DENHAM, ENGLAND—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced a partnership with technology company Winnow to help its hotels automatically track, measure and reduce food waste for more sustainable and efficient restaurant and bar operations. IHG is the first global hotel company to use the award-winning Winnow Vision AI enabled technology, which will help its hotels achieve a 30 percent reduction in food waste. Using an intelligent camera, smart scales and AI-based smart meter technology, Winnow Vision analyzes ingredients during food preparation, as well as plates returned to the kitchen, to assess which food items are most wasted and in what quantities....

SAN FRANCISCO—Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton’s All Suites portfolio, announced its newest property and the first open hotel built through modular construction in Bay Area history, the Home2 Suites by Hilton San Francisco Airport North. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the hotel features 155 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Through an efficient modular building process, the hotel will meet San Francisco’s booming tourism demand, where already-strong tourism numbers grew by 3 percent in 2018 to a record 26.3 million visitors. “Thanks to its high demand but equally high...

NATIONAL REPORT—The early June announcement by CKI Solutions that it has entered the mattress recycling business elevates the number of companies specializing in nationwide hospitality mattress recycling to at least two. Another is DH Companies. Green Lodging News spoke with Steven Gordon, President of CKI Solutions, about his company’s new venture. “We have been in the bedding accessory business for 22 years,” Gordon says. “About five or six years ago we started manufacturing mattresses for the cruise industry in partnership with Hilding Anders AB. We saw the green initiatives in the cruise industry. There was a major void in mattress...

PARIS—To celebrate Pollinator Month, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a pioneer of responsible tourism and sound environmental practices, has announced the next evolution of its Bee Sustainable programming with the launch of a new interactive digital hub, fairmontbeesustainable.com. The new platform was created to help educate guests and Fairmont colleagues about the importance of global bee health and to encourage visitors to follow along through in-depth analysis, real time hive monitoring and the latest updates from its rooftop apiaries and bee hotels. “As the first luxury hotel brand to develop comprehensive on-site bee programming, Fairmont is an industry leader in the support...

PHOENIX—Classic Hotels & Resorts recently announced its partnership with 1% for the Planet, a globally-recognized alliance of businesses that understand the necessity of protecting the natural environment, as the network’s first ever hotel management company to join. Pledging 1% of its annual hotel management revenues to sustainability-focused nonprofit organizations, Classic also co-sponsored a portion of the network’s Global Summit which took place last month. “Our member companies have donated more than $175 million to our environmental nonprofit partners to date,” says Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet. “Currently, only 3 percent of total philanthropy goes to the environment...