Montalba Architects, the Santa Monica, Calif. and Switzerland-based architecture firm, recently completed three new Swiss projects, including newly imagined accommodations for the hospitality-concept, Whitepod. The new Whitepod eco-chalets, which are ideal for group and family travel, are equipped with modern conveniences and minimalist, sustainable design that allows the alpine landscape to take center stage. “Heritage and craftsmanship are at the heart of design, so we give considerable attention to making sure local, timeless materials are incorporated into each project to create a continuation of a user’s experience with both the space and the region as a whole,” says Founding Principal...

Can the lodging industry learn a few lessons from Walmart? So far there has not been a lot of zero emissions goal setting in our industry at the company level. A search on Green Lodging News produced an article from 2017 that details the plan of Vail Resorts, Inc. It has committed to zero net emissions by 2030. In the last two weeks Walmart announced a target of zero emissions across its company’s global operations by 2040. Walmart also announced it had committed to help protect, manage or restore at least 50 million acres of land and one million...

It was a little more than 11 years ago that I first wrote about the “Make a Green Choice” program that had been rolled out at a couple of hotels in Seattle and Kauai. For those of you not familiar with Make a Green Choice, it gave guests the option of opting out of housekeeping for a day or more. At the time, in exchange for doing that, guests were given either a $5 gift card for the hotel’s restaurants or the option of receiving 500 Starpoints as part of Starwood’s loyalty program. I applauded the program at the...

Temperature is but one of the measurements for determining whether a guest or employee is ill with COVID-19. That is why it should not be relied on entirely for any diagnosis. In looking for technology that tells you more than temperature, you may want to check out a company called binah.ai LTD. Its contactless app technology enables the extraction of a large set of vital signs and mental stress measurements based on the analysis of a video taken with any device equipped with a camera (smartphone, tablet, kiosk, in-car camera and many more). Binah.ai’s solution applies a unique mix...

One of the challenges in running a website by yourself is keeping the content current. One area of my site I check each year is the State & City Green Lodging Programs page. That section shrunk a bit this past year with the elimination of the link for an Arizona Green Lodging program and a program for hotels in Annapolis, Md. With any online search I conducted, I could not find those programs. The remaining programs in 20 states and three cities appear to be going strong but I am sure they were impacted dramatically by the pandemic. I...

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...