WASHINGTON, D.C.—The AHLA Foundation announced a $500,000 donation from IHG Hotels & Resorts to support the No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Survivor Fund as part of the hotel industry’s longstanding, united commitment to combat human trafficking. With this donation, the Survivor Fund will build upon the industry’s ongoing commitment and work to end human trafficking and support the economic stability of human trafficking survivors. By funding community-based organizations, the NRFT Survivor Fund supports survivors’ immediate needs and long-term stability that will empower and equip survivors and their families to help prevent revictimization, including but not limited to emergency housing and career...

CARLSBAD, CALIF.—Legoland California, Legoland Florida, and Legoland New York Resorts announced that all parks will become Certified Autism Centers (CAC) by spring 2023. The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) granted Legoland Florida and Legoland California with autism certification in 2022. Legoland Florida’s three onsite hotels, as well as Peppa Pig Theme Park, just steps away from Legoland, are also all Certified Autism Centers. IBCCES is the only credentialing organization providing this type of certification, which includes evidence-based training as well as the perspectives of autistic individuals. In addition, the organization provides resources such as onsite reviews and...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Tom Standage, editor of The World Ahead 2023, has named ‘Revenge Tourism’ one of the ten trends to watch for 2023. This term is used to describe the current post-pandemic rebound in travel. Indeed, international tourism arrivals are already well underway to reaching pre-pandemic levels, which are expected to be nearly achieved in 2023. Does this mean that the hospitality and travel industry is finally over the hill of the pandemic? Nothing could be less certain as another crisis is in the process of rapidly overtaking Covid-19: the energy crisis. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the energy market...

AMSTELVEEN, THE NETHERLANDS—For quite a few years now, many hotels have incentivized guests to skip housekeeping in exchange for a financial reward of some type. Covid-19 certainly increased the number of hotels that don’t offer daily housekeeping—primarily due to staffing challenges—but many hotels around the world still offer it. For hotels that do that, Floris Licht, Chief Planting Officer for Hotels for Trees has a program that not only helps hotel owners but the environment as well. The Hotels for Trees concept is simple: One new tree is planted each time a guest chooses to skip daily room cleaning. The...

BETHESDA, MD.—RLJ Lodging Trust announced the release of its inaugural Corporate Sustainability Report, building upon the company’s longstanding commitment to upholding sustainability, social responsibility, and governance. With the publication of this report, the company is further demonstrating its commitment to providing robust Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) disclosures. Additionally, this report discloses historical environmental performance data to track progress towards the company’s pledge to lower its carbon footprint. “Corporate Responsibility is integral to our overall business strategy and commitment to driving long-term value for all stakeholders. We believe that by maintaining an inclusive corporate culture and investing in underserved communities,...

SAINT-GENIS-LES-OLLIERES, FRANCE—The philosophy behind Huttopia, a company that operates camping sites all over the world remains the same as when it was founded 23 years ago: there is no substitute to being in nature with friends and family in a comfortable way. Out of their love of camping, Céline and Philippe Bossanne, a French husband and wife team, created Huttopia as an environmental project. In its early years, the company grew in Europe and recently made its debut in North America with sites in Quebec, New Hampshire, Maine, the Adirondacks and most recently Southern California. There are now 60 sites...

CHICAGO—Chicago-based hotel investment and management company, Arbor Lodging, announced its latest vertical, ARLO Residential. ARLO Residential, a subsidiary of the Arbor Lodging brand, seeks to develop and transform real estate around the country to address the housing affordability crisis, with an initial focus on converting properties ranging from hotels and office buildings into affordable living options. In doing so, ARLO Residential aims to transform spaces, support communities, and enhance livelihoods by bringing new life to buildings that are no longer viable and offer aid in the growing housing shortage. “Being active real estate developers and operators for over 16 years, we believe ARLO Residential is the perfect segue...

WINDSOR, ENGLAND—IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has opened its new global headquarters in Windsor, U.K. Having started life as an FTSE-listed company in Windsor in 2003, IHG returns to the historic town for its next chapter after being based for the past 15 years in Denham, Buckinghamshire. The building represents not only the company’s global headquarters, but also the head of its Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa region, helping serve an international business that has more than 6,000 hotels across more than 100 countries around the world. The Windsor One office on Arthur Road...

BERLIN—JW Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of 30 hotel brands, unveils its second property in Germany with the opening of JW Marriott Hotel Berlin. Owned by one of the leading hospitality investment companies Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC), JW Marriott Hotel Berlin brings guests together through thoughtfully crafted spaces, warm service, and a commitment to well-being. Converting from Hotel Berlin Central District, this announcement marks the completion of the first stage in the property’s transformation to join the JW Marriott brand, set to offer a different perspective to the capital city’s hospitality scene. “JW Marriott blends a...

MIAMI—Starwood Capital Group, a private investment firm with a primary focus on global real estate, and Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ Capital), a real estate and hospitality company, announced the launch of Field & Stream Lodge Co. (Field & Stream), a branded hospitality platform aiming to create modern and affordable lifestyle lodging across the United States. Field & Stream is an iconic American brand established in 1871 which brings great authenticity and brand recognition to a category of generic hotel offerings. The Field & Stream platform aims to initially create approximately 20 to 25 hotels, first targeting U.S. markets near authentic...