LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR), the highest scoring Certified B Corp hotel company in North America, has just debuted their latest eco-friendly renovation project at the company’s signature Lake Buena Vista property. The multi-million-dollar redevelopment includes enhancements to the resort across the design, guest experience, and sustainability programs. Encompassing 28 three-bedroom villas, the project showcases a seamless integration of the brand persona and core values towards a more regenerative approach to tourism thanks to a variety of elements that lower the overall carbon footprint of the business. Highlights include a new solar panel array, elimination of single-use...

RHOME, TEXAS—A-Gas, a world leader in environmentally responsible lifecycle refrigerant management, announced their attendance at the July 2023 RefriAmericas Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over two days, from July 26 to 27, A-Gas educated visitors on the benefits of lifecycle refrigerant management practices, from use to reclamation or safe destruction. To be effectively reclaimed and reused, refrigerant gases must be properly recovered. Releasing these gases into the atmosphere to dispose of them is not only illegal, but it also eliminates these valuable gases from the supply chain. Through proper recovery and reclamation, refrigerant gases such as HFCs can be...

SWORDS, IRELAND—Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, announced it has earned the Great Place to Work Certification for the third consecutive year. The certification is based entirely on feedback from the company’s employees. This year, 87 percent of Trane Technologies’ employees say it’s a great place to work compared to 57 percent at a typical U.S.-based company. Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. “At Trane Technologies, we are committed to creating an inclusive, uplifting and engaging culture where people feel empowered to help us...

SUWANEE, GA.—Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US LLC (METUS), a leading supplier of all-climate Ductless and Ducted Mini-split and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heat-pump and air-conditioning systems, announces the introduction of Hybrid VRF, a cutting-edge two-pipe VRF zoning system designed to use water instead of refrigerant in indoor spaces. The Hybrid VRF system exchanges heat between refrigerant and water using Mitsubishi Electric’s proprietary Hybrid Branch Circuit Controller (HBC). The HBC enables Hybrid VRF to provide heat recovery for simultaneous heating and cooling while keeping indoor piping refrigerant-free and reducing the system’s overall refrigerant charge. Hybrid VRF is compatible with CITY MULTI N-Generation outdoor...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Climate change, freshwater depletion, unsustainable use of resources, and biodiversity collapse are some of the most pressing challenges faced by humanity today. As the world’s population increases, so does the pressure on the world’s natural resources and on local communities. While hospitality might on the surface be less damaging than other industries where pollution is more visible (manufacturing, transport, agriculture, etc.), the hospitality service sector and its supply chain are directly affecting and being affected by sustainability matters. Energy and water consumption, working conditions, employment, waste, and carbon emission are among the issues which need to be urgently...

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—The Beverly Hilton and the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, two of California’s most iconic luxury hotels and champions for the environment, together with Nostromo Energy, provider of breakthrough energy storage solutions for commercial buildings, announced the launch of Nostromo’s sustainable energy storage system serving the two adjacent hotels. The system is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enable the hotels to reach their sustainability goals while saving on energy costs. This project with hotel ownership and leading real-estate asset management groups Alagem Capital Group and Cain International marks the first hospitality industry partnership using Nostromo’s innovative technology. During peak hours, air conditioning...

TORONTO & LAS VEGAS—This week hoteliers will have two opportunities to see the latest in energy-management solutions for hotels. Verdant will display its popular digital thermostats at HITEC Toronto, June 27 to 30 in Booth 607 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, and at The Hospitality Show (THS), June 28 to 29 at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. While there, the Montreal-based company will introduce a new mobile app and a new energy service-optimization program. “Travelers are returning, and many say they are willing to spend more in 2023 than the previous year—that’s the good news,” said Verdant General Manager Michael Serour. “The...

NATIONAL REPORT—Interest in eco-friendly commercial buildings is on the rise and scrutiny of organizations’ ESG initiatives mean building owners’ and other stakeholders’ reputations and revenue depend upon them taking steps to become more sustainable. The Center on Global Energy Policy recently reported the buildings sector worldwide consumes approximately 30 percent of global energy—natural gas, electricity and solid and liquid fuels for heating, cooling, lighting, equipment and cooking. The commentary also pointed out the importance of decarbonization in the buildings sector. Interest in eco-friendly commercial buildings is on the rise, especially with increasing reports of global warming and companies’ impact of using vast amounts of...

AHLA last conducted The Lodging Survey with STR in 2018. It provided valuable information on numerous trends in lodging, including ones falling under Sustainability. AHLA and STR no longer conduct that survey. A very valuable replacement to that survey is the 2022 Green Lodging Trends U.S. Market Report. It is based on U.S.-specific data gathered for the 2022 edition of the global Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR). The newly available U.S. report from AHLA—representing its Responsible Stay program—is based on data from 17,000 U.S. hotels. There were two data collection methods: direct participation by responding to the GLTR survey on...

NEW YORK—One of Manhattan’s most prominent luxury hotels—the 463 all-suite Conrad New York Downtown—keeps pushing the bar higher for sustainability leadership in the Big Apple. Since opening in 2012, the hotel has maintained its LEED Gold certification, implemented numerous water-, energy- and waste-saving initiatives, and it just recently became the first hotel in the city and one of the first in the U.S. to utilize Power Over Ethernet (PoE) technology. The Sinclair in Fort Worth, Texas also uses this technology. PoE is used at the Conrad New York Downtown to power LED lighting in the lobby, in the newly renovated...