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Green Hotel Focus

In Green Hotel Focus, Green Lodging News features those properties that deserve just a little bit more attention than your typical green hotel—those properties that have invested in green building design and technologies, energy and water conservation, indoor air quality, and much more. Would you like to nominate a property for coverage? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Green Hotel Focus

Home Green Hotel Focus
In Green Hotel Focus, Green Lodging News features those properties that deserve just a little bit more attention than your typical green hotel—those properties that have invested in green building design and technologies, energy and water conservation, indoor air quality, and much more. Would you like to nominate a property for coverage? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

LEED Gold Highlights WAYAM Mundo Imperial’s Impressive Green Credentials

MÉRIDA, MEXICO—WAYAM Mundo Imperial may only have 52 suites but its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint surpass green-focused properties much greater in size. The property in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico just earned LEED Gold certification—the first one in Mérida with LEED certification and an ideal partner for Yucatan´s LEED Platinum International Congress Center. Fernando Zepeda, General Manager of the 72-employee WAYAM Mundo Imperial, says the hotel’s owners embarked on the path toward LEED certification about five years ago, though their commitment to sustainable development goes back decades. The property opened in the summer of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic....

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort Opens on Land Spanning Total of 81 Acres

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII—Officially open to guests last month, Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort is privileged to call the sacred land of Kaʻūpūlehu home. An inspired reimagination of the original Kona Village Resort, which first opened in the 1960s and subsequently shuttered in 2011, a familiar silhouette has returned to the island’s horizon. Real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson took a light-on-the-land approach to reconstructing the resort and has partnered with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts to build on that foundation, prioritizing environmental responsibility and care for local culture in the guest experience. Spanning 81 acres of stunning geologic landscape, Kona Village pulls inspiration from Kaʻūpūlehu’s...

Siyam World Maldives Involves Staff, Guests in Coral Restoration Efforts in Their House Reef

MALE—Siyam World Maldives is committed to promoting sustainability and preserving the beauty of our oceans, protecting marine life, and reducing the environmental impact in line with Sun Siyam Resorts’ group-wide sustainability program Sun Siyam Cares. Siyam World continues to drive sustainability initiatives forward with the most significant project being a coral restoration effort in their house reef. The coral frames are carefully put in place by resort staff and guests, providing habitat for broken coral pieces and allowing them to grow into an artificial reef structure. The in-house local Marine Biologist Thuhu and her team take care of the coral, ensuring full...

Scandic Go to Open Another Hotel in Downtown Stockholm

STOCKHOLM—Scandic Go is the company’s new hotel brand in the fast-growing economy segment. The first Scandic Go hotel will open on Upplandsgatan in Stockholm in September, and Scandic has now signed a lease agreement for another Scandic Go, this time a centrally located hotel with 221 rooms at Fridhemsplan on the island of Kungsholmen in Stockholm. The plan is to open the hotel toward the end of the summer of 2024 following a renovation. Scandic signed the lease agreement with the company’s largest landlord, Pandox. Fridhemsplan is a major gateway to central Stockholm. The residential buildings, restaurants, bars, stores, and...

Eco-Conscious, Luxury Brand Desolation Hotel Expands to Hope Valley, California

HOPE VALLEY, CALIF.—Following the successful 2022 opening of its first luxury micro-resort (located in South Lake Tahoe), Desolation Hotel announces its expansion to a second Sierra Nevada location: Desolation Hotel Hope Valley (located in Hope Valley, Calif.). The family-owned, eco-conscious hotel brand now offers two ways to explore this singular Northern California region—and will be running a shuttle between the properties, providing guests convenient access to both experiences. Guests staying at either location may freely access amenities at either property. Formerly known as Sorensen’s Resort, and now Desolation Hotel Hope Valley, this mountain retreat has been a beloved getaway for outdoor and adventure enthusiasts since...

Eco Hometel Brand Expands Its Portfolio with room2 Belfast Opening

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND—Real estate investor and developer Lamington Group is adding to its pioneering eco hometel brand with the opening of room2 Belfast, the fourth outpost, and first property outside England, set to open later this summer. With the opening just months away, the team are giving a first look at the hometel, which is set to become a hub for the community in the heart of the bustling city, moments away from Belfast’s most popular attractions. The new property will consist of 175 rooms across nine floors as well as a vibrant café, beautifully designed tearoom, meeting and event spaces, a gym,...

Atlantis Paradise Island & Atlantis Blue Project Foundation Announce Plans to Build Bahamas’ First Coral Gene Bank

PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS—Atlantis Paradise Island, a global leader in marine life conservation, will be home to The Bahamas’ first coral gene bank, making strides in the global fight against Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), an affliction decimating coral populations in The Bahamas and beyond. Nearly half of The Bahamas and Caribbean’s reef-building coral species are susceptible to SCTLD. Of the 45 reef-building coral species within the region, more than half can catch the disease, including some of the slowest-growing and longest-lived species such as brain, pillar, and star corals. Coral survival rate of SCTLD is extremely low and once infected, corals can die within weeks. Signed into effect on May...

Hotel Westland, a New Carbon Positive Hotel by Urban Villages, to Open in Seattle in Summer 2024

SEATTLE—Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward, announced the summer 2024 opening of Hotel Westland, a carbon positive, adaptive reuse hotel in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood. Construction recently began on the 120-room hotel to modernize the historic structure, giving it a second life and ensuring it lasts for generations to come. Operated by Aparium Hotel Group and architecturally designed by The Miller Hull Partnership with interiors by Curioso, the boutique lifestyle hotel will highlight historic character maintained from the building’s 1907 construction, modern guestrooms and amenities, Pioneer Square’s first rooftop bar, and a signature restaurant, fueled by an authentic connection to...

PoE Technology Just One of Many Resource-Saving Initiatives at Conrad New York Downtown

NEW YORK—One of Manhattan’s most prominent luxury hotels—the 463 all-suite Conrad New York Downtown—keeps pushing the bar higher for sustainability leadership in the Big Apple. Since opening in 2012, the hotel has maintained its LEED Gold certification, implemented numerous water-, energy- and waste-saving initiatives, and it just recently became the first hotel in the city and one of the first in the U.S. to utilize Power Over Ethernet (PoE) technology. The Sinclair in Fort Worth, Texas also uses this technology. PoE is used at the Conrad New York Downtown to power LED lighting in the lobby, in the newly renovated...

Scandic Enters Economy Segment with First Scandic Go to Open After Summer

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—The economy segment has grown in recent years, and it is expected to expand further, driven by changed travel behavior and new financial constraints among many travelers. The segment is not as developed in the Nordic region as in other European countries, accounting for less than 5 percent of the total hotel market compared with 15 percent in the rest of Europe. With Scandic Go, Scandic is now entering this rapidly growing segment with a clear ambition to lead the market. “The fast-growing economy segment is a fantastic and unique opportunity to further strengthen our portfolio to meet the rapidly...