I have written about or posted about the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City numerous times. The Center hosts the annual HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York trade shows. The Center is highly energy efficient and even features a green roof that has been home to honeybees and many different bird species. The New York Times just reported that in 2021 the Javits Center rooftop will be the home of a farm on the roof of the extension currently being built. This farm will certainly be unique and give the Center a competitive...

I attended HITEC this week in Houston. There was just one sustainability-focused educational session and I attended it—Saving Energy While Others Pay the Bill: Sustainability and CSR. One of the most interesting stories told during the session was by Lyle Worthington, CIO at The Student Hotel in The Netherlands. The company with 11 hotels throughout Europe partnered with Wageningen University in The Netherlands on a shower experiment at one of The Student Hotels. Worthington discovered, not surprisingly, that students staying at the hotel shower 17 percent longer at the hotel compared to what is typical in a home environment. The...

It is every hotelier’s aim to offer the best experience for his or her guests. That includes a healthy experience free of bed bugs. Chances are you have never heard of NOBBEL, Inc. NOBBEL is the National Organization of Bed Bug Education for Lodging. Using guidelines set forth by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), NOBBEL has created an online training and certification program for the lodging industry to deal with the growing bed bug epidemic. NOBBEL’S mission is two-fold: 1. To educate the public and the lodging industry about the bed bug epidemic. 2. To offer bed bug training and...

Hersha Hospitality Trust just released its 2017 Sustainability Report. The report represents the progress of the REIT’s EarthView sustainability program which just completed its seventh year. For those of you not familiar with Hersha, the REIT owns and operates 49 branded and independent lifestyle hotels. Since 2010 the company has realized $9.1 million in savings from EarthView. With 2010 as the baseline year Hersha has reduced energy consumption per occupied room by 21 percent, reduced greenhouse gas emissions per occupied room by 25 percent, reduced waste sent to landfills by 45 percent, and reduced water consumed per occupied room...

HITEC 2018 is coming up very soon. It will be held June 18 to 21 at the LEED Silver certified George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. If you are planning to attend the event and have energy conservation or sustainability on your mind, you will need to pay attention to one conference session. The session, “Saving Energy While Others Pay the Bill: Sustainability and CSR,” will take place on Monday, June 18 from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The following is the session description: “Hospitality organizations that implement and maintain corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are in a...

In some ways Wynn Resorts has not had a very good year (see article regarding Steve Wynn and his resignation) but the company’s just released 2017 Global Sustainability Report shows the company is stepping up its commitment to responsible business practices. Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Resorts, in his introduction to the report, says, “Last year, Wynn Resorts moved into a leadership position in environmental stewardship. In the past 12 months, the company invested more than $12 million in renewable energy resources through solar installations at our Las Vegas resort and in Northern Nevada at the Wynn Solar Facility that...

Volt Lighting has published a resource titled, “The How and Why of Recycling Mercury-Containing Bulbs” which details the importance of recycling mercury-containing lamps, the effect mercury has on public health and the environment, and a listing of state-by-state EPA regulations to help streamline waste management for mercury-containing lamps (as well as batteries and pesticides). Here are some highlights of the information presented on the website: Millions of mercury-containing lamps are sold in the United States each year, including linear fluorescent tubes, metal halide discharge bulbs, bug zappers, tanning bulbs and neon signs. Between 2001 and 2013, at least 40 tons...

Late last month, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Singapore, announced a pledge against single-use plastic. The premium hotel operator and developer will implement a plan for all its properties to phase out the use of disposable plastics by Earth Day 2019. This will include plastic straws, plastic water bottles and disposable plastic cutlery. Sudima Hotels & Resorts, with properties throughout New Zealand, is advancing its sustainability journey by setting the goal of becoming single-use plastic free by 2020. Sudima aims to establish industry benchmarks on single-use plastics by working with its suppliers to source alternative packaging options and reduce waste...

Activity involving the reduction of single use plastic has been increasing in our industry. This has been seen in everything from commitments to use soap dispensers to the elimination of plastic straws. One of the biggest problems with plastic is its final resting place—our oceans. SLO active, a social enterprise dedicated to cleaning up our oceans, recently published a guide entitled, “Plastic Pollution: Single Use Plastic Impact on Our Oceans.” Be sure to check it out. It comprehensively details the facts and figures of plastic pollution, the impact on our oceans and marine life, and much more. It will...

Earlier this year, Napili Kai Beach Resort, located on one of Maui’s most beautiful reef-protected bays, introduced an educational program to encourage visitors to use reef-safe sunscreens. In recent years, coral reefs throughout Hawaii and the world have shown damage and bleaching due to a variety of environmental factors, including poisoning from chemical sunscreen. Many common sunscreen ingredients can lower reef tolerance to bleaching and interrupt the development of marine life, including the coral itself, which is a living organism. Beginning in mid-December, Napili Kai began welcoming arriving guests with a free sample packet of Raw Elements reef-safe sunscreen, along with a discount coupon to purchase more and information about the damaging effects...