WASHINGTON, D.C.—During its annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced it will provide funding for 500 people in underserved communities to earn their LEED professional credential. This commitment is designed to help build capacity and expertise for green building and is a key objective in USGBC’s draft equity strategy, USGBC All In: Building Equity Together, which was also released during the Greenbuild Opening Plenary. “Green building and equity go hand-in-hand, and we know that addressing and emphasizing sustainability through green building can provide communities with resources and opportunities that can help them reach their full...

ATLANTA—Since the coronavirus was declared a global pandemic early in 2020, we’ve relied on doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, nonprofit workers and other essential workers more than ever. They have kept our communities healthy, fed, sheltered and safe while having to take additional precautions to look after their own wellbeing. As a company committed to True Hospitality, IHG Hotels & Resorts has spent the last few months recognizing and celebrating these people to say “Thank You” for their work. Catherine Dolton, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “We issued a call for nominations of workers who went...

BANGKOK—Another green gem in the Six Senses portfolio, and the first opening in the Americas, is aptly named Six Senses Botanique. It showcases its surrounding beauty from a hillside amid 700 acres of lush, mid-tropical Atlantic forests. A Naturally Secluded Yet Convenient Setting The resort lies in the desirable Mantiqueira area, 2.5 hours from São Paulo and 3.5 hours from Rio de Janeiro, 3,940 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level and at the confluence of three river valleys in the heart of the Mantiqueira Mountains. These are known as the “mountains that weep” due to the abundance of springs and rivers....

WASHINGTON, D.C.—With a resurgence of COVID-19 and renewed travel restrictions enacted in many states, a new survey of American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AHLA) members shows that the hotel industry will continue to face devastation and significant job loss without additional relief from Congress. Seven in ten hoteliers (71 percent) said they won’t make it another six months without further federal assistance given current and projected travel demand, and 77 percent of hotels report they will be forced to lay off more workers. Without further government assistance (i.e. second PPP loan, expansion of Main Street Lending Program), nearly half (47...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Support for the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) Safe Stay initiative continues to grow with endorsements coming from leading scientists, physicians and public health experts in epidemiology and infectious disease. The new endorsements come from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Association for Linen Management which represents the personnel involved in the textile care industry, as well as a certified industrial hygienist and former infectious diseases epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Murray Cohen. Safe Stay is an industry-wide initiative focused on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions, and workplace protocols to meet the new health and safety challenges and...

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—To crack down on human trafficking across Florida, a new law is going into effect mandating that all lodging establishments provide annual human trafficking awareness training for housekeeping and front desk employees. The state will require hotel owners and operators to provide training for new employees within 60 days after they begin employment in a housekeeping or reception area role, or by January 1, 2021, whichever occurs later. Training must be re-administered annually. Businesses that do not comply with this new mandate face a fine of up to $2,000 a day. Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), an industry...

MIAMI—The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the annual gathering of international leaders in the multitrillion-dollar global wellness economy, has received rave reviews for its first-ever hybrid event, which promises to be a new model for conferences. Notable as one of the first U.S. meetings to take place both in person and virtually, the hybrid “Safe Summit” was held at The Breakers Palm Beach from November 8 to 11, and attracted 100+ in-person delegates and 500+ highly engaged virtual attendees. “We knew the only way to host a Summit this year was to create a new model for how a conference can...

SINGAPORE—Banyan Tree Global Foundation is launching for the first time in its 11-year history, the Greater Good Grants that aim to support innovative and impactful projects across six areas that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Group’s core ethos of “Embracing the Environment, Empowering People”. As a socially responsible business, Banyan Tree was founded with the core value of driving sustainable development. A global hospitality group operating in diverse locations, Banyan Tree’s concept of sustainability seeks to create long-term value for multiple stakeholders and destinations. Since earning the 1992 Environmental Award from American Express and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new national survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) shows that many Americans are not expected to travel this holiday seasons. Results show that 72 percent of Americans are unlikely to travel for Thanksgiving and 69 percent are unlikely to travel for Christmas, compounding the challenges for the hotel industry during this public health crisis. Business travel has been even more impacted. Only 8 percent of Americans say they have taken an overnight business trip since March, and just 19 percent of respondents who are currently employed—or 8 percent of all adults—expect to travel for...

STAMFORD, CONN.—RMS Companies recently unveiled The Lloyd, a premier boutique hotel located at the former Hotel Zero Degrees in the center of downtown Stamford. From the moment of arrival, a sense of style and warmth unfolds. “My goal to reinvigorate this somewhat tired building and space was to stimulate the guest upon first impression,” said Bruce Beinfield, Principal of Beinfield Architecture. “By gradually introducing a layer of warm natural elements and striking geometric shapes consecutively throughout the guests’ journey, we provide an engaging experience.” A warm brown wall cladding system was added to the exterior of the building with an...