LOS ANGELES—Just in time for National Plan for Vacation Day on January 31, the first statewide regenerative travel program launched with Visit California & Kind Traveler, sharing a wave of new opportunities for travelers to make a positive impact in the communities they visit while unlocking exclusive offers from more than 58 iconic hotels across 12 destinations in the Golden State—with 38 brand-new hotels and impact opportunities for 2023.  With more than 97 percent of travelers revealing it’s important for their vacation dollars to positively impact the communities they visit (Kind Traveler 2022 Impact Tourism Report), and 55 percent of Americans forfeiting vacation days each...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International announced it has joined forces with U.K.-based nonprofit Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to combat online child exploitation by using technology solutions to restrict guest network access to websites with child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in its hotels. The collaboration will be the first of its kind for the hotel industry and marks the next step in Marriott’s commitment to address a critical human rights issue for the industry. Marriott recently marked a significant milestone in its anti-trafficking efforts, training one million associates at Marriott hotels to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking. In January 2023, Marriott established...

LONDON—New research looking at publicly listed companies has revealed that the leisure industry is facing a major diversity disparity, with only 7 percent of the top spots held by women, a stark contrast to the 50-50 gender balance of the overall workforce. The first report of the series, “The numbers behind women in leadership: Leisure”, which was carried out by private advisory firm Aptamind Partners and is supported by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), drew on publicly available data from the world’s largest hotel groups, casinos and entertainment companies, and shows that the gender gap widens the higher...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Trees, potted plants and “green walls” may not be conventional forms of interior design, but with growing demand for sustainable, eco-friendly hospitality, hotels are upping their efforts to incorporate “green atmospherics” into their indoor spaces. Whilst people’s behavior is known to be shaped by their physical surroundings, the specific effects of living plants, scent, air quality, natural light and green spaces are not yet known. Focusing on the luxury hotel sector, Professor Jin-Soo Lee of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and co-researchers explored the influence of various dimensions of green...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International announced it endorsed the United Nations’ CEO Water Mandate—a global initiative and coalition of hundreds of major companies making bold commitments to address water crises and challenges. MGM Resorts is the first gaming company to endorse the mandate. “Given our environmental conditions, Las Vegas has long been innovative in its approach to water. We are fortunate to do business in a place that has a world class water management system and hope to help others learn from successes here,” said MGM Resorts CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle. “The ongoing drought and effects of climate change in the Western U.S. are...

NORWOOD, MASS.—Leading travel industry nonprofit Tourism Cares will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, marking two decades of impact programming in the sustainable tourism space. Tourism Cares was formed when USTOA’s Travelers Conservation Foundation and NTA’s National Tour Foundation merged and became an independent nonprofit in 2003. This was marked with the launch of Tourism Cares for America give back project on Ellis Island in New York City and the event was the first of its kind, bringing more than 300 travel and tourism professionals from across the industry together in volunteerism, uniting competitors, and collaborators alike. “In the beginning, Tourism Cares was...

HENDERSONVILLE, TENN.—Labor-related issues and energy/utility costs are among the top challenges on the mind of global hotel and travel industry professionals, while leisure demand and increased guest spending are seen as the biggest strengths, according to a new survey from STR. The Hospitality Industry Sentiment survey is STR’s first longitudinal study of hotel and travel industry professionals, with initial findings captured between November 29 and December 11, 2022, from 200 respondents across the globe. “While respondents cited similar challenges around the globe, professionals in North America indicated that labor supply and cost challenges were number one on their list,” said Brannan Doyle, Research...

LAS VEGAS—Wynn Las Vegas recently unveiled Wynn Living Well, a program that offers guests curated health and wellness experiences at the resort, ranging from Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero’s TB12 method and golf at Wynn Golf Club, the only course on the Las Vegas Strip, to custom IV therapies at NutriDrip by Clean Market, and bespoke in-room workout videos from Amanda Kloots. “Being away from home does not mean you have to compromise on your desire to stay fit, eat right, or enjoy healthy activity—our program was created to provide our guests everything they need to live well, no matter...

PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLO.—Club Wyndham, the nation’s largest vacation club and flagship vacation ownership brand in the Wyndham Destinations portfolio as part of Travel + Leisure Co., announced the donation of five lots of land in Pagosa Springs, Colo., to Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County (Habitat Archuleta). This is the company’s first land donation to Habitat for Humanity. The five individual lots of land donated by Club Wyndham Pagosa are in residential areas of the county and will be developed into affordable single-family housing for residents in the Pagosa Springs area. A dedication will soon take place where the families will be...

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—Element Hotels and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts—part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 brands, together with The Ritchie Group and Garn Development, Utah-based commercial real estate development companies, announce the opening of Le Méridien Salt Lake City Downtown and Element Salt Lake City Downtown. The dual-branded property commemorates Element’s milestone 100th global opening and its first in Salt Lake City, complementing its location in Moab, Utah. The property also marks the first Le Méridien in Utah, and the first hotel with an expansive rooftop bar in the market. This first-ever combination of the two distinctly unique brands is managed by Azul Hospitality Group, a San Diego-based...