MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces the official opening of 1 Hotel Melbourne. This nature-inspired property marks the brand’s long-anticipated debut in Australia, redefining the future of luxury hospitality in the heart of one of the world’s most forward-thinking cities. Developed in partnership with Melbourne-based Riverlee, the hotel is set along 220 meters of uninterrupted Yarra River frontage in the revitalized North Wharf precinct. The building is a celebration of Melbourne’s storied past and a blueprint for a more sustainable future, brought to life through biophilic design principles and a commitment to living in harmony with nature. The...

Whenever my family eats out and we are automatically offered plastic straws for our drinks, we tell the server we do not need them and to take them back. With what we know about plastic straws—they are non-biodegradable and take hundreds of years to decompose and break down into microplastics—you would think they would no longer be used…but no. They are still all too common in hospitality. Numerous hotel companies have pledged to stop buying plastic straws. Six years ago, Marriott phased them out. Five years ago, Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. eliminated single-use straws from its branded properties as part of...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Hilton announced the results of its Green Ramadan 2025 initiative, revealing a 26 percent reduction in post-consumer plate waste during the holy month. The month-long effort helped avoid more than 2.6 tons of food waste, the equivalent of more than 6,000 meals—reinforcing Hilton’s commitment to reducing food waste across its hotels through consistent, measurable impact. Building on the momentum of previous years, the program marked the initiative’s biggest rollout yet, scaled across 45 hotels in 14 countries in EMEA and APAC, and served more than 340,000 guests during iftar and suhoor—traditional meals during Ramadan. Participating hotels in Saudi Arabia, the United...

ATLANTA—Eco-minded Walmart shoppers can now find innovative sustainable beverage supplies on shelves across the country with marine biodegradable, home and industrial compostable phade hot drink paper cups, as well as new phade Flex straws, created by WinCup, Inc. The phade brand’s unparalleled sustainable characteristics are due to PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a groundbreaking new biopolymer derived from the fermentation of canola oil that safely biodegrades in a matter of months. The phade hot beverage cup is the world’s first-ever paper cup lined with PHA rather than a plastic film, allowing it to quickly return to earth, whereas the plastic lining in traditional...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announced that reservations are now open for 1 Hotel Copenhagen, a nature sanctuary set to open in August in the heart of Denmark’s capital. The property is a reimagining of the Skt. Petri, an iconic hotel in the historic Latin Quarter. 1 Hotels is transforming the space into a 282-room retreat that combines the brand’s trademark biophilic design with Scandinavian craftsmanship, integrating organic textures, reclaimed materials, and native greenery to create an urban oasis. A commitment to mindful living is reflected throughout the property, from energy-efficient operations aligned...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM—Radisson Hotel Group announced its first two hotels to achieve Verified Net Zero status, achieving 2040 requirements of the Net Zero Methodology for Hotels today. The properties in Oslo and Manchester are taking steps to eliminate Scope 1 & 2 emissions, significantly reduce Scope 3 emissions, aligned with the GHG protocol, and remove the remaining footprint with Nature Based Solutions. The achievement is unique, as the alignment with the Net Zero Methodology for Hotels is verified by a third party, TÜV Rheinland. With the launch of two Verified Net Zero Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group is setting the gold standard for sustainable hospitality. The existing Park...

SEATTLE—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces the opening of 1 Hotel Seattle, a new sanctuary of sustainability and sophisticated design in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. Set in the South Lake Union neighborhood—home to some of Seattle’s most innovative tech companies—this nature-inspired retreat combines sustainable luxury, hyper-local culinary experiences, and the rugged elegance of the region’s landscapes. “Seattle is a city where nature and innovation coexist beautifully—and that’s exactly what we aimed to capture with this property,” says Barry Sternlicht, Founder of 1 Hotels and Chairman of Starwood Hotels. “This city...

PARIS—Ahead of World Ocean Day (June 8), Novotel marks the first anniversary of its transformative three-year partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), reaffirming its commitment to protecting the wellbeing and longevity of the ocean with the launch of two new food policies: Novotel’s Sustainable Seafood Principles in partnership with WWF France and the launch of a pioneering global Plant-Forward food ambition across 600 hotels. “At Novotel, we are taking decisive action to protect our oceans, and the partnership with WWF is a driving force of this commitment,” said Jean-Yves Minet, Novotel Global Brand President. “Through their guidance and expertise, we can drive change at...

NATIONAL REPORT—As conversations around sustainability grow across industries, hoteliers have to ask: Is this something we should be focusing on? If you’re going for a higher star rating, sustainable operations initiatives may be a lot lower on your priority list than daily room cleanings, providing hair dryers and other star requirements. However, sustainability may be more valuable for your hotel than you realize. It can reduce water and energy consumption and staff workloads, potentially saving you money. Sustainable operations initiatives can also be marketing differentiators, helping you showcase the value of your hotel beyond good star ratings. Below, we look at why sustainable tourism...

SUNNYVALE, CALIF.—Treehouse Hotels has officially landed stateside with its first U.S. outpost: Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley, a happiness-inducing hotel that’s part of the playful lifestyle brand created by hospitality innovator Barry Sternlicht, Founder and Chairman of Starwood Hotels. Treehouse Hotels first took root in 2019 with a celebrated location in London’s Marylebone neighborhood and is continuing to grow—with a much-anticipated second U.K. act that just opened in Manchester and even more global locations on the horizon. Now open in Sunnyvale, Calif., the new Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley brings Treehouse Hotel’s trademark blend of whimsy and warmth to America’s innovation capital. A...