LONDON—Following guest feedback, a vegan suite is now available for reservation at the design-led Hilton London Bankside. The suite, created in partnership with multi-sensory design experts Bompas & Parr and given the thumbs up by The Vegan Society, offers a vegan experience throughout, from a plant-based check-in desk and keycard to vegan-friendly bedding and eco-cotton carpet. Responding to evolving values, the whole suite has undergone a complete refurbishment. Reimagining the aesthetic associated with a contemporary vegan lifestyle, everything from the pillow options and toiletries to the in-room menu and minibar offerings have been redesigned to create a boutique, luxurious and...

LHAVIANI ATOLL, MALDIVES—Crown & Champa Resorts has opened its 100 percent solar-powered Kudadoo Maldives Private Island. The luxury resort is 200 meters long by 200 meters wide and was designed by Yuji Yamazaki. Included on the island are 13 one-bedroom residences and two two-bedroom residences. According to Crown & Champa Resorts, at every point in the design and operation of Kudadoo, the team has carefully selected and purposefully minimized its environmental impact. Together with architect Yuji Yamazaki, Crown & Champa has sourced exclusively eco-conscious materials for the residences, including wood from sustainably managed forests in Canada, New Zealand and Indonesia. Solar...

KNOXVILLE, TENN.—Knoxville businessman Tom Boyd announced that a new 40-acre resort with more than 150 unique dwellings and treehouses, a 150-seat restaurant, a 500-person meeting and event center, and a 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater will open in South Knoxville in 2020. The $40 million project is expected to draw 200,000 visitors annually. No motor-driven vehicles will be used, rather electric golf carts designed as ancient wagons to transport guests to the various areas they want to visit. Parking is hidden from view, and roads are lined with trees to protect village views. The resort, called “Ancient Lore Village at Boyd Hollow,”...

DENVER—Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center officially opened its doors as the largest combined resort and convention center in Colorado. Just 10 minutes from Denver International Airport, the resort is the fifth Gaylord Hotels property and one of the largest resorts in the world to debut under the Marriott International brand this year. Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center has 1,501 rooms, 485,000 square feet of convention center space and an extensive indoor/outdoor water park on an 85-acre site. Numerous steps have been taken at the complex to reduce its environmental impact: Straw-less drinks: As part of the Marriott initiative to eliminate plastic straws and stirrers from...

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.—Six months after soft opening in Colorado Springs, the 176-room SCP hotel there is enjoying “off the charts” reviews according to Ken Cruse, CEO of Soul Community Planet, LLC, the parent company of SCP Hotels. The renovation of what once was a Knights Inn and other branded properties is attracting travelers and locals with its eco-industrial vibe and features such as the SCP fitness center. The SCP Hotel Colorado Springs is the first of several green, community-focused hotels planned by Soul Community Planet. The next one will open in Redmond, Ore. Cruse says he and his core team had been...

PHILADELPHIA—Sofitel Philadelphia has created the Earth Day Every Day initiative to instill a culture of environmental accountability, and to encourage action. The hotel is part of The Accor Planet 21 Program which places value on recycling, composting, and is based around four strategic priorities: work with its employees, involve its customers, innovate with its partners, and work with local communities. On a larger scale, Sofitel Philadelphia has a rooftop garden where herbs and produce are grown to use right in the kitchen for its guests. The hotel also has started doing dinners around honeycomb tastings because it houses half-a-million...

FÉLICITÉ ISLAND, SEYCHELLES—October marked the first anniversary of the coral restoration program at Six Senses Zil Pasyon and the beginning of the next chapter in the project, which aims to restore a seafloor area of about 6,500 square feet (600 square meters). During the one-year period, corals grew over 200 percent on average, with a growth range of between 85 and 422 percent per harvested segment. Survival rate was 93.4 percent, with most of the loss resulting from nursery damage that unfortunately took place during August’s rough monsoon season. The restoration program, which saw the resort collaborate with local NGOs...

GULF SHORES, ALA.—The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel opened its doors after a much-anticipated return to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Guests of the 350-room, beachfront hotel, located within Alabama’s Gulf State Park, will enjoy views of the Gulf of Mexico or Lake Shelby with direct access to the emerald green waters of the Gulf and over 6,150 acres of trails and activities within the Park. The Lodge at Gulf State Park is the first full service hotel to open in the area in 20 years. It is a premier meetings and events destination, offering a wide array of...

MALOLO ISLAND, FIJI—The annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) has announced the winners for the HICAP 2018 Sustainable Hotel Awards and Six Senses Fiji has taken the title in the Climate Action Category. The awards are designed to recognize hotels in the Asia Pacific region, creating innovative new methods, strategies and technologies to face today’s sustainable development challenge, while providing tangible examples of sustainable best practices that can be replicated and adapted across the region. For climate efforts, Six Senses Fiji is honored to have been awarded top spot for a range of initiatives that are practiced within the resort....

CHICAGO—Olympia Hotel Management announces the opening of SOPHY Hyde Park, the new 98-room boutique hotel located at 53rd Street and Dorchester Avenue in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Developed by The Olympia Companies and SMART Hotels, SOPHY Hyde Park is managed by Olympia Hotel Management and aligns with Olympia’s expertise in developing and managing independent, award-winning boutique properties that evoke a strong sense of place and become an integral part of the community. General Manager Anthony Beach is a former Hyde Park resident and an alumnus of nearby Hyde Park Academy High School. Historic South Side Chicago Neighborhood For locals and visitors alike,...