MCLEAN, VA.—Through an expanded agreement with Tesla, Hilton last week announced that, beginning in early 2024, up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors are slated to be installed at 2,000 hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, making Hilton’s planned EV charging network the largest of any hospitality company. With at least six chargers at each of the selected hotels, Hilton will become the first choice for the dramatically increasing number of travelers who drive electric vehicles. This announcement follows the recent launch of Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector, a product designed to seamlessly charge any North American vehicle model, expanding...

Name: Emma Jacobs Title: Social Purpose and Sustainability Manager Company: Legacy Vacation Resorts Years in Current Position: Two years Primary Responsibility: “Leading our Social Purpose initiatives, getting our teams involved, volunteering, doing cleanups, fostering a healthy ecosystem. We have a heavy focus on electrifying and transitioning to renewable energy.” Organization’s most significant accomplishment in social purpose and sustainability: “We are ever-focused on the future with ambitious goals including getting to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030, reducing water usage per check-in (UPC) 25 percent and energy UPC 10 percent by 2025, and achieving 100 percent renewable energy company-wide by 2030. We are well...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced 14 Hyatt-owned hotels in the U.S. have transitioned to 100 percent renewable electricity through Green-e Energy certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to match their electricity use. This step is integral to meeting Hyatt’s 2030 science-based target of adopting renewable electricity across all its U.S. hotels, as part of Hyatt’s World of Care caring for the planet priorities. Hyatt’s science-based target includes reducing Hyatt’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 27.5 percent by 2030 compared to 2019. Collectively, the 14 Hyatt-owned hotels using 100 percent renewable electricity through Green-e Energy certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to...

NEW ORLEANS—The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) is replacing 1.9 million square feet of traditional roofing with a new, energy-efficient roofing system. The $40 million roof replacement project is part of a $557 million capital improvement plan and will be under construction until mid-2024. “We are taking a comprehensive approach to enhancing and transforming our massive facilities in order to elevate the visitor experience and reduce our environmental footprint here at the Convention Center—from new technology inside to new exterior greenspaces and a fantastic new heat-deflecting roof,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Convention Center President/CEO. “This is an...

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....

NORTON SHORES, MICH.—EarthTronics, dedicated to developing innovative energy-saving lighting products that provide a positive economic and environmental impact, introduces its EarthConnect 2.0, Bluetooth networked lighting control (NLC) system. It makes it easy for commercial facilities to maximize energy savings, improve comfort and achieve building code compliance. EarthConnect 2.0 provides enhanced efficiency which increases productivity and reduces waste. Its functionality includes quick wireless grouping, scene setting, full range dimming and scheduling. The lighting control hardware is easily installed in the field or at the factory providing project flexibility. Contractors will find it easy and quick to commission and facility managers will...

NEW YORK—Catalyst Power Holdings LLC, an integrated provider of cleaner energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sector, is launching new energy storage solutions for businesses. Its new behind-the-meter energy storage will be integrated as an option in the company’s Connected Microgrid product to provide businesses with significant energy savings from load shifting, peak shaving, and other capabilities. “Energy storage offers businesses the opportunity to realize significant savings thanks to newly available federal tax incentives for storage projects, ” said Gabriel Phillips, CEO of Catalyst Power Holdings. “We’re at a time of tremendous opportunity in the clean energy transition—businesses that take advantage...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Viva Resorts by Wyndham announced it has achieved Wyndham Green program certification as part of its comprehensive plan to have its hotels operating at maximum efficiency while minimizing their environmental footprints. This achievement that reaffirms the company’s core values, is the latest development highlighting the hotel brand’s foundational and continued commitment to protecting the environment and the communities it operates in. “Sustainability and giving back to the community have always been part of Viva’s DNA,” said Viva Resorts by Wyndham Corporate Director, Marketing and Public Relations, Erika Sordo. “We strongly believe in protecting the environment and especially our oceans....

One of the impacts of the pandemic was of course a reduction in housekeeping. It was for safety reasons and ultimately due to a shortage of housekeepers. According to Gary Leff of “View from the Wing,” at least one brand is going back to the old days of housekeeping—Hilton, and at least with some of its brands. According to an internal Hilton communication reviewed by View From The Wing, “Daily housekeeping will be a brand standard at all full-service hotels, and every other day at limited-service properties though in both cases either more or less housekeeping will be at the...

SERENGETI, TANZANIA—Long coveted by those who cherish a small and intimate tented experience in one of the continent’s most spectacular wilderness settings, the location of Singita Mara River Tented Camp (MRTC) on a dramatic riverbend in the northernmost tip of the Serengeti has been amplified with its new look. Featuring eye-catching designs inspired by the vibrant colors and patterns of local Maasai geometrics, Mara’s new iteration is a cultural celebration that sets the tone for a stay that is warm, welcoming, and entirely true to this destination. Bold yet relaxed and unfussy, locally made furniture and accessories add comfort, an...