus across Beverly Hills to Rodeo Drive for an afternoon of vigorous shopping. And think: No high priced gasoline. No parking. No rental cars. No headache. And all it costs is $1.25 per ride.

For those who would rather just enjoy the hotel, the new Spa Luce is the perfect place to spend a weekend and unwind. The 6400-square-foot, state-of-the-art luxury spa features personalized treatments, celebrity-inspired pampering, and top-of-the-line beauty and health products. Sonya Dakar Skincare, the Somme Institute, and Red Flower are the signature products and represent the spa’s complete commitment to all-around natural beauty. Sunlight streams into the spa and its seven distinct treatment rooms to create an environment of light and warmth that enhances the regenerative healing properties of the facility. Hotel guests can take advantage of special offers to spend the night and savor their spa experience.

Easy transit citywide is just one on the growing list of green reasons to choose the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa. By improving its energy performance by more than ten percent, the hotel has earned for the fifth consecutive year the ENERGY STAR® Label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its efforts to conserve water and energy and protect the environment. The hotel has also replaced the traditional (and environmentally-unfriendly) water bottles in its rooms with reusable glass bottles from Natura Water, the world leader in “gourmet water.” These glass bottles will be sanitized after each use and then reused and filled with Natura’s delicious carbon-filtered water. Light bulbs are now all fluorescent. Even meeting room notepads are now made from recycled paper. These steps, both big and small, are part of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel&Spa’s continuing commitment to all things green.

The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, located at Hollywood & Highland Center, a shopping and entertainment mecca and home to the Academy Awards® ceremonies, offers 632 distinctive guest rooms, 33 suites, and the unforgettable 3,500 square foot Panorama Suite. Awarded the ENERGY STAR® Label from the EPA in 2008, the property is well known as being a favorite of major production companies and business travelers alike, the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel&Spa embodies modern luxury accented by classic Hollywood charm, featuring the distinctive restaurant Twist, an outdoor pool overlooking the Hollywood Sign, world-class fitness center, and outstanding service savvy travelers have come to expect from the Renaissance brand name.

Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, 1755 N. Highland Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028, (323) 856-1200, www.renaissancehollywood.com.