HONOLULU—Premier beach resort brand Outrigger Hospitality Group has joined the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage as part of its larger ESG (environment, social, governance) initiative. “WTACH’s ambition to respect and conserve local culture is fully aligned with ‘The Outrigger Way’—our corporate foundation of caring for host, guest and place,” said Monica Salter, Vice President of Corporate Communications & Social Responsibility. “We’re grateful to be part of a network of like-minded organizations to protect and preserve cultural uniqueness through respectful engagement with local communities and custodians.” The Outrigger Way values system originated from Hawai‘i’s culture of hospitality. It embraces local traditions...

CHICAGO—With more than 400 companies showcasing thousands of new products, programming from the industry’s top thought leaders, and more, the 2022 edition of NeoCon (June 13 to 15) will be jam-packed with innovation and opportunities to experience the future of commercial interior design firsthand. A hub for community and connecting within the industry, this year’s NeoCon will offer a wealth of engaging installations, as well as on-site activations and events that will provide invaluable moments to gather, learn from each other, and share ideas. “We are thrilled by all the excitement and buzz around NeoCon 2022,” says Lisa Simonian, Vice...

SINGAPORE—The Hotel Footprinting Tool is a free tool for calculating the carbon footprint of hotel stays and is now available online at www.hotelfootprints.org. Users can enter the location, star rating and number of nights in order to obtain an instant carbon footprint for their stay based on the average emissions of hotels in that market. The tool also allows users to estimate the carbon footprint of meetings which take place in hotels. The Hotel Footprinting Tool is powered by data from over 20,000 hotels around the world collected via the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index and using the Hotel Carbon Measurement...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with over 8,900 hotels across over 95 countries, released its 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report highlighting its dedication to operating in a socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible way. These commitments are underscored by recent accolades, including recognition by DiversityInc, which highlighted Wyndham as a company with leading diversity practices for 2022, and Forbes as one of The Best Employers for Diversity 2022. “The significance of our company’s vision—to be the world’s leading hotel company by delivering the best value to owners and guests—is more important than ever....

BANGKOK—With booming demand for adventurous and eco-conscious travel, northern Norway is one of the last frontiers for a self-sustainable, off-grid destination. The 94-room Six Senses Svart combines a futuristic design and technological innovation with earthy, organic materials that use the least embedded energy. The name Svart, which means black and blue in old Norse, is a reference to the natural heritage of the ancient Svartisen glacier, which lies just within the Arctic Circle, where summer days last forever and winter nights are lit by the breathtaking Northern Lights. To minimize the on-site impact, Six Senses Svart is poised on...

FAIRFAX, VA.—Last month was National Pest Management Month (NPMM), an annual observance recognized by Chase’s Calendar of Events highlighting the vital role pest control plays in protecting public health, food and property from the threats posed by pests. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is reminding commercial facility managers of the importance of working with a licensed pest control professional to continually prevent pest infestations and resolve issues when they arise. “Pest control professionals are integral to the success of commercial businesses, playing a vital role in protecting property, the health and safety of employees and customers as well as...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International announced it has signed an agreement with The Red Sea Development Co. to debut its distinguished Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand off the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Slated to debut in 2023, Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is expected to form part of the eagerly anticipated Red Sea destination and offer a highly personalized leisure experience that blends intuitive and heartfelt service with stunning natural beauty and indigenous design. Nujuma will be the first property from the brand in the Middle East and joins an exclusive collection of only five Ritz-Carlton Reserves worldwide. “We are thrilled to bring our...

SINGAPORE—PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore, owned by Pan Pacific Hotels Group, has established its position as Singapore’s first “Garden-in-a-Hotel” with over 2,400 plants and trees spread across 15,000 square feet of space in the hotel. As part of its long-term commitment to sustainability and business growth, the hotel has actively embraced sustainable practices across a broad spectrum of its operations. Taking on a “rejuvenate” approach to enhance existing assets instead of tearing down and reconstructing the building during its SGD45-million transformation in 2020, the hotel preserved the iconic structure, designed by Architect John Portman, and prevented over 51,300 metric tons...

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) Hotels—a holistic hospitality company founded on the values of wellness, social good and sustainability—announced it has partnered with EarthCheck, a leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, to provide scientific benchmarking and certification of its company-wide regenerative practices. EarthCheck helps businesses, communities, and governments to evaluate their environmental footprint, improve sustainability and enhance business performance. SCP Hotels’ certification is done in two phases including Benchmarking—the quantitative evaluation of a property’s environmental and social performance, and then Certification—the verification of those standards by an approved independent third party EarthCheck Auditor. While the full...

NEW YORK—Hotel housekeepers are sharing stories about filthy rooms, painful workloads, and lost income as they ask guests to choose daily housekeeping in a new digital ad campaign by the hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE. The ads launched Monday, May 16 and will be served to frequent travelers and bookers of business meetings. Hotel guests might think it helps workers to skip cleaning, but housekeepers report that hotel brands’ decision to end automatic daily housekeeping makes rooms dirtier and harder to clean while also cutting jobs. Ads feature housekeepers from Marriott, Hilton, Caesars Entertainment, and more coming off shifts and...