STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Scandic Hotels has signed a long-term lease agreement with Skanska for a new 210-room hotel in downtown Sundsvall. The new hotel, which will be attractively located in the city’s harbor area, will be built of wood, giving it a very high environmental standard. The hotel is expected to open during 2024. The hotel will be called Scandic Sundsvall Central. The hotel, which will be ideally located next to Sundsvall’s harbor and railway station, will have 210 rooms and a cozy restaurant and bar area on the ground floor. One floor up, guests will be able to enjoy the hotel’s...

MILL VALLEY, Calif.—Auberge Resorts Collection, a portfolio of award-winning hotels, resorts and residences, recently announced plans for a new coastal escape in South Carolina with The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection. Located along the Charleston coastline in the waterfront community of Kiawah River, the property offers 2,000 acres of picturesque land with 20 miles of riverfront, scenic nature trails and abundant marshlands set amongst native flora and fauna. With the groundbreaking planned for January 2022, The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection, will be a charming, family-friendly getaway that invites guests to take in the simple pleasures of an authentic sea island lifestyle upon its opening...

PHNOM PENH—CARDAMOM Tented Camp in Cambodia has witnessed the return of a small herd of elephants to its conservation area, after an absence of five years. A large group of Smooth Coated Otters are back too. Forest rangers discovered and photographed elephant footprints and droppings inside the 18,000-hectare forest concession, which the camp protects, with help from Wildlife Alliance and the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF). “From the size of the dung and the number of footprints, it seems that this is a herd of nine elephants comprising four adult females, their calves and one juvenile,” said John Roberts of GTAEF,...

SAN FRANCISCO—Comfort Inn by the Bay San Francisco, a franchisee of Choice Hotels International, Inc., recently partnered with Tradewater to become the first hotel in San Francisco to offer guests a voluntary carbon offset program while also offsetting the carbon footprint of the hotel. Tradewater’s easy-to-use carbon footprint calculator enables guests to offset the emissions from their travel to Comfort Inn by the Bay through the purchase of high-impact carbon offsets. These offsets are generated through Tradewater’s work collecting and destroying old refrigerants that are 10,900 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The resulting environmental benefit is measured in carbon offsets that...

SILVERTHORNE, COLO.—The Pad, a boutique hotel with hostel-style rooms and a high-end mountain modern design, has opened its doors and welcomed its first guests in the heart of Silverthorne, Colo. along the banks of the Blue River. As the first newly constructed boutique hostel in the Rocky Mountains, The Pad incorporated 18 upcycled shipping containers into its environmentally friendly construction and design. The Pad is one of the country’s first lodging properties to be constructed using upcycled shipping containers and is on track to becoming the first Colorado-based lodging company to attain B Corp. certification. “We’re using upcycled shipping containers and...

BAA ATOLL, MALDIVES—With the world-famous manta destination of Hanifaru Bay on its doorstep, Amilla Maldives Resort wanted to do more to help protect these magnificent creatures. So Amilla Maldives has teamed up with the Manta Trust, an NGO dedicated to protecting manta rays and the marine ecosystems they inhabit. Now, as a Manta Trust Responsible Operator hotel partner, Amilla is officially committed to minimizing the impact its guests have on the mantas and mobula rays they encounter. Manta Season runs from April to November in Baa Atoll, Maldives. Peak time is July, and when the lunar, tidal and weather conditions are perfect something magical happens in the...

BANGKOK—Encompassing three private islands—two deserted neighboring islands and Kanuhura itself—this laid-back retreat is the epitome of white sands, turquoise lagoons, lush tropical greenery and gently swaying palm trees to doze under. This second collaboration with Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) will adopt the Six Senses brand in late 2022 as a northerly sister to the popular Six Senses Laamu. Until then, it is available for bookings through www.kanuhura-maldives.com and www.ihg.com. When it adopts the Six Senses brand, the resort will offer 80 private overwater, beach and spacious family villas offering sunset or sunrise views. A 40-minute seaplane flight from the main international airport...

BANGKOK—Within just a few hours of the United States, Belize is known for its warm and turquoise water, incredible snorkeling and diving, and active and vibrant culture. Guests and residents at Six Senses Belize will experience something out of this world as the team has worked tirelessly to strike the perfect balance between vivacious beach life and small-scale, secluded island bliss so that residents can enjoy either or both, any time they wish. The resort and residences are uniquely set across two areas. The sun-drenched stretch of secret beachfront on Ambergris Caye, the most sought-after destination in Belize, offers an...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Fresh produce, locally sourced ingredients, herbs grown onsite—and a little bit of sunlight. These are the tools that Chef Josh Murray uses to create five-star dishes at SUMMIT the Rooftop at Conrad Washington D.C., a restaurant that’s making strides toward becoming a zero-waste kitchen. Working with pure and natural ingredients comes easy to Murray, who grew up on a farm in Spotsylvania, Va. He was raised dining on local ingredients—many from his own backyard. His appreciation for the healthy qualities that locally sourced produce can offer is just one of the factors that make Murray perfect to helm the eco-conscious cooking efforts...

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIF.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) announced the acquisition of the 41-room, beachfront Laguna Riviera Beach Resort. The historic Laguna Beach hotel marks SCP’s first expansion into California, and its sixth hotel overall. The acquisition advances SCP’s plan to expand its footprint into communities that align with SCP’s healthy, kind, green values. Opened in 1948, the Laguna Riviera is located directly on the beach just two blocks south of Downtown Laguna Beach. Described as a part French Riviera and part Mediterranean retreat, the resort boasts scenic coastal views, direct access to surfing and stand-up paddle boarding, and features a variety of...