DENHAM, ENGLAND—IHG Hotels & Resorts has launched Journey to Tomorrow, a series of ambitious new commitments to make a positive difference for people, communities and planet over the next decade. Guided by IHG’s purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good, it will work side by side with those who stay, work and partner with it, to help shape the future of responsible travel—supporting people and making a positive difference to local communities, while preserving the planet’s beauty and diversity long into the future. In an open letter, IHG’s CEO, Keith Barr, said that the global response to Covid-19 has shown what can be achieved when organizations...

BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Eight decades after McDonald’s restaurant revolutionized a speedier way to prepare and serve meals, the fast-food giant is once again setting new standards in the industry, laying the groundwork for a more ecologically responsible place to dine. The façade of the 8,000-square-foot McDonald’s at Disney World in Buena Vista, Fla., not only appears strikingly different than its traditional restaurant chain, but every segment of the building has been meticulously designed to create the world’s first “net-zero” fast food restaurant. “It’s McDonald’s goal to reduce its carbon emissions across its portfolio,” said Jean Gibbons, WSP USA Buildings Vice President. “McDonald’s...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added SportsArt as a Founding Sponsor at the Silver level. As the green fitness company, SportsArt believes movement is energy and that our human energy can make the planet more sustainable—one workout at a time. SportsArt’s mission is to create superior fitness equipment that helps people find their best selves while being as environmentally friendly as possible. The heart of SportsArt’s brand comes together in its ECO-POWR line of cardio equipment that captures 74 percent of the energy generated during a workout and feeds it back into the facility’s grid, offsetting consumption and providing meaningfulness to guests’...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Snowmass Base Village (SBV) introduces the all-electric and appropriately named Electric Pass Lodge. Designed to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, this development will be one of the first of its kind in the country. The building will include 53 ski-in/ski-out, for-sale residences at the base of the iconic Snowmass Ski Area. “If you own a home at a ski resort, you’re inherently invested in the preservation of snow,” says Andy Gunion, Roaring Fork Valley Managing Partner for East West Partners. “Nobody wants their ski home to contribute to climate change, but the reality is most do—either...

The government of Spain recently announced a public process to identify projects to which to allocate European Recovery Funds. Meliá Hotels International, one of the world’s largest international hotel groups, revealed the third of the projects it has submitted to the government’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. The project aims to help combat climate change and push forward the decarbonization of the hotel industry. Specifically, the project presented to the Ministry aims to accelerate the transformation of hotel management (and its entire value chain) towards a more sustainable and responsible business model, something in which Meliá has been working...

MONTEBELLO, CALIF.—In keeping with its commitment to safety, performance and sustainability, ALLIED Hospitality—the hospitality bedding division of ALLIED Feather + Down, a family-owned global manufacturer of luxury bedding products—is announcing a new partnership with FUZE technology, available in 2021 to all hospitality bedding partners. While the global COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the hospitality industry as a whole, there will come a time in the near future when business and leisure travel resumes. And like never before, the needs of the post-pandemic traveler will place an emphasis on cleanliness and safety, as hotel bedding can almost literally become a matter of...

KENNESAW, GA.—Carrier has released i-Vu Pro v8 software for the i-Vu building automation system. This latest update features new commissioning and visualization tools to help building owners and operators gain more insights on how their heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are operating. In addition, the software now supports the latest industry-standards for building automation, providing enhanced interoperability, usability, and security. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corp., a leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions. “The latest i-Vu software tools provide building operators with more visibility into their day-to-day operations, and...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added SportsArt to the Fitness Equipment section of its Green Product & Service Directory. As the green fitness company, SportsArt believes movement is energy and that our human energy can make the planet more sustainable—one workout at a time. SportsArt’s mission is to create superior fitness equipment that helps people find their best selves while being as environmentally friendly as possible. The heart of SportsArt’s brand comes together in its ECO-POWR line of cardio equipment that captures 74 percent of the energy generated during a workout and feeds it back into the facility’s grid, offsetting...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—Sunny Dronawat, Managing Partner of the La Quinta Inn and Suites by Wyndham Louisville East, along with his partners, recently opened one of the country’s only solar and wind powered hotels and certainly the only one in Kentucky. The 94-room hotel, which had its soft launch on January 1, is doing well so far, Dronawat says. “We want to make sure every room is perfect,” he says. The property’s official opening will depend on how quickly the economy opens. Unique to the hotel is its 60 solar panels on its roof, each of which generates 300 watts for a total...

Repeatedly throughout my time as editor of Green Lodging News I have come across entrepreneurs—hotel owners—who spend more than is typical, even without government or utility help, to build highly efficient hotels. Yes, they recognize the business upside to going green—the lower energy, water, and waste costs—but there is usually something else driving that investment. I always try to ask what that is. When I spoke with Sunny Dronawat this past week about his recently opened solar and soon to be wind powered La Quinta Inn and Suites by Wyndham Louisville East (Kentucky), I asked him why he decided to...