With the year winding down and many of you on vacation in the coming weeks I wanted to wish you all a very safe and happy holiday season and a great new year ahead. The past year has been a year of significant readership growth for Green Lodging News. Almost 10,000 more people visited my website each month than did last year. I owe thanks to the many sponsors that make Green Lodging News possible each year. Be sure to do business with them and tell them you found them here in my publication.
The new year will see the finish of my 12th year of publishing Green Lodging News. So much has changed in our industry since 2006 when I published my first newsletter. Five hundred and ninety-two editions later I believe our industry has made tremendous strides, but it has a very long way to go. According to the most recent Lodging Survey (2016) produced by AHLA, AHLEF and STR, and the Green Lodging Trends Report produced by Green Lodging News and Greenview, there are still far too many properties without any recycling programs (especially in the economy segment), too many properties producing too much plastic waste, too many hotels not offering healthy menu choices, and too many not tracking their energy and water consumption. Green Lodging News and Greenview asked Trends Report respondents if an energy audit had been conducted in the past four years. Only 43 percent said yes.
Of course there is a lot of good news to share. Most of the major brands are taking measurement very seriously and beginning to mandate participation by franchisees. Witness Marriott’s recent announcement regarding its 2025 goals—reduce water by 15 percent, carbon by 30 percent, waste by 45 percent and food waste by 50 percent. Advancements in processes, product design and technologies are making it easier to reduce waste and conserve water and energy. For example, according to the 2016 Lodging Survey, 90 percent of hotels have LED lighting. And, according to the Trends Report, 63 percent of respondents said they have a green champion and 68 percent said they have a green team—both essential to a successful sustainability initiative.
Top 10 Most Read Articles from 2017
Out of curiosity I checked to see which articles on Green Lodging News received the most reads in 2017. Here are the top 10:
Defining Water Use, Water Consumption in Indoor, Outdoor Water Parks
Texas Joins California as First States to Require High Efficiency Toilets
Outdoor Furniture Made from Recycled Plastic—a Solid, Sustainable Investment
Eliminate Waste, Grow Your Profits: Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling
Water Bottle Filling Stations Offer Huge Waste-Saving Opportunity
Ozone Laundry Systems Offer Long List of Cost, Operational Benefits
The Breakers Chooses New Line of LATHER Skincare Products
Marriott, Wyndham, Disney on 100 Best Corporate Citizens List
Meliá Hotels Says New Serengeti Lodge to be ‘Off the Grid’
How to Better Accommodate Travelers with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Interestingly, not all of these articles are from 2017, proving that many readers use Green Lodging News as a research tool in addition to a source for the latest news. The Green Lodging News website database now has more than 8,000 articles in it.
The new year will not be a success without your help—whether it be sponsorship, contributed press releases or guest columns, news tips, the occasional encouragement or criticism, or a hello or coffee at a conference or trade show. I look forward to a better year ahead. I wish you and your business a very successful, green and sustainable new year!
How to Search on Our Website
Like other search engines you find online, a search using one word will produce articles with that word included. If you would like to search for something that is more than one word long—ozone laundry, for example—you will need to put quotation marks around the words or phrase. Ozone laundry would then be “ozone laundry” in the search.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Planning Advertising for 2018?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2018. Many excellent spots are available on our new website, in the weekly e-mail newsletter, and Green Lodging Survey. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2018 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 9,048. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail editor@greenlodgingnews.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,773 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 880 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
