A staple of every great hotel or lodging is having an incredible menu on offer for visitors. On a global scale, hotels and resorts are working to integrate more selections in their dining menus that utilize organic produce, natural products, and hormone-free meats and dairy items. These specific efforts will, in time, reduce the carbon footprint of the lodging in a way that supports the health and wellness of guests and the environment. In order for travelers to take more eco-friendly trips, hotels should be prepared to offer dining services that comply with the mission of sustainability. After a long day hiking with...

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—It was not long ago that beer and wine bottles at the 97-room Ranch at Laguna Beach left the property in the same shape in which they came—only empty and bound for an off-site recycling center. Today those same types of bottles stay at the property but are pulverized by a GL Sand Machine that turns the glass into sand that can be used to replenish the sand in bunkers on the resort’s golf course or the sand at the nearby beach. Signage on the golf course explains the story behind the new sand. According to General...

TROY, OHIO—Because combi ovens shouldn’t require intensive training before they can be used, Vulcan is introducing a new restaurant combi that features both high performance and intuitive, simple operation. The Vulcan ABC7-P Combi is the newest addition to Vulcan’s ABC line of combi ovens. It’s built to deliver the precision cooking chefs require with the ease of use the line needs to take advantage of the speed, versatility and product quality combi cooking offers. “Combi ovens in restaurants are often too difficult to use,” said Ray Bittikofer, Vulcan’s Business Unit Manager of combi ovens. “When this happens, kitchen staff tend to...

LINCOLNSHIRE, ILL.—Chicago Marriott Lincolnshire Resort unveiled the details of its $25 million renovation that has transformed nearly every aspect of the resort—from introducing two new restaurants to the Chicagoland dining scene—Three Embers and Wrights Brew & Bistro—adding a full-service Starbucks Café, new day Spa—Xhale Spa—and renovating all the resort guestrooms with comfort and modern technology in mind. The iconic resort is managed by The Bricton Group and home of the award-winning Marriott Theatre. Three Embers, the resort’s signature restaurant, celebrates Midwest cuisine with simple, locally grown and sourced, farm-fresh ingredients, while integrating influential flavors from various regions throughout southern Europe. Local diners,...

As referenced in last week’s column, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AHLA), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, recently released results from a set of projects demonstrating innovative strategies aimed at reducing food waste in the hotel industry. I believe it is one of most worthwhile sustainability projects in which AHLA has participated. Based on the results of the project, a website—an online toolkit—was launched. You can find it at www.hotelkitchen.org. Ten hotel properties participated in the 12 weeks of demonstration projects, including a mix of full-service branded hotels and several independent operations across...

BOULDER, COLO.—Eco-Products has earned awards for two of its compostable containers: an innovative snack cup and a take-out container. Eco-Products was the only company to be honored for two separate products in this year's QSR/FPI Foodservice Packaging Awards competition. Eco-Products’ Grip & Dip Snack Cup earned first place in the Innovation in Manufacturing category. Its WorldView Three-Compartment Take-Out Container earned the second-place award for Innovation in Convenience. “We are proud that our products were recognized for making life easier for everyone from stadiums to fans, from restaurants to their guests,” said Sarah Martinez, Director of Marketing for Eco-Products. “We are committed to...

NEW YORK—HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York wrapped up earlier this week at the Javits Center in New York. As posted on Green Lodging News, it was announced that HX: The Hotel Experience has transitioned to full ownership under Hospitality Management Group (HMG), a division of ST Media Group. HX was previously co-owned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association (NYSHTA). Also posted on Green Lodging News during the trade shows: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the American Hotel...

NEW YORK—World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, has unveiled results from a set of projects demonstrating innovative strategies aimed at reducing food waste in the hotel industry. Based on the results, WWF, AHLA, and The Rockefeller Foundation are releasing a toolkit with strategies to help hotel properties and brands meet measurable, time-bound goals to reduce food waste. Ten hotel properties participated in the 12 weeks of demonstration projects, including a mix of full-service branded hotels and several independent operations across the country. They tested different waste reduction strategies,...

SEATTLE—Hotel Theodore, the next addition to Provenance Hotels’ award-winning collection of art-filled, independent lifestyle hotels, is now open and taking reservations for stays in Seattle. The 153-room hotel located at the intersection of Pine and 7th Streets in the heart of downtown pays tribute to the Seattle innovators, past and present, whose ideas revolutionized daily life in ways both big and small with a collection of photography, patent drawings and artifacts curated in collaboration with the city’s Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI). Playful amenities and thoughtful programming at Hotel Theodore also reflect attention to the needs and desires of...

CHINO, CALIF.—Lollicup USA Inc. will halt all production on PS (polystyrene) hot cup lids starting the end of this year, and will only produce PP (polypropylene) hot cup lids. This unprecedented decision is based on Lollicup’s move towards producing products that are recyclable, compostable, and eco-friendly. “PP is more heat resistant than PS, more environmentally friendly, and leaves less of a carbon foot print,” said Lollicup’s founder and CEO Alan Yu. This decision could not be timelier, as the world’s largest coffee chain has recently switched their lids from PS to PP, and the PS lids are on the Plastics Ban...