Thank you to PhocusWire for providing this blog entry. The resurgence of global tourism post-pandemic has brought with it a pressing challenge: overcrowding at major attractions. As cities and cultural sites grapple with this issue, governments, destination managers, and travel service providers are reevaluating their strategies to strike a balance between visitor access and the preservation of cultural heritage. In Italy, the Colosseum in Rome became a focal point of controversy when the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) fined CoopCulture and six tour operators €20 million. The issue? Unfair ticket distribution practices that limited public access. CoopCulture was...

Over the years, I have come across many instances of hotels or convention centers with rooftop hives for the production of honey. Oftentimes, that honey is used in a special drink. A number of years ago, the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort in Lincolnshire, Ill., partnered with a local brewery, Tighthead Brewing Company in creating custom honey beer. At that time, Executive Chef Pierre Daval told me, “The beer is awesome. It has a crisp, refreshing taste. There is an awesome flower aroma.” This past week I learned that the Sheraton Dallas has unveiled House Honey Lager, a collaborative creation with popular Dallas-based craft beer brewery, Manhattan Project...

If you happen to have a 150-million-year-old cave to use for dinner and a show, why not use it? In Vietnam’s north, such a cave has become the extraordinary setting for an immersive theatrical show and a fine dining celebration of hyper-local Vietnamese cuisine. On May 30 this year, Asia Premier Cruises (APC) Corp. welcomed its first guests to the 2.5-hour cave dining and entertainment experience at the majestic 4,000-square-meter Dragon Pearl Cave, about a 30-minute drive from Halong City. At 45 meters above sea level, Dragon Pearl Cave is one of the largest caves in the Bai Tu Long area of...

What green news topics are currently capturing the most lodging industry interest? I took a look at Green Lodging News data and the following are the top 10 most read articles from the Green Lodging News website so far this year: 1. Optimizing Pool Operations with Ecolab AquaIQ Program 2. Earth Day Highlights from Properties & Companies Around the Planet 3. Bill Moving Through Maine Legislature Would Phase Out Most Single-Use Plastic Amenity Bottles 4. Marina Bay Sands Earns Global Sustainability Certification 5. New Report Details Size of Global Wellness Economy, Related Tourism 6. Marriott Makes Much Progress Toward 2025 Serve 360 Goals 7. Is Your...

Whenever my family eats out and we are automatically offered plastic straws for our drinks, we tell the server we do not need them and to take them back. With what we know about plastic straws—they are non-biodegradable and take hundreds of years to decompose and break down into microplastics—you would think they would no longer be used…but no. They are still all too common in hospitality. Numerous hotel companies have pledged to stop buying plastic straws. Six years ago, Marriott phased them out. Five years ago, Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. eliminated single-use straws from its branded properties as part of...

HITEC will kick off next week at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis (June 16 to 19). Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals announced earlier this week that exhibit space is officially sold out, with 360+ companies exhibiting across 81,500 net sq. ft. of exhibit space. Among the companies exhibiting that fall into the green lodging space: Bodhi, EISI SOFT, Growth Advisors International Network, Honeywell Building Automation, Intello by TELUS Business, National Battery Supply, Smartcon Solutions, Verdant Energy Management Solutions, Vingcard | ASSA ABLOY | Nomadix, VDA Telkonet, Zennio, Cisco Systems, Inc., OpenKey, PressReader, Samsung Electronics America, FreshAir Sensor, Intelity and Topanga IO. Related...

With its apartment-style accommodations located in destinations such as New York, Dallas and Denver, Mint House, Inc. is proving its approach to hospitality can result in a much lighter environmental impact. According to Mint House, it produces, on average, 23 percent less CO2 emissions daily compared to a traditional mid-scale hotel and 56 percent less waste compared to an upscale hotel with food & beverage and conference space. Mint House, which recently added properties in Washington, D.C. and Madison, Wis., takes care of 10 percent to 100 percent of the apartments in the buildings it manages. For the 20 properties...

In a recent Publisher’s Point of View column, I reported that Hawaii’s governor intended to sign SB1396, creating the climate impact fee, or “green fee,” that will help the islands to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the roughly 10 million annual visitors it welcomes to its shores. According to AP, that legislation was signed by Hawaii Governor Josh Green yesterday. The legislation boosts a tax imposed on hotel room and vacation rental stays in order to raise money to address eroding shorelines, wildfires and other consequences of climate change. The measure adds an additional 0.75 percent to the daily room rate...

Back in February, Green Lodging News reported that Field & Stream Lodge Co.—a new hospitality brand rooted in the enduring legacy of Field & Stream, the iconic American outfitter established in 1871—had plans to open the doors to its flagship property: Field & Stream Bozeman, in May. That hotel is now open. Located one mile from downtown and immersed in Montana’s legendary landscape of rivers, mountains, and trails, the 179-room lodge is designed for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. “Field & Stream Bozeman is designed as a comfortable basecamp to hang gear, warm up, dry out, and recharge after a day...

Green Lodging News reported earlier this week that Choice Hotels International, Inc. had released its 2024 Sustainability Report. The report covers the fiscal year of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. Choice is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world, with over 7,500 hotels representing more than 650,000 rooms in 46 countries and territories. Choice’s sustainability strategy and initiatives, many of which align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), demonstrate its commitment to being a responsible steward for people and the planet. “We are committed to propelling the success of others and building a...