I often hear from organizations writing with the intention of sharing valuable information about a topic of relevance to all of us. This past week I heard from PCLiquidations.com. They shared their Complete Guide to Electronic Waste Recycling with me. Click here to check it out. According to PCLiquidations.com, Electronics is becoming one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams in the world. As devices become more accessible and affordable, more and more of these items go into landfills. According to DoSomething.org, the United States is the biggest contributor of e-waste annually. Americans throw away 9.4 million tons of used electronics...

Is it just me or shouldn’t have Accor already done this for guests and visitors? Global hospitality leader Accor announced that effective immediately, all guests and visitors at Accor properties across North & Central America are required to wear face coverings in all indoor public spaces to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Accor employees have already been required to wear masks, in addition to other preventive measures implemented as part of the Group’s global ALLSAFE cleanliness label and the region’s ‘ALL Safe & Well’ wellbeing platform. “We remain deeply committed to taking the necessary steps to protect the health and...

The summer is almost over for many of you but here in the south and in many spots around the planet there are many weeks or months of hot sun remaining. Using the right sunscreen can prevent skin damage and protect you and your guests from skin cancer. If you have a retail establishment on property, do you know which sunscreens are safest for your guests? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just updated it’s Guide to Sunscreens with 120 more SPF products—for a total of more than 1,400 products. Lists of products by category: Best Beach and Sport Sunscreens: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/ Best Moisturizers with SPF: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-moisturizers-with-spf/ Best Lip...

Nearly 4,000 consumers from 48 countries and territories responded to the Wellness Tourism Association’s second consumer survey, revealing their motivations for taking a Wellness Vacation as the industry begins to recover. The three-month (April, May, June 2020) online consumer survey was administered in collaboration with WTA Member, Professor Danny Kessler Ph.D. from Youngsan University, Busan, South Korea. Respondents were 54 percent female with 73 percent between the ages 26 to 74 (Millennials and Baby Boomers), and with close to 78 percent indicating they already include wellness activities when they travel. President & CEO of the Wellness Tourism Association, Anne...

In Japan, Toshiba is using its advancements in hydrogen energy in an innovative “Hydrogen Hotel” project, to help Kawasaki City overcome the city’s pollution problem. Opened on June 1, 2018, the hydrogen hotel in Kawasaki City is an innovative project, where the hotel creates hydrogen from waste plastics to supply about 30 percent of the energy the hotel needs. In the first year after its opening, the hotel ran a test in which it recycled even the amenities used in the hotel rooms (toothbrushes, hair combs) as feedstocks for hydrogen production. Headquartered in Kawasaki City, and having researched fuel cell...

Green Lodging News spoke with Richard Radke, National Marketing Manager for Zeftron Nylon recently and allowed Zeftron Nylon to contribute this guest blog. As businesses begin to welcome employees back to the workplace, safety and wellness are top of mind. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued guidance to assist with the reopening, and states: “Reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by cleaning and disinfection is an important part of reopening public spaces that will require careful planning.” To be sure, designers and facility managers are faced with multiple challenges in creating the “new” workplace for today. They are looking...

New research shows that higher relative humidity in buildings significantly slows COVID-19 and other airborne infectious disease transmission. However, the way most American buildings are designed, this would cause catastrophic damage and mold issues. A group of designers with LEO A DALY conducted an in-depth study showing how various building types could be retrofitted to increase relative humidity without damage. The results of the study are detailed in a new whitepaper that can be viewed by clicking here. According to LEO A DALY, Compelling new research such as from the Annual Review of Virology shows that relative humidity levels of at...

To further expand the hotel industry’s Safe Stay initiative, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) this week announced COVID-19 Precautions for Hotels, an online course developed in partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and created to help hotels train their staffs on the enhanced safety and cleanliness guidelines. The new training course was created in consultation with the AHLA’s Safe Stay Advisory Council and represents a united industry approach around the Safe Stay guidelines endorsed by all major U.S. hotel brands, hospitality associations in 50 states and Canada, and thousands of hotel properties across the...

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...