NATIONAL REPORT—“A healthy mind in a healthy body”, “food as medicine”, “you are what you eat”—these insights into food and well-being have been around for millennia, but today they are gaining more traction as consumer trends shift towards an increased demand for healthy, ethically-sourced food. Post-pandemic attitudes coupled with easy access to nutritional information have contributed to this rise in health awareness and new expectations. Nowadays, food has become more than a source of sustenance or pleasure—there is a growing demand for practices (from recipes to food production) that support personal and planetary well-being. The hospitality industry is set to play...

ABU DHABI, U.A.E.—Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers has announced a partnership with Canon Middle East to implement a Climate Contribution Project focused on compensating for unavoidable emissions related to Canon-based print operations at the hotel. This project reinforces both organizations’ commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible business practices. The initiative will compensate for approximately 5,610 kg of CO2 emissions generated annually by Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers’ 13 Canon printers, which process an estimated 430,530 print volumes. The program enables the luxury hotel to offset the environmental impact of its printer-related ink, paper and electricity consumption through investments in certified...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands has contributed $515,000 to The WASH Foundation, bringing the company’s total foundation contributions to its signature global Sands Cares partner to more than $6.1 million since 2014. The WASH Foundation aims to bring safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to the 4.2 billion people who lack access to these resources. The 2025 Sands Cares investment supports three foundation priorities: contributing hygiene supplies to people facing hardships through the annual Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build, funding innovative water initiatives in Sands’ local regions through the Drop by Drop Project and helping The WASH Foundation expand its hygiene education programs around the world. In...

CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOR, CALIF.—A recently published online survey by GlobeScan involving more than 1,000 Americans conducted the last week of March 2025 finds that overwhelmingly, Americans want CEOs to speak out about changes in our climate and DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion) initiatives. GlobeScan is an international advisory firm that specializes in advising companies about sustainability issues and helps organizations reduce risks due to changes in our climate. The study found that support for CEOs to express their environmental and sustainability concerns “cuts across both political and generational lines, including at least half of Republicans and older generations, not just Democrats or Gen Z.” More...

MUI NE, VIETNAM—The Anam Mui Ne, an Indochine-era inspired resort in Vietnam’s popular beach town Mui Ne, has provided three safe and stable houses to families facing hardship in the local area. In a meaningful initiative to support disadvantaged families, the resort, in collaboration with the People’s Committee of Thuan Hoa Commune, has donated the charity homes built in Thuan Hoa Commune, Ham Thuan Bac District, Binh Thuan Province. Established by The Anam Group’s founder and chairman Mr. Pham Van Hien, The Anam Foundation funded the project, valued at 240 million VND, that broke ground in mid-March 2025. The secure houses,...

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...