NEW YORK—Neil Jacobs, the visionary former CEO of Six Senses, announces the launch of his new company: Wild Origins. This marks a new chapter for one of hospitality’s most influential leaders, following a 13-year tenure that redefined sustainable and experiential travel. “Wild Origins is about building what’s next,” says Jacobs, Founder of Wild Origins. We are partnering with people and projects that are bold and purposeful. I believe the best ideas feel both inevitable and inspired, while being deeply grounded in purpose.” Wild Origins is a purpose-driven advisory collective and creative studio that brings soulful and sustainable projects to life. Rooted...

  WASHINGTON, D.C.—Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown has installed 275 solar panels on the hotel’s rooftop to offset energy consumption. With a long history of environmental stewardship, Fairmont has fully embraced the company-wide initiative designed to reduce the impact of hotel operations on the environment. “Adding solar panels to our rooftop significantly increases our commitment to energy conservation, and the reduction of carbon emissions contributes to a cleaner environment,” says Mark Huntley, Regional Vice President & General Manager. The solar panels are expected to produce 130,000 kilowatt hours for the first year, and offset electricity by at least 2 percent. Installed by ROI Construction, the...

NEW YORK—Eighty-seven percent of U.S. companies say they’ve maintained or increased their investment in business sustainability efforts this year, according to the 2025 U.S. Business Sustainability Landscape Outlook: Executive Perspectives on Supply Chain Disruption, Resilience and Competitiveness, released by EcoVadis. The findings reveal a shifting approach: companies are still prioritizing business sustainability behind the scenes, but fewer are promoting it publicly. Executives see sustainability as a way to stay competitive and resilient, especially at a time when the scaling back of ESG regulatory oversight raises concerns about greater supply chain disruption. The report identifies five major trends shaping corporate sustainability strategy in 2025: ...

TAMPA, FLA.—With roots going all the way back to 1926, McKibbon Hospitality has a long history of developing and managing hotels. Along the way, the company has guided hotels representing all the major brands through their sustainability initiatives—saving energy, water and reducing waste while building a culture of community and giving. For almost three years, Rafael Ibarcena has led McKibbon Hospitality’s Corporate Social Responsibility program. Green Lodging News interviewed Ibarcena, the company’s Corporate Sustainability Manager, to learn about the unique leadership and services McKibbon Hospitality provides and how it interacts with each brand’s own sustainability initiatives. The following are the...

HOUSTON—Imperial Ridge Real Estate Capital, a national private commercial real estate lender based in Colorado, and Amalgamated Bank announced they have partnered to provide $4 million in Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing. In addition to the C-PACE financing Imperial Ridge provided $2.9 million in senior construction financing to support the adaptive reuse of an aging unflagged hotel into much-needed workforce housing in Houston. The property is located near George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an area experiencing strong demand for more attainable housing. The 74,091-square-foot building, originally built in 1983 as a Holiday Inn, is undergoing a full renovation by The 702 LLC, which purchased the...

NATIONAL REPORT—Given the immense climatic challenges we currently face and the growing consumer demand for more sustainable products and services, businesses in every sector are starting to take their environmental impact seriously. In hospitality, the situation is no different. Energy consumption in the industry is high, with cooling, lighting, heating, and ventilation responsible for up to 60 percent of a hotel’s CO2 emissions. Energy-intensive extras such as heated swimming pools, excessive water and plastic use, and food waste also contribute to the industry’s environmental impacts. Given these unavoidable energy requirements and resource needs, hotels must be smart about increasing energy efficiency and reducing their...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. announced the launch of Connect Responsibly with Marriott Bonvoy Events (Connect Responsibly), a program designed to help meeting planners embed sustainability into their events at participating hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Connect Responsibly plans to offer meetings and events customers access to detailed Meeting Impact Reports to measure the environmental impact of their events and select options to purchase carbon credits. The program is anticipated to go live at managed and franchised properties from participating brands globally by the end of October. “There is nothing like connecting in person, and doing so responsibly makes it that much...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—AHLA Foundation announced their third annual No Room for Trafficking Summit will take place July 30, 2024, the same day as the United Nation’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. At last year’s No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Summit, the inaugural grantees of the NRFT Survivor Fund were announced, including: Safe House Project, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), Restore NYC, Inc., University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE) Center for Human Trafficking Survivors. AHLA Foundation also shared quantitative and qualitative data demonstrating the impact the four Survivor Grantees have made to-date with the $500,000 disseminated across their respective organizations: Collectively, the...

SAN ANTONIO—The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is filled with hidden gems including the elevated artwork that fills this luxurious resort. Hallways and common spaces feature unique, sophisticated work by locally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed artists, giving guests the opportunity to roam the resort to tour and discover the magnificent art pieces curated for guests to enjoy as a new indoor activity. The “Art Walk” takes resort guests throughout the upper and lower-level lobbies where they can view and read about 13 different pieces of art on a self-guided tour. Guides can be picked up at the...

NATIONAL REPORT—In late February, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Procure Impact, a first-of-its-kind B2B marketplace for products that support overlooked communities, announced the launch of the Dignity of Work Pledge, an initiative to create 100,000 hours of paid employment for overlooked populations. At the time of the announcement, eight hotel companies had signed the Pledge. According to Jen Collins, President of Procure Impact, three companies have since signed on, five have verbally committed, and Procure Impact is in conversation with 15 more. There are now more than 150,000 hotel rooms represented. Hotel companies that purchase from companies in...