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Whether an industry announcement, or a hotel accomplishment, Green Lodging News reports on the most up-to-date news and offers a unique perspective on trends—all with the purpose of making your company more profitable. Got news or a story idea to share? We frequently post contributed articles here. Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

News & Features

Home News & Features
Whether an industry announcement, or a hotel accomplishment, Green Lodging News reports on the most up-to-date news and offers a unique perspective on trends—all with the purpose of making your company more profitable. Got news or a story idea to share? We frequently post contributed articles here. Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

BeCause Streamlines Carbon & Water Measurement for Hotels

BERLIN—BeCause, a technology start-up transforming how the global hospitality, travel and tourism industries manage its sustainability data, has digitized the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s (the Alliance) HCMI and HWMI methodologies. The new feature, announced during ITB Berlin, will enable hotels to leverage the Alliance’s free industry measurement tools, the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI). The HCMI, based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, is used to calculate a hotel’s carbon footprint, while the HWMI helps hotels calculate water usage on their properties; both are now available within the BeCause centralized hub. HCMI, the only industry-recognized carbon calculation methodology for over a decade, applies...

Hard Rock Atlantic City Announces Over $10 Million in Bonuses

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Continuing its legacy of paying bonuses to team members since opening almost six years ago, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has elated thousands of union and non-union team members with news they will be receiving a share of more than $10 million in bonuses. The bonuses were announced at internal Town Hall gatherings. In addition to bonuses, team members had the opportunity to win their share of $100,000 in cash and prizes. The bonuses and prizes served as a thank you to team members for their ongoing commitment to customer service and the success of the resort. The announcement comes on the heels...

Breaking Barriers: Sustainable Hospitality Challenge 2024 Unleashes Innovation Worldwide

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS—Amidst record-breaking participation from over 70 universities worldwide, the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge (SHC) by Hotelschool The Hague launches its 10th edition, signaling a new era of sustainable hospitality. Recognized as the biggest student challenge in the hospitality industry, the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge champions sustainable impact through collaboration in a “Shark Tank”-style competition. Each year, students from diverse disciplines present investible products ready for market integration, with the platform striving to promote, create, and stimulate investments in sustainable solutions that push boundaries and positively impact the hospitality industry. NEOM returns to the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge this year as the event’s...

WTTC’s Hotel Sustainability Basics Surpasses 1,700 Properties

BERLIN, GERMANY—The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics), the global initiative helping hoteliers on their first steps to improve their sustainability ratings, has reached a significant milestone with over 1,700 hotels verified across 70 countries worldwide. In her speech at ITB Berlin, WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson celebrated the achievement and highlighted the commitment of the industry towards a more sustainable future. Basics is a key pillar to making hotels more sustainable and giving the public an at-glance verification. Hotels groups from major travel and tourism destinations such as France, China, Mexico, India, Germany, South Africa,...

IHG & EnviroSpark Join to Scale Availability of EV Chargers at Hotels in U.S. & Canada

ATLANTA—IHG Hotels & Resorts announced an agreement with EnviroSpark, an industry leader in the design, installation, and operation of electrical vehicle (EV) charging solutions, to make electric vehicle chargers (EVCs) available to all IHG-branded hotels across the United States and Canada. IHG hotels can now partner with EnviroSpark on EVCs depending on their individual needs and requirements. This agreement will further expand on IHG’s 1,100 hotels globally with EVCs and meet the growing customer demand for EV charging on the road while supporting a shift to a low-carbon economy. The EVCs that will be available at IHG-branded hotels in North America are...

Employee Housing at Yellowstone Gets Boost with $40 Million Gift

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Park Foundation (NPF) and National Park Service (NPS) announced a $40 million gift to expand and improve NPS employee housing at Yellowstone, America’s first national park. The new investment made possible by donors who wish to remain anonymous will fund more than 70 new modular units to address the critical shortage of employee housing at the park. Affordable housing for employees in and near national parks is increasingly scarce and expensive, reflecting a trend impacting communities across the country, forcing park employees to commute long distances between work and home and making it difficult for NPS to recruit and...

New Orleans Convention Center Upgrade is Total of $50 Million Boost for Small, Emerging Businesses

NEW ORLEANS—Construction at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) is expected to generate over $50 million in new small and emerging business (SEB) and disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) contracts through 2026. The contracts are for renovation project work, which is included in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The windfall of new opportunities for SEB/DBE vendors is the result of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Board (The Authority) approving the largest guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for construction in recent history. In January, the Authority authorized the milestone $113.5 million GMP for Phases I and II. SEB and DBE contracts will capture 30...

MGM Resorts International Listed on CDP A-List

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International has been recognized for leadership in corporate transparency and performance on climate change by global environmental non-profit CDP, securing a place on the organization’s annual A List. MGM Resorts is one of just 347 companies that received the prestigious “A,” out of more than 23,000 scored, placing it in the top 0.015 percent of reporting companies. Grades are awarded on comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risk and best practices associated with environmental leadership. “Our inclusion on the CDP A List is a testament to the strategic importance we place on sustainability,” said Jyoti Chopra, Chief People,...

U.S. Events Professionals Unite, Learn, Inspire in Membership-Based MUSE

NATIONAL REPORT—Making sustainable events easy and the norm by providing best practices, resources, and support is the mission of MUSE—Members United for Sustainable Events. Specific to the U.S. events industry, MUSE will turn three years old this summer. MUSE was founded by Michele Fox, a sustainable event consultant and event producer. “I have always worked in the event industry and have always been an environmentalist,” Fox says. “In 2019 I worked on an event where sustainability was ingrained. I realized we could really do events that have sustainability as a focus.” Encouraged by a member of the global Sustainable Event Alliance and...

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Granted Nearly $300 Million in 2023

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.—Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced that the year-end grantmaking payout was $290 million in 2023, and $29.3 million in grants, including Program-Related Investments, were approved at the fourth quarter board meeting alone. The Foundation’s Safe Water initiative awarded $36.3 million in grants in 2023, representing the largest financial commitment to a single program area within the fiscal year. More than two billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water worldwide. This presents a significant setback in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1: universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. The...