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Sustainable Technologies: How Smart Hotels Reduce Environmental Impact

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...

Hilton Celebrates Global Week of Engagement, Partners with Keep America Beautiful to Support Community Revitalization

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton, a global leader in hospitality, reported the significant impact of its annual Travel with Purpose Week, a global week of community engagement among its nearly half a million team members around the world. Every year, Hilton’s global community of team members come together to give back to the communities where they live, work and travel. By partnering with local organizations, Hilton’s corporate and property-based team members support local destination stewardship, career development, community resilience and other social and environmental priorities. This year, more than 1,200 events were held in communities around the world, contributing approximately 72,500 volunteer hours in...

Soul Community Planet Hotels Introduces Epic Experiences: Immersive, Expert-Led Adventures

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) Hotels, a holistic hospitality company serving those who value wellness, social good, and the environment, is excited to unveil its newest brand-wide program, Epic Experiences. This initiative is designed to help facilitate lasting take-home value for SCP guests through engaging, immersive, and educational guide-led adventures. Each Epic Experience emphasizes the destination’s culture and unique natural qualities—from California’s spectacular Mendocino coast to Oregon’s rugged Cascades and the vibrant jungle and tropical waters of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. “SCP’s Epic Experiences offer our guests one-of-a-kind opportunities to engage with our natural surroundings as locals would—in ways that...

Mohegan Sun Now Home to Most Tesla EV Chargers in Connecticut

UNCASVILLE, CONN.—Mohegan Sun, home to two unique casinos, an award-winning hotel and spa, top-ranking entertainment venues, 30+ dining experiences and the 130,000 square-foot Shops at Mohegan Sun which includes the only Tesla full-scale Sales & Delivery Center in the state, has rolled out brand-new Destination Chargers for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. This brings the total number of Tesla EV Destination Chargers, which are compatible with other EV car makers, to 60, making Mohegan Sun a hub for charging up, and home to the most Tesla chargers at one location in all of Connecticut. “With this 2nd phase of our partnership with Tesla complete, Mohegan Sun now has a...

Booking.com Launches Next Phase of Its Sustainability Program for Accommodation Partners

AMSTERDAM—Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms, has announced the latest evolution of the partner-focused facet of its sustainability program, putting the needs of accommodations front and center by testing an improved pathway to third-party certification. Sustainability now plays a core role in business operations across the travel and tourism industry, and substantiating these efforts through third-party certifications is increasingly critical. At the same time, global travelers are seeking new levels of clarity and consistency with almost half (45 percent)* sharing that coming across an accommodation labeled as more sustainable is increasingly appealing and more than two-thirds (67 percent)* agreeing that all...

Marriott International Announces Global Launch of Connect Responsibly with Marriott Bonvoy Events

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...

AHLA Foundation Announces Third Annual No Room for Trafficking Summit

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...

JW Marriott San Antonio Is Deep in the ‘Art’ of Texas

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...

Support of Procure Impact Suppliers Grows Stronger as More Hotel Companies Sign Dignity of Work Pledge

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...

IHG & EnviroSpark Join to Scale Availability of EV Chargers at Hotels in U.S. & Canada

ATLANTA—IHG Hotels & Resorts announced an agreement with EnviroSpark, an industry leader in the design, installation, and operation of electrical vehicle (EV) charging solutions, to make electric vehicle chargers (EVCs) available to all IHG-branded hotels across the United States and Canada. IHG hotels can now partner with EnviroSpark on EVCs depending on their individual needs and requirements. This agreement will further expand on IHG’s 1,100 hotels globally with EVCs and meet the growing customer demand for EV charging on the road while supporting a shift to a low-carbon economy. The EVCs that will be available at IHG-branded hotels in North America are...