YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK—The oldest hotel in Yellowstone National Park, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, has received a bottom-up facelift—literally—that would make any grand dame of 122 years proud. The project, costing in excess of $10 million, included new lobby décor, major structural enhancements, the addition of an elevator, new business center and 43 renovated rooms, including four newly created suites in the west wing of the hotel.Xanterra Parks & Resorts’ Yellowstone National Park Lodges, operator of the hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, tours and activities in the park, has been working since the day the hotel closed for the summer season in 2012...

BETHESDA, MD.—As Marriott International, Inc. grows beyond its current global footprint of more than 3,800 hotels in more than 70 countries, the company is focusing on development which will provide sustainable economic activity and local employment. In coming years, more than half of Marriott’s new hotels will be located in emerging markets where tourism is a major driver of new jobs and economic development. In its just-released 2013 Sustainability Report Update, which updates the company’s 2011-2012 Sustainability Report, Marriott noted substantial progress in job creation in underserved and emerging markets.Two major sustainable development projects include Marriott’s first hotel in...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Celebrating its two-year anniversary this week, the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell initiative has grown to more than 41,000 restaurant locations nationwide, the Association announced. The voluntary program, which provides parents with a growing selection of healthful children’s menu choices in every state, now counts more than 140 restaurant brands as participants, including new national companies Wendy’s, Red Robin, Dairy Queen, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Big Boy, among other regional chains and independent restaurants.     “The Kids LiveWell initiative has achieved remarkable success in its first two years with the program expanding to over 140 participating restaurant brands and...

GRAND RAPIDS—The CityFlatsHotel in downtown Grand Rapids was built in 2011 to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification and has now accomplished it. The five-story hotel, at 83 Monroe Center in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, inhabits what was once the legendary Fox Jewelers Building. Like its sister hotel (the CityFlatsHotel in Holland, Mich.) before it, the CityFlatsHotel Grand Rapids joins the ranks of LEED certified buildings throughout the world.LEED buildings are designed to: reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and be healthier and safer for...

STANIEL CAY, THE BAHAMAS—Several villas at EMBRACE Exuma Resort on remote Staniel Cay, The Bahamas, have just opened for previews in advance of the official resort opening in 2014.Four of the seven EMBRACE villas are now welcoming guests—Mayaguana, Bimini, Andros and Ragged Island. Ranging from one to three bedrooms, each villa features special touches reflecting their island namesake. The honeymoon villa, Ragged Island, features a Jacuzzi and romantic shower for two, while Bimini, much like the island it’s named for, reflects a two-sided personality—one of business and one of pleasure. In addition to its ramps, grab bars and other...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, has received a second silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for the company’s headquarters building in Parsippany, N.J. The certification makes Wyndham Worldwide the first and only company in New Jersey to have LEED designations for both Corporate Interiors and Existing Building—Operations and Maintenance.LEED is a third-party certification program and premier benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. It uses a point system to determine the environmental merits of a building, with four levels of...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and Vital Voices Global Partnership announced that they have joined forces to help end child trafficking. Together, they have launched the Global Freedom Exchange, an innovative, multi-faceted educational and mentoring program targeting emerging and established women leaders. Program participants are on the forefront of global efforts to prevent and respond to the crime of child trafficking. Global Freedom Exchange is intended to create an international network of activists.As a fundamental element of the Global Freedom Exchange, Hilton Worldwide and Vital Voices have brought together a select group of 26 women leaders from 13 countries, to participate...

TROY, N.Y.—The nonprofit Audubon International, with its emphasis on environmental education and sustainable resource management, is positioning itself to become a stronger national player in green lodging designation thanks to its strategy to work in select markets—primarily Florida and New York. Audubon International, through its Green Lodging Program, has approximately 150 properties at one stage or another of designation (44 Marriott Vacation Club properties), and more than 3,000 golf courses participating in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf. Four years ago, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation launched a new initiative—a two-year pilot program—to certify lodging...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—Following a successful HD Expo in Las Vegas in May at new home Mandalay Bay, the Hospitality Design Group announces a fresh new lineup for the first-ever HD Americas. Taking place in Florida, the show will run on September 24 and September 25 at the 60,000-square-foot Miami Beach Convention Center. The show will be the merging of talents including designers, architects, owners, operators and developers from around the globe. Taking place in the city that is the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, the show will put a special emphasis on this emerging market, highlighting the successes...

SAN FRANCISCO—MindClick Global, a leader in supply chain sustainability performance and sourcing solutions, announced that Marriott International is ahead of its sustainable sourcing goals for 2013. In 2012, Marriott committed to spend 75 percent of its 2013 furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) budget with suppliers who are part of the MindClick Hospitality Index for Sustainable Sourcing (HSP Index). As of June 15, 2013, Marriott has reached 60 percent of its goal.“With over 30 participating suppliers representing 20 product categories ranging from bath fixtures to seating, carpets to casegoods, fabrics to mattresses, lighting to mirrors, and more, we are very...