Hotels We Love: Allergy-Friendly Hotels

There's a lot more to traveling with allergies than simply requesting a feather-free pillow and looking for a pet-unfriendly property. Smog, pollen, pets, cleaning products ? the list is long when it comes to allergy triggers. There are 20 million people with asthma and 50 million affected by allergies in the U.S. Luckily, there's a fabulous flock of hotels that cater to travelers with such problems. Read on for allergy-friendly hotels not to be sneezed at.

A fabulous resource for allergy-prone travelers is the Pure Rooms site. Offering hotel bookings in the U.S., Mexico, Aruba, Puerto Rico, China, Malaysia, and Singapore, PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms use a seven-step cleaning and purifying process that aims to reduce 98 percent of allergens. Bedding and pillows are mold-, spore-, dust-, and dust mite-free. An air purifier, fitted with a refreshing tea tree oil filter, constantly filters the air.

Green Suites is another company leading the anti-allergen charge. Their Eco-Rooms also have benefits for allergy sufferers as they are cleaned with non-toxic, non-allergenic, all-natural cleaning products.

Certain big hotel chains are a good bet if you're on the lookout for an allergy safe room. Wyndham Hotels leads the way with eight hotels offering PURE rooms as part of its ClearAir Initiative. By the end of 2009, an impressive 10 percent of all Wyndham rooms in the U.S. will be converted to allergy-friendly status. The company re-certifies PURE rooms every 90 days.

A Fresh Crop of Accommodations
Wyndham Garden Hotel Midtown, New York (PURE rooms; $169+)

Wyndham Garden Hotel Manhattan Chelsea West, New York (PURE rooms; $179+)

Premier Hotel, Times Square, New York (PURE rooms; $329+)

Hilton Chicago O'Hare (Enviro-Room Design; $219+)
Enviro-rooms are suited to those with asthma or allergies, or who prefer to limit their exposure to harmful chemicals. Cotton linens, foam pillows, non-chemical bath amenities, and an air-purifying system reduce allergens in-room. Hardwood floors and wooden blinds give less surfaces for bacteria and allergens to take hold.

Hotel Triton, San Francisco (Green Suites Eco-Rooms on Eco Floor; $189+)
* Note: this hotel is pet-friendly, so expect animal encounters in public areas.

The Stanford Terrace Inn, Palo Alto (Green Suites Eco-Rooms; $179+)

The Peninsula, Beverly Hills (PURE rooms; $450+)

Nylo, Plano, Texas (PURE rooms; $169+)

Doubletree, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (PURE guest rooms and meeting rooms; $159+)

MORE HOTELS WE LOVE
Hotels We Love: Island Idylls
Hotels We Love: Urban Escapes
Hotels We Love: Unusual Accommodations
Hotels We Love: Green is the New Black
Hotels We Love: Top Ten Eco-friendly Hotels
Hotels We Love: Chic and Cheerful Budget Boutique Hotels
Hotels We Love: Stay I Style
Hotels We Love: Hotels with Altitude
Hotels We Love: Overnight Parking
Hotels We Love: Hotels with a past