MACAO—Team members from Sands China Ltd. got together with volunteers from two local community groups at The Venetian Macao recently, where they built 20,000 hygiene kits for Clean the World, an international social enterprise that provides hygiene supplies essential for good health to populations in need around the globe, helping prevent the spread of disease. The hygiene kit build is an annual worldwide volunteer effort of Sands China’s parent company, Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS); in 2014, Sands China was the first integrated operator to launch such an event in Macao. The initiative helps Clean the World distribute emergency response hygiene kits to assist with...

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.—Wynd, described by its CEO, Ray Wu, as a startup based in the Bay area of California, recently revealed the results of a study it had conducted over the past 2.5 years of air quality of hotels in the Las Vegas area. Using Wynd’s Indoor Air Quality Tracker, researchers crowdsourced tens of thousands of data points to measure and benchmark indoor air quality (IAQ) across 28 hotels on the Vegas strip. Taking measurements of fine dust within the lobbies or common areas of these facilities, Wynd cross referenced the data with the EPA’s Air Quality Index to compare and...

TETON VILLAGE, WYO.—Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the iconic Rocky Mountain resort that has served as a premier North American mountain destination for nearly 60 years, announced that it will increase its minimum wage for all non-tipped positions to $18 per hour, effective immediately. The move marks a significant increase from the previous minimum wage of $15 per hour and is part of an ongoing initiative that prioritizes supporting JHMR staff to live and work in the community. This initiative intends to recruit and attract new employees to the resort for this winter while continuing to help retain staff. JHMR has...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association released its 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report, which measures the restaurant industry’s continued recovery and examines the status of current and emerging trends across key categories including technology and off-premises business, operations, workforce, food and menus, and more. Key findings illustrating how the restaurant industry continues its recovery include: The foodservice industry is forecast to reach $898 billion in sales in 2022. The foodservice industry workforce is projected to grow by 400,000 jobs, for total industry employment of 14.9 million by the end of 2022. More than half of restaurant operators said it would be...

AURORA, COLO.—Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center announced that it has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star certification for superior energy performance. Energy Star certified buildings and plants are verified to perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide. Gaylord Rockies was verified in the top 5 percent, based on weather-normalized source energy use that considers occupancy, hours of operation, and other key metrics. Energy Star is the only energy efficiency certification in the United States that is based on actual, verified energy performance. “We’re honored to earn the Energy Star for superior energy performance at Gaylord...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands has been recognized by global environmental nonprofit CDP on its 2021 Climate and Water A Lists, marking consecutive appearance on the Climate A List for the seventh year and the Water A List for the fourth year. Inclusion on CDP’s Climate A and Water A Lists puts Sands among 55 companies who received an “A” designation on both lists, out of the 12,000 companies that were scored in 2021. Sands was the only hospitality and gaming company recognized with an “A” designation on both lists, highlighting the company’s leadership in reducing emissions, mitigating climate risk, promoting...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow delivered an assessment and vision for the U.S. travel industry at the association’s annual State of the Travel Industry address on Wednesday, delivered via webcast from the National Press Club. Said Dow: “We should not singularly view the pandemic as a setback but as an opportunity to reimagine this industry to be stronger than before.” Dow acknowledged short-term priorities that Congress and the Biden administration should act immediately upon to ensure an even recovery for all sectors of travel, while also mapping out a plan that looks beyond the pandemic to return the industry to growth...

NATIONAL REPORT—Last June, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed into law a bill supported by the Southern Nevada Water Authority that requires the removal of “useless,” or purely decorative, grass throughout the Las Vegas Valley by the end of 2026. The Valley has been undergoing a severe drought as indicated by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Useless grass, also known as nonfunctional turf, is found around Southern Nevada business complexes (including hotels and resorts), along streets in HOA communities, and in traffic circles and medians. It is grass that provides no recreational value. The California Air Resources Board has voted to update California’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the ranking of its annual Top 10 States for LEED, with Illinois once again topping the list and demonstrating leadership in green building. Illinois certified 3.16 square feet of building space per person under LEED in 2021. LEED is the world’s most widely used green building program and was created by USGBC as a leadership standard defining best practices for healthy, high-performing green buildings. “Amidst the challenges of 2021, governments, companies and other organizations committed to taking bold actions to protect the climate, their employees and their communities,” said Peter Templeton, President and CEO, USGBC. “Transitioning...

ATLANTA—Officials of Castell Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in the hospitality industry, released the 2022 Women in Hospitality Industry Leadership report. Now in its fifth year, the report details women’s progress in leadership positions within the hospitality industry. “As the hospitality industry rebuilds the jobs it has lost since the start of the pandemic, developing career opportunities for women and minorities is even more vital in the hotel sector,” said Peggy Berg, Chair, Castell Project, Inc. “This report tracks progress and we are seeing more women in senior executive roles, successfully...