NATIONAL REPORT—Hospitality employees, particularly those in luxury hotels and spas, have always been expected to deliver excellent, personalized, and remarkable service to guests. This service often involves emotional labor, defined as managing personal emotions to meet workplace expectations. However, a study published in Tourism Management suggests this emotional labor might have hidden costs, potentially leading to anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion among employees. The study monitored 534 hotel interns, observing their mental health changes over eight months. It was uncovered that within the first three months of employment, occurrences of anxiety and depression increased. “Surface acting,” or the act of suppressing or...

BERLIN, GERMANY—Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Secretary-General Dona Regis-Prosper called for immediate and tangible climate action, financing and collaboration to protect tourism-dependent destinations during a high-profile panel discussion at ITB Berlin, one of the world’s leading travel trade shows. Regis-Prosper was speaking during a panel titled, “From Promise to Progress: Steering Tourism in Challenging Times”, alongside global tourism executives from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the European Commission, and NECSTouR. Highlighting the Caribbean’s vulnerability to climate change, Regis-Prosper stressed the urgent need for practical tools and financing to help tourism-dependent regions navigate escalating climate impacts. “Sustainability is our...

WILLEMSTAD, CURAÇAO—As destinations worldwide struggle with overtourism, the Caribbean Island of Curaçao is taking a forward-thinking approach that prioritizes high-value, low-impact tourism growth and long-term resilience over short-term gains. In partnership with Sustainable Travel International and the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies, Curaçao is implementing a Destination Carrying Capacity Study, a 360-degree framework evaluating the economic, environmental, and social impacts of increasing tourism. By shifting the focus from sheer volume to a more holistic measure of tourism’s value, this initiative aims to create a balanced, mutually beneficial industry that maximizes economic benefits while safeguarding the island’s ecosystems, preserving...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Arlo Washington DC, which opened in November 2024 as Arlo Hotels’ seventh location nationwide, has achieved LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This recognition highlights the hotel’s dedication to sustаinable development, environmental care, and effіcient operations in the heart of the nation’s capital. LEED Certification is the world’s most widely used green building rating system and an international symbol of excellence. Through design, construction, and operations practices that improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings are helping to make the world more sustainable. The property’s sustainability elements include a 6,000-square-foot green roof with a 12,000-gallon cistern, which captures...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—In the wake of the pandemic, travel has experienced a significant resurgence, placing extensive pressure on popular tourist destinations. A recent study from Horwath HTL and AllTheRooms suggests that this issue can be mitigated with well-strategized and data-led approaches, thus preventing the need for restrictive legislation. Criticisms have been leveled at the short-term rental market, accusing it of contributing to the global housing supply crisis. This has elicited various responses from local legislators, varying from complete bans on licensing and registration to restrictions on listing durations. Despite these criticisms, the short-term rental market in Europe has seen impressive growth,...

BOSTON—Massachusetts lawmakers, hospitality industry leaders, and survivor advocates gathered at the Massachusetts State Capitol recently to highlight the urgent need to implement human trafficking recognition training across the hotel industry. The industry is already leading this effort. Since the AHLA Foundation launched the “No Room for Trafficking” initiative in 2019, over 2.2 million trainings have been completed to recognize and respond to trafficking situations. These efforts ensure that every hotel worker—from the front desk to housekeeping and food service—is equipped to identify and report suspicious activity. The event underscored support for S.1729/H.2726, which would mandate human trafficking training for all hotel employees...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and promoting the finest historic hotels in the United States, announced The 2025 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Best of Adaptive Reuse list. A popular and creative approach to historic preservation, adaptive reuse saves unused historic buildings from demolition by rehabilitating and renovating them to serve a new purpose. Travelers can visit many historic inns, resorts, and hotels in the United States today because their owners chose to reimagine these historic buildings in sustainable and creative ways. These adaptive reuse hotels inducted...

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND—This article is part of my ongoing project, Sustainability Transitions in the Swiss Foodservice Industry: Reimagining Foodservice for a World Never Imagined. In our increasingly complex global food system, narrow sustainability approaches tend to emphasize conventional value functions that focus on limiting waste or destruction and maximizing the share of value captured by a single organization. Such approaches serve a limited set of stakeholders and often overlook broader societal, environmental and economic benefits. In contrast, the regenerative paradigm calls for a comprehensive rethinking of business models: one that integrates long-term sustainable visions with transformative, circular innovation. At the strategic level, re-imagining...

SHAWANO, WIS.—NEWH, Inc. (Network of Executive Women in Hospitality), the premier organization dedicated to scholarships, education, mentorship, and networking in the hospitality industry, announces the winners of three scholarships to be awarded during this year’s HD Expo + Conference, from May 6 to 8, 2025 in Las Vegas. The recipients include: Ladan Khalvati, who will be honored with the NEWH BERMANFALK Hospitality Design Scholarship—sponsored by BERMANFALK; Alexis Mansfield, who will receive the NEWH Harvey Nudelman Scholarship—sponsored by Fabricut Contract, FR One; and Sibgha Malik, who will be awarded the Diversity in Hospitality Scholarship—a collaboration between Hospitality Diversity Action Council (HDAC) and...

MACAU—Melco Resorts & Entertainment has announced the publication of its sustainability report for the year 2024 (see here). The strategy continues to guide the company to go “Above & Beyond”—to strive to achieve its commitments to restoring the environment, inspiring its people and communities, sustaining its supply chain and empowering its business to impact positive change. As Melco’s strategy, pillar goals and targets evolve in response to shifting environments through wide-reaching efforts as highlighted in the report, the company aims to actively engage stakeholders on its journey towards a climate-fit and equitable future. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco...