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Publisher's Point of View

Each week, Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, will address the hottest industry topics. Sometimes hard hitting, his column will challenge the industry’s leaders to take action. At other times, he will lift up the industry’s environmental champions. “Point of View” is a column you will not want to miss. To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com

Publisher's Point of View

Home Publisher's Point of View
Each week, Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, will address the hottest industry topics. Sometimes hard hitting, his column will challenge the industry’s leaders to take action. At other times, he will lift up the industry’s environmental champions. “Point of View” is a column you will not want to miss. To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com

The Crash Pad is Fourth LEED Platinum Lodging in United States

For those of you counting the number of LEED Platinum certified lodging establishments in the United States, the current number stands at four thanks to the recent certification of The Crash Pad, a hostel in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. The other three U.S. properties include The Skyler Hotel in Syracuse, N.Y., the Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant and Spa in Yountville, Calif., and the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. LEED Platinum is the highest of the four LEED certification levels offered by the U.S. Green Building Council.The Crash Pad is the second hostel Green Lodging News has reported on in the past...

Marriott Inches Closer to Full Rollout of Green Hotels Global Tool

For the second week in a row I attended a hotel opening ceremony—this time the TownePlace Suites Denver Airport at Gateway Park in Colorado. The hotel is the first TownePlace Suites property to open as part of Marriott International’s LEED Volume Program. Be sure to check out the press release and blog report to learn more about the hotel. It is an interesting project and in a great location.While attending the ceremony I had an opportunity to sit down with some folks from Marriott to catch up on their green progress. The first bit of news, as referenced in...

As Part of Threesome, Golfing Legend Invests in Green SpringHill Suites

If you are a golf fan and interested in green building, be sure to stop by the SpringHill Suites Pittsburgh Latrobe hotel the next time you are in the Pittsburgh area. The 109-room hotel is highly unique in that its majority owner’s likeness and memorabilia are evident throughout the hotel. The majority owner is none other than Arnold Palmer, the golfing great whose career includes 92 national and international championships. I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony this past week at the hotel where both Palmer and Marriott International executive chairman Bill Marriott were in attendance. (Click here for related article.)The...

Letters From Travel Industry Leaders at Core of New Book

Few books on green travel or green hotel operations cross my desk. When I do receive a copy of this type of book I like to highlight it. One such book that I recently received is “Green Growth and Travelism: Letters from Leaders.” I highly recommend reading this book that was published by Goodfellow Publishers Limited and edited by five green travel experts: Geoffrey Lipman, director of Greenearth.travel; Terry DeLacy, a professor in sustainable tourism and environmental policy at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia; Shaun Vorster, special advisor to the South African Minister of Tourism; Rebecca Hawkins, director of the...

Solar Installation Highlights All Star Performance by Concord Suites G.M.

Every now and then I chat with who I consider to be a green lodging all star. I have featured many of them on Green Lodging News in the past six years. That person is not always the owner or general manager of a property but it is often the case. This past week I spoke with Susan Cawley, general manager of the Concord Suites in Avalon, N.J. Susan definitely makes my all star list.What makes Susan so special is what she has been able to accomplish at the 90-suite Concord Suites. It was her idea five years ago...

QR Codes Make It Easier to Convey Your Property’s Green Story

I suspect you have all seen QR codes (abbreviated from Quick Response Codes) by now. They are the two-dimensional square barcodes that are being used in signage and advertisements. Because most people today have smartphones that include barcode readers, companies are increasingly using QR codes to direct clients and potential clients to helpful information. For those of you with smartphones who have not yet downloaded a QR code reader, one can easily be found through the application store on your phone. When a QR code is scanned by your phone, a browser is activated and you are taken to...

AH&LA Survey Shows Most Green Practices Becoming More Common

Every two years the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA) releases the results of its Lodging Survey. This year’s survey was funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) and conducted by STR. An impressive 52,155 U.S. hotel properties were polled and there was a response rate of 23 percent. I have written about previous surveys numerous times on Green Lodging News (search using “lodging survey” on the Green Lodging News website).This year’s survey certainly indicated that green lodging is alive and well. The percentage of respondents indicating that they either have or are working toward a...

Unravelling the Story Behind the Bathroom Tissue That You Buy

How much thought do you put into your purchase of bathroom tissue (toilet paper)? I am in the middle of doing research for an article on bathroom tissue and am learning that there is a lot to consider regarding the environmental impact of a roll of TP—from how it is made to what its ingredients are and where those ingredients come from. Really, do you use any screening process whatsoever when buying TP? I would love to know.Eric Ricaurte, writing for HotelNewsNow.com, recently cited a World Wildlife Fund Report that found that some toilet paper sold here in the...

Fodder for Those Looking to Analyze Their Marketing Efforts

Tidbits found in news about two reports released this past week provide fodder for those looking to analyze their marketing efforts toward eco-minded travelers. First of all, TripAdvisor announced the results of its latest TripAdvisor Industry Index, a survey that drew more than 25,000 responses from hoteliers around the world. Out of that survey came this news: More than one-third of respondents (34 percent) said they do not communicate their eco-friendly practices to travelers.Assuming the respondents do indeed have eco-friendly practices to communicate, what might be stopping them from doing so? What do you think? Perhaps nobody at the...

Las Vegas Sands Lays Out Progress, Goals in Environmental Report

Two weeks ago Las Vegas Sands Corp. released its first Environmental Report. It summarizes the company’s environmental initiatives through 2011. This past week I had an opportunity to chat with Katarina Tesarova, executive director, Global Sustainability for Las Vegas Sands about the report and her company’s sustainability efforts. For those of you not familiar with Las Vegas Sands, the company’s properties include The Venetian, Sands Expo and Convention Center, and The Palazzo in Las Vegas; Sands Macao, The Venetian Macao and Sands Cotai Central in Macao, China; Marina Bay Sands in Singapore; and Sands Bethlehem in Pennsylvania.I encourage you...