I have attended the AAHOA Convention & Trade Show before. It is a great event. That is why it saddened me to read yesterday that the event will now be a virtual event after the host state, Florida, saw a significant spike in new COVID-19 infections. I live in Florida in Hillsborough County where the number of cases has gone up as well. This week we were told we must wear masks inside most businesses. We are starting to go backwards instead of forwards. I am not a scientist but I have read enough over the past few months to...

Guestroom attendants (GRAs) had a difficult enough job prior to COVID-19 with the constant exposure to hazardous chemicals, ergonomics-related aches and pains, and guest harassment so common that panic buttons were required. Add on having to wear PPE, dodge guests who might have COVID-19, and deal with even more chemicals and you have got quite an 8-hour day. In my book guestroom attendants should be treated like royalty as frequently as possible. This past week I learned that UMF Corp. is sponsoring the first annual Guest Room Attendant Excellence Award. “The award celebrates the often-unheralded workers who serve as the...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $11 billion in energy-cost savings by more than 950 public and private sector organizations in DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative. To date, partners have saved nearly 1.8 quadrillion British thermal units of energy, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 27 million homes in America over one year. Among the partners and allies that have achieved their energy goals this year: Loews Hotels & Co. Loews Hotels is the only hotel company to do so. (To learn a bit about Loews’ green policy, click here.) “Under the Trump Administration, we are...

According to the Good News Network, the British Columbian government has managed to provide housing for more than 200 homeless Canadians while simultaneously bringing economic support to struggling hotels during the COVID-19 crisis. Last month, provincial legislators purchased the Comfort Inn Hotel in Victoria for $18.5 million as a means of sheltering homeless people living in street encampments amidst the pandemic. In addition to the hotel being equipped with 65 rooms for temporary accommodations, the province is also rehiring laid-off hotel workers to help manage the facility. “Often people experiencing homelessness are not able to access the support and services they need,”...

I have received many press releases from hotel companies announcing new protocols for ensuring hygiene and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the companies have put together videos that demonstrate some of the steps they are taking. Perhaps no other company has put together a more polished video that encapsulates their initiatives than Palace Resorts and Le Blanc Spa Resorts. Click here to access that video that explains many of the company’s initiatives that comprise its Purely Palace program. Here are some examples from Purely Palace: Each team member has his or her temperature checked before walking through a...

Yes, you can still find a way to recognize green leadership in these crazy times. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Virginia Green Travel Alliance recently announced the winners of the 2019 Virginia Green Travel Star & Leader Awards. These awards are presented annually to Virginia’s greenest tourism operators and partners for their outstanding commitments to sustainability and contributions to green tourism in Virginia. The awards would have been presented in conjunction with the Virginia Green Travel Star Conference but it was postponed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, 18 Virginia tourism operations...

I will be chatting soon with someone from Dyson about the importance of handwashing and, just as important, proper hand drying—both extremely important in this new COVID-19 world. According to the PR person who contacted me about handwashing and Dyson, damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands. I found a press release from 2009 that backs this up. The hand dryer versus paper towel for public restrooms debate has been going on a long time. I have written about it previously for Green Lodging News. With COVID-19 everything is about touch points and of...

Malaysia’s Echo Resorts, the owning company for Gayana Marine Resort, Bunga Raya Island Resort and Borneo Eagle Resort, is keeping busy amidst the worldwide pandemic caused by the corona virus. While its hotel division is not operating due to global travel restrictions and the Movement Control Order imposed by the Malaysian government, it’s business as usual, if not more, for the other divisions. Organic Food Supply Its Borneo Eco Fish Farm by Bayu Aquaculture Sdn Bhd and Green-Os organic vegetable farm are seeing rising orders from consumers and restaurants since the pandemic began. Borneo Eco Fish Farm rears an assortment of...

One of my favorite events of the year, the HD Expo + Conference, originally slated to be held early next month in Las Vegas but canceled due to COVID-19, is going virtual from Tuesday, May 5 to Thursday, May 7. Via webcast there will be 12 free sessions and 40 presenters. A+D professionals can earn up to 12 CEU/LU credits. Among the sessions: “Emerging Trends: Leading-Edge Concepts in Wellbeing,” and “NEWH Green Voice: Technology for Healthy Buildings.” Speakers for the wellbeing session include: Kevin Boehm, Co-CEO, Co-Founder, Boka Restaurant Group; Kane Sarhan, Co-Founder & CCO, THE WELL; Aaron Richter, Senior Vice...

A while back I heard from Aly Valiani, President of Houston-based New Horizons Hospitality, Inc. regarding his company’s two LEED certified hotels. I finally had a chance to chat with him about the properties this past week. The first hotel is the 172-room LEED Silver certified Hilton Garden Inn Houston NW/America Plaza. The second is the 146-room Hyatt Place The Woodlands. I was curious to know how Valiani’s company had benefited from the LEED certification. First, Valiani told me his company’s seven Houston area hotels are currently averaging just 5 to 10 percent occupancy. Business has been hurt not only...