In this, my last column of 2014, I have many to thank for another successful year. First, I must thank every one of our sponsors. Be sure to send business their way and when you do contact them, tell them that you found them here. Second, I have to thank every reader for faithfully following Green Lodging News throughout the year. Each month my website attracts about 25,000 different folks and 135,000 total visits. It is gratifying to know that Green Lodging News has so many repeat visitors. The circulation of the weekly Green Lodging News e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 5,082. Both were redesigned in 2014. Third, I have to thank all of the many editorial contributors to Green Lodging News—those submitting guest columns and educational articles. Finally, I also owe a big thanks to the many public relations professionals who coordinate article and press release contributions.
Looking back on 2014, there were many highlights—adding more than 1,000 new e-newsletter subscribers, participating in the second annual Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference + Expo, coordinating five green seminars as part of the International Hotel/Motel + Restaurant Show, assisting NEWH with its Green Voice Conversations series, and speaking at the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association 2nd Annual Sustainable Hospitality Awards luncheon. Equally exciting was having the opportunity to chat with so many smart and caring people for the many articles I wrote throughout the year. It truly is amazing how many people are involved in green lodging. It is a privilege to have met so many personally in 2014.
Was there a green lodging story of the year in 2014? I don’t believe so but there were many developments that were very close. The December release of “The 2014 Lodging Study Hotel Trends: An Inside Look at Popular Amenities and Guest Services” report certainly ranks right up there. Conducted by STR and released by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation, the report provides proof of the astounding jump in interest in efficiency and wellness over the last decade.
Additional Developments Worth Noting
In April, MGM Resorts International announced the expansion of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center. With that expansion will come a rooftop solar installation that, when added with the previously announced solar installation, will generate more than 8 MW of electricity. It will be the largest rooftop solar installation in our industry. Speaking of solar, this month the TownePlace Suites at Joint Base Andrews in Clinton, Md., celebrated the commissioning of a 706kW solar energy installation on four acres adjacent to the hotel. The solar panels will provide most of the hotel’s electricity and eventually may provide all of it. The installation is one of the largest in the history of U.S. lodging. Also this month, the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten reached an environmental milestone by generating one gigawatt hour of solar power, or one billion watt-hours.
Along with the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), the Cornell University Center for Real Estate and Finance (CREF), and nine hotel companies, Greenview helped coordinate a groundbreaking Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking report in 2014 that included data from about 1,200 hotels. This study, expected to grow in 2015, allows hotels to benchmark their property’s energy consumption or carbon emissions against that of a competitor or competitors.
Speaking of groundbreaking reports and Cornell, a new study from Cornell University found that hotels gain a revenue benefit when they are certified under the LEED sustainable building program. By comparing LEED certified hotels with a competitive set of non-certified hotels, the study found substantial increases in average daily rates and revenue per available room for the LEED hotels. This study got a lot of media attention.
In October, the International WELL Building Institute launched the WELL Building Standard Version 1.0 at the inaugural WELL Building Symposium in New Orleans. The WELL Building Standard is the world’s first building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and wellbeing through the built environment.
Rapid Expansion of Element Brand
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide continued to grow its Element brand in 2014. In fact, the brand’s global portfolio is set to more than double within the next two years and reach 30+ hotels by the end of 2017. All Elements earn LEED certification.
The U.S. Green Building Council announced that it will allow LEED users to register projects under the LEED 2009 rating system until October 31, 2016. The original date for LEED 2009 registration to close was June 15, 2015. Extending to October 2016 gives LEED users and members of the green building industry additional time to prepare for LEED v4, the latest version of LEED, which features increased rigor and multiple updates.
InterContinental Hotels Group announced that its flagship IHG Green Engage program will be rolled out across the company’s global estate of over 4,700 hotels as of January 1, 2015.
In conjunction with the release of its 2013-2014 Corporate Responsibility Report, Hyatt Hotels Corporation unveiled an aggressive set of environmental goals for the year 2020. Hyatt, which has been tracking comprehensive global energy and water data since 2006, is significantly expanding the scope of its existing sustainability initiatives and will continue to focus strongly on measuring and reporting progress.
TripAdvisor’s Global Expansion
TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, announced the launch of the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program in Canada and Europe to help travelers around the world plan greener trips by highlighting hotels and B&Bs engaged in environmentally-friendly practices.
Airbnb, a leading community-driven hospitality company, released a new study quantifying the environmental benefits of home sharing for travelers. Conducted by Cleantech Group, this study, according to Airbnb, found that Airbnb promotes a more efficient use of existing resources and is an environmentally sustainable way to travel. Traveling on Airbnb results in significant reduction in energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste, and encourages more sustainable practices among both hosts and guests, the study concluded.
Also in 2014, Orlando became the first destination to produce a comprehensive sustainability report focused on the visitor experience. The goal of the report is to tell the sustainability journey of Orlando, allowing it to chronicle progress toward the goal of becoming one of the world’s leading sustainable destinations. The Orlando Destination Sustainability Report is a pillar program of Green Destination Orlando (GDO), and a co-production between GDO, Greenview and the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, along with community volunteers.
Harvest Power unveiled the Central Florida Energy Garden, an organics management and renewable energy facility that is the first of its kind in the United States, converting organic waste into renewable biogas and natural fertilizers. The anaerobic digester combines a unique set of proven technologies and will divert hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from Central Florida landfills. Located within the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), the Energy Garden uses anaerobic digestion—a biological process that relies on trillions of naturally occurring bacteria—to produce renewable biogas. When operating at full capacity, the facility will process more than 120,000 tons of organic materials annually while producing 5.4 megawatts of combined heat and power. One of the highlights of my year was getting to visit the Energy Garden.
Another LEED Platinum Hotel
Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio announced that it will soon construct a state-of-the-art hotel, restaurant, and conference center that will be named in honor of Peter B. Lewis, the late philanthropist and chairman of Progressive Insurance Co. The 65-room hotel and conference center, which will pursue LEED Platinum certification, will include commercial and office space, a culinary training facility, and a restaurant featuring locally grown and sourced fare.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the WaterSense H2Otel Challenge as a way for agency partners and other organizations to encourage hotels to use best management practices that will save water and money, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
The guest amenity getting the most buzz in 2014? It most definitely was electric vehicle charging stations. Almost every week I received a press release about a hotel or group of hotels adding these. Also in 2014, chains stepped up their sustainability reporting efforts, their commitment to diversity and equality, their efforts to combat human trafficking, and their commitment to source seafood more responsibly. Several companies made announcements about eliminating shark fin from menus.
Of course there were many other news developments worth noting in 2014. Go to the News & Features section of Green Lodging News to review the many articles posted. I very much look forward to reporting for you in 2015. Have a very happy new year and never hesitate to contact me with your story ideas or comments. I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by phone at (813) 510-3868.
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.
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Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation Tops 5,000
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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
