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News Blog

The News Blog gives Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, an opportunity to comment, in just a few paragraphs, on industry news and trends. A more condensed version of Publisher’s Point of View, the News Blog is updated on either Wednesday or Thursday each week. Want to step in as a guest blogger? Or, have some news to share for the News Blog? To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

News Blog

Home News Blog
The News Blog gives Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, an opportunity to comment, in just a few paragraphs, on industry news and trends. A more condensed version of Publisher’s Point of View, the News Blog is updated on either Wednesday or Thursday each week. Want to step in as a guest blogger? Or, have some news to share for the News Blog? To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Hilton Richmond Handout a Great Idea for Just About Any Occasion

I recently attended the 5th annual Virginia Green Travel Conference. It was held at the LEED Gold Virginia Beach Convention Center. One of the attendees at the conference was someone from the Hilton Richmond Downtown. For those of you not familiar with the property, it is a historic hotel housed in the former Miller & Rhoads department store, an iconic building with over 100 years of history. Spanning an entire city block, the hotel boasts original features including marble floors and high ceilings. The first thing the attendee did after introducing himself was hand me a 4˝ X 9˝ card...

Sustainability Barely Mentioned in AHLA, AHLEF Annual Reports

On Monday, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF) both finalized and released their 2017 Annual Reports detailing last year’s hospitality industry accomplishments. It is my job to look for sustainability-related news and accomplishments in such reports. While the AHLA report did include news about the organization’s growth—it added 200,000 rooms in 2017—and highlighted initiatives geared toward the advancement of youth, it failed to include any substantive information at all about the advancement of sustainability in the lodging industry. Quite disappointing given everything that is going on. Also, AHLA does have...

Two Major Companies Phasing Out Polystyrene Foam Packaging

The lodging industry should pay attention to and replicate efforts by major restaurant companies to eliminate polystyrene foam packaging. Last month, McDonald’s Corp. agreed to end the use of such packaging globally by the end of this year. According to As You Sow, rarely recycled, expanded polystyrene foam used in beverage cups and takeout containers is a frequent component of beach litter, breaking down into indigestible pellets, which marine animals mistake for food, resulting in deaths of marine animals. McDonald’s phased out foam cups for hot beverages in the United States in 2012 but continued to use them in...

Industry Leadership Positions Still Difficult for Women to Reach

Women in Hospitality Leadership 2017, a report by AHLA Women in Lodging and Castell Project, details the leadership progress of women in the hospitality industry and the lack thereof. Be sure to read this important report found here. According to the report, in the hospitality industry, as of 2016, men have been 10 times more likely to be promoted to the principal/partner or president levels than women, four times more likely to be promoted to the EVP/group president level and more than twice as likely to be promoted to the senior VP, VP, or district level. Women did make some progress...

Earth Hour: Just 45 Days Away & Counting

Earth Hour is just 45 days away (March 24, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time). How will your property be marking the event? Last year, 187 countries and territories took part, more than 3,000 landmarks switched off their lights, and millions of individuals, businesses and organizations around the world participated. Over the last decade the lodging industry has found its own unique ways to mark Earth Hour. Do a search on “Earth Hour” on the Green Lodging News website and you will find some examples. Last year, for example, more than 350 Carlson Rezidor hotels participated. The Radisson Blu Royal...

State of Green Business 2018 Report Now Available

GreenBiz Group recently released its “State of Green Business 2018”. The report looks at 10 key trends and dozens of metrics assessing how, and how much, companies are moving the needle on the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The report includes the world’s 1,200 largest companies and 500 largest firms in the United States. The report is produced in partnership with Trucost, part of S&P Global, a world leader in helping companies, investors, governments, academics and thought leaders to understand the economic consequences of natural capital dependency. Together, these and more than two dozen other metrics help paint a...

Distilled Spirits Close to the Heart of Colorado Inn, Belize Lodge

One is a distillery with an inn. The other is a lodge with a distillery located next door. Natural booze is the common theme. In case you did not read it on Green Lodging News, last July the Marble Distilling Co. & The Distillery Inn was named as a 2017 Green Hotelier Award Winner and the only North American property to be recognized. The business is in Carbondale, Colo. If you go to the enterprise’s website, it is clear the primary business is a distillery but there are also five luxury hotel suites available. The Marble Distilling Company’s motto is “Drink Sustainably”....

A Chat with Interstate Regarding Its New Vegetarian/Vegan Promotion

In case you missed it, Interstate Hotels & Resorts launched 27 new vegetarian and vegan menu options at the beginning of this year. I posted the article on Green Lodging News. Leading the effort for Interstate is the company’s V.P. of Food & Beverage Operations, Bradley Moore. By e-mail, I asked Moore about the new culinary promotion. GLN: Developing a new series of menu items for a company the size of Interstate is a major project. Upon what research did you rely to prompt such an investment in veggie/vegan options? Is it just Millennials pushing this trend? Moore: We are fortunate...

Sustainable Furnishings Design Expert Interviews Heroes in New Book

There are not many books that come out of the hospitality industry having to do with sustainability, so I have to give a plug to “One Green Deed Spawns Another: Tales of Inspiration on the Quest for Sustainability,” a brand new book by David Mahood. David is an independent consultant and principal of Olive Designs, LLC and a partner in Olive Hospitality Consulting. David has been a prominent advocate of sustainability in our industry for many years and I have been fortunate to get to know him. In his book, David interviews many of his heroes who have inspired him...

How Do You Attract Vegetarians, Vegans to Your Hotel?

One more way to put more heads in beds? Certainly. According to www.veganbits.com, about two percent of Americans are vegetarian. One in four of those are vegan. What are you doing to attract that portion of travelers? According to the 2016 Lodging Survey, just 28 percent of hotels with restaurants offer vegetarian menu choices. That means, in most cases, that portion of travelers either chooses to dine elsewhere or are not satisfied when dining at your dining establishment. How can you better meet the needs of vegetarians and vegans? One idea is to become a stop on a tour led...