MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton and American Express, in partnership with Hilton’s ownership community, are teaming up to donate up to 1 million hotel room nights in hotels across Europe to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing horrific violence in their country. Long-time strategic partners—Hilton and American Express—are making rooms available without charge to relief organizations such as #HospitalityHelps, which will in turn be provided to Ukrainian refugees and the first responders supporting humanitarian efforts across Europe. “Our hotels have always been part of the fabric of the communities we serve, and we are committed to supporting the places where we live and work,” said Hilton...

MIAMI—The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) released its annual wellness trends report, the new directions in wellness that the organization believes will have the most meaningful impact on the industry and people worldwide. The 110-page report goes in-depth on the major shifts ahead in nutrition, wellness travel, wellness real estate, women’s health, men’s wellness, healthcare, technology, sustainability, and spas. The trends were unveiled at the first Global Wellness News media event in New York City. 10 Wellness Trends for 2022 Dirty Wellness: The health of the world’s soil—and the impact of soil exposure on human health—become far more important (Think: “soil-bathing”). Toxic Muscularity...

LAS VEGAS—The organizers of the HD Expo & Conference have announced the conference schedule. The overall event will take place April 26 to 28 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Numerous conference sessions will focus on either sustainability, wellness, or green design, and one will focus on Women in Design. The following is a summary of these sessions: Tuesday, April 26: Sustainability, Environment, Future—DesignWell Pavilion Session description: What does sustainability mean today? What are innovative best practices? How do we continue to push the envelope? Experts talk through thoughtful approaches to high-performance, sustainably driven solutions. Wednesday, April 27: HDAC Series: Holistic Wellbeing...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Animal care experts from Walt Disney World Resort recently assisted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with the successful release of a 680-pound manatee named Plantaina at Blue Spring State Park, about 50 miles northeast of Walt Disney World Resort. Plantaina is a young female manatee who was rescued as a baby near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when she was found abandoned at less than a week old. She was just 28 pounds at the time, making her the smallest manatee ever rescued. After a successful initial rehab, Plantaina was released back into the wild (February 2021). However,...

NATIONAL REPORT—While the hospitality industry at-large is taking important strides to address gender equality, only 26 percent of senior leadership positions are currently occupied by women, despite making up 50 percent of the workforce. To facilitate greater progress and in support of International Women’s Day on March 8, with this year’s theme of #BreaktheBias, a group of diverse women from Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ global leadership team are sharing their wide-ranging insight with women seeking to develop careers in hospitality. For context, the makeup of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts leadership team is unique compared to industry standards, in that 47 percent of...

KEY WEST, FLA.—Members of the DiamondRock Hospitality executive leadership team presented a $5,000 check to Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) last month from proceeds of a special ‘Tis the SeaSon’ package that ran November 2021 through January 2022 at Margaritaville Beach House Key West. For each overnight stay, the resort made a $10 donation to the foundation, with a matching contribution from DiamondRock Hospitality. “It’s an honor to support the foundation, which works to protect and restore one of the area’s most treasured assets,” stated DiamondRock Chief Operating Officer Tom Healy. A nonprofit marine conservation organization, CRF is dedicated to restoring reefs to...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International celebrated the opening of its 8,000th property—Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ, a 12-story stylish retreat adjacent to Marriott International’s soon-to-open new global headquarters in Bethesda, Md. The hotel opening signifies both a growth milestone for the company, as well as an important moment in the Marriott story, as the company celebrates its 95th year. Marriott’s first lodging property, the Twin Bridges Marriott, opened in 1957 and was a four-story motor hotel in Arlington, Va. Constructed to be LEED Gold certified with custom and sustainable design, the hotel features five expansive rooftop green spaces growing select ingredients for hotel menus and...

MADRID, SPAIN—The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has convened an emergency session of its Executive Council in response to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The session will be held in Madrid on March 8. Following the request of Guatemala, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, and Ukraine for the suspension of the Russian Federation from membership of UNWTO, the UNWTO Secretary-General has called for an emergency session of the Executive Council to address the matter, in accordance with Rule 3.4 of the Council’s Rules of Procedure. The decision was made following consultations between the Secretary-General and the Chair of the Executive...

In the coming months Green Lodging News will be featuring suppliers whose advances have contributed to enhanced indoor air quality or significant energy, water or waste savings for hoteliers. Lodging Technology is the first company to be featured in this series. ROANOKE, VA.—Anyone who has been in the lodging industry for a long time knows about Lodging Technology. The company has been offering its guestroom energy management solutions since 1984. In fact, Bill Fizer, President and Founder of the company, developed the original infrared body heat sensing energy management system (EMS) and is considered a pioneer in occupancy sensor-based hotel...

BERKELEY, CALIF.—The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the second contribution of its Sixth Assessment Report. The report concludes the impact of climate change is intensifying so rapidly that it is endangering nature and society’s capacity to adapt. It confirms the effects of the climate crisis are already being felt and have been much more widespread and negative than expected. An estimated 3.6 billion people are living in areas highly vulnerable to impacts. The IPCC stresses that near-term actions to limit global warming to 1.5°C are critical to reducing and avoiding projected damages; risks will be several times greater if temperatures...