MONTREAL—During COP15 in Montreal, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance announced a new collaboration which will bring together the public and private sectors in a shared vision to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The vision sees the global Travel & Tourism sector supporting and inspiring governments, businesses, and society to implement the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and help to transform our relationship with the natural world. Signatories to the vision have committed to adopt a nature positive approach to tourism through integrating biodiversity safeguards by reducing carbon emissions, the impact...

SINGAPORE—Greenview has just released its 83-page Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR), the leading global benchmarking study on sustainability best practices in hotels. First launched in 2016, the initiative seeks to assess and catalyze sustainability innovation and best practices and promote awareness of the state of sustainability across hotels worldwide. GLTR started as an annual exercise with reports published for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018. GLTR shifted to a biennial exercise after the 2018 Report to capture trends over a two-year period. The intention of the GLTR was to track best practices that were being adopted less commonly...

NEW YORK—The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced the launch of the WELL Equity Rating, a new rating designed to help organizations act on their diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility goals, and improve company culture and employee health. Over 30 leading organizations—including AvalonBay Communities, Canderel, Empire State Realty Trust, JLL, Overbury, Shaw Industries and the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry—have already enrolled in the rating, demonstrating their commitment to creating places where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. By providing an evidence-based roadmap, the WELL Equity Rating empowers organizations to better address the needs...

BANGKOK—Six Senses has always believed in taking guests beyond destinations into new experiences and cultures, so they feel the purpose behind their travels. But the past few years have provoked a renewed appreciation that exploration and escape go hand in hand with thinking about the impact this has on the environment and local communities. As a leading sustainability pioneer within the hospitality industry, Six Senses has set an audacious goal towards plastic freedom and committed to weaving long-term positive change into the fabric of every property. Following its pledge as a founding signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative in 2019,...

SAN FRANCISCO—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of buildings that prioritize people, communities and the natural environment. Beginning in early 2023, the partnership will focus on streamlining the process for achieving dual WELL and LEED certifications through a two-way crosswalk and a coordinated third-party review overseen by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier organization for independently recognizing excellence in green building performance and practice globally. “This is the next chapter in our partnership with IWBI, which has brought global attention and leadership...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—Sometimes the simplest inventions can save a lot of time, water, energy, and money. That has certainly been the case with PLATESCRAPE, a 4.5-gallon, portable tub that incorporates hot water, soap and two perfectly placed brushes to remove the food waste on plates. One simply dips a plate into the water between the two brushes to rid both sides of the plate of food remains. This ensures a clean plate prior to placement in a dishwasher and ultimately a sparkling plate that is used by a guest. Nate Stein, the CEO, and inventor of PLATESCRAPE, hatched the...

CHICAGO—Grounded in its ongoing efforts to inspire and empower travelers to pursue their individual wellbeing goals, World of Hyatt is introducing FIND, an experiences platform, through Hyatt’s industry-leading World of Hyatt loyalty program. With 200+ experiences across 85+ destinations in over 30 countries, the FIND platform is designed to complement members’ wellbeing journeys and meet them where they are. “We know travelers are eager to explore new destinations and are prioritizing their wellbeing now more than ever,” said Amy Weinberg, Senior Vice President, Loyalty, Brand Marketing and Consumer Insights, Hyatt. “The FIND platform allows for more opportunities to enhance World of...

NEWTON, MASS.—In celebration of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, Sonesta International Hotels Corporation announced it is teaming up with Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization, to support its mission to end homelessness for animals. To commemorate the collaboration, Sonesta Select properties served a complimentary pet-inspired mocktail to guests and offered opportunities for team members and guests to make donations to help save the lives of dogs, cats and other animals. An authority and leader in the no-kill movement, Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in...

ANNAPOLIS, MD.—A new law went into effect on October 1, 2022, requiring all innkeepers in Maryland provide annual human trafficking prevention training to employees. Hotel operators across the state must now provide employees with annual training that has been certified and approved as meeting the requirements defined by the state. Training must be conducted annually, and within the first 90 days for newly hired employees. Since 2019, the Maryland Hotel Lodging Assn. (MHLA) has partnered with the Seattle-based nonprofit, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) to provide human trafficking awareness training for MHLA’s members and their staff, free of charge. BEST provides...

MALDIVES—Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences has joined forces with the turtle conservation organization, the Olive Ridley Project, to monitor and conserve local turtles. There are nine individual turtles that visit Amilla to feed regularly, and three that nest on the island, according to the resort’s latest research. Nests belonging to Green Turtles are the most common type of turtle nests found in the Maldives. However, at Amilla Maldives Resort, both Green Turtles and less common Hawksbill Turtles nests have been located. Guests snorkeling often see large turtles grazing or slowly swimming by, but the nests are carefully protected. Amilla’s Marine Biologist, Zoe Cox, (who...