Since beginning Green Lodging News more than 13 years ago, I have been compiling a list of certification programs in which lodging establishments can participate. I will be adding yet another one to my list soon: The Actively Green Certified Businesses program in Vail, Colo. The program is open to all types of businesses in Vail. There are currently 62 businesses that have been certified. The purpose of Actively Green is to help properties save money, engage employees, be an environmental steward, expand economic development, increase marketing power and attract more customers, and become a community leader. Businesses get started...

The next time you think about using scented cleaning products, personal care products or adding scents to areas of your hotel, think about your guests and your associates. According to a June 2019 study by Anne Steinemann entitled, “International Prevalence of fragrance sensitivity,” 32 percent of adults reported fragrance sensitivity. To get to the 32 percent, surveys were conducted in four countries—United States, Australia, United Kingdom, and Sweden. Commonly reported health problems include respiratory difficulties (16.7 percent), mucosal symptoms (13.2 percent), migraine headaches (12.6 percent), skin rashes (9.1 percent), and asthma attacks (7.0 percent). For 9.5 percent of the...

One of the most fascinating aspects of sustainability that I have covered over the years is the convergence of the arts—oftentimes local arts—with hotel design and the guest experience. Look up “artist” on the Green Lodging News website and you will find more than 70 articles. One of the most interesting art hotels to open recently is Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel in Milwaukee. Drawing inspiration from Saint Catherine, the patron saint of artists, Saint Kate is among the first hotels in the nation to broadly celebrate arts in its many forms—from painting and sculpture to dance and drama. Upon...

Yesterday was a big day at San Francisco International Airport. Effective yesterday, August 20, water is no longer allowed to be sold in plastic bottles. The rule requires all airport retailers, restaurants, airline lounges, and vending machines to sell or provide water in recyclable aluminum, glass or BPI-certified compostable bottles. The policy applies to purified water, mineral water, carbonated or sparkling water, and electrolyte-enhanced water, but does not include flavored beverages such as sodas, teas, or juices. “SFO continues to lead the way in airport sustainability initiatives,” said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “With this move, we take a giant...

A little more than a year after breaking ground on its LEED Silver CAESARS FORUM conference center in Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment says its 550,000 square-foot facility is on pace to open in March 2020. Green Lodging News asked Caesars some questions about the $375 million complex that will feature two of the largest pillarless ballrooms in the world. 1. Please provide a few examples of what has been sourced locally for the construction of the center. At Caesars Entertainment we help local communities flourish through economic contributions, in the form of employee wages and benefits, payments to vendors for...

Back in May I published an article about treehouses—specifically a group of treehouses found in The Mohicans in North Central Ohio. The treehouses are unique, luxurious and available for overnight stays. Along with my family, I was invited to stay at one of the treehouses—the Old Pine Treehouse—this past Monday evening. We were the guests of Kevin and Laura Mooney, the owners of the getaway that includes six treehouses, five cabins, a Grand Barn Wedding Center, and four additional treehouses either close to opening or to open later this year. (If I would have paid for Old Pine, it...

According to The Nature Conservancy, approximately 41 million trees are cut down every day—far faster than we are currently replanting them. The consequences of deforestation and other types of land degradation are severe, exacerbating climate change, biodiversity loss, and declines in ecosystem services that hundreds of millions of people depend on. In response, governments around the world have committed to restore 160 million hectares—an area larger than South Africa. But it will take more than government action to execute on these commitments; the private sector has an important role to play, too. That is why I tip my hat today...

Unfortunately, I have written about carbon monoxide deaths in hotels far too often—most recently last November. The past few weeks I have read about two more incidents at hotels. First, in late June, two men were found dead by a third guest staying in the room at the Best Western Hotel in Asheville, N.C. Police suspect the cause of the deaths to be carbon monoxide poisoning. According to an unsealed warrant, Asheville fire chief Shane Mackey suspects a utility room behind the room was the source of the carbon monoxide. The utility room contained two water heaters and two...

Earlier this year in March, Hilton’s Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton and All Suites brands launched the Clean the World Challenge in partnership with Clean the World, a global health leader dedicated to sustainability and water, sanitization and health. Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton challenged hotel owners and Team Members to collect bars of soap left behind by guests to be recycled into 1 million bars of new soap by Global Handwashing Day (October 15) for Clean the World to distribute to communities in...

I recently received the latest list of LEED certified hotels from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). I will be writing about the list in my upcoming Publisher’s Point of View column but wanted to offer a few highlights from the list. First, there are a total of 767 projects listed as “lodging” in the USGBC database. Seventy-one projects have been left off the list because the participants have opted to have their projects remain confidential. The list is a global list. Countries represented range from China to the United States to Sweden. There are 51 projects listed as LEED...