ORLANDO, FLA.—Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. recently announced Habitat for Humanity International as the newest national partner in its corporate social responsibility program—HGV Serves. HGV is donating $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity to support employee volunteerism for new home builds and home repair projects in local communities across the country. “We are honored to support Habitat for Humanity’s critical work of creating access to affordable shelter and ensuring families and children have a decent place to live,” said Mark Wang, President and CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations. “Our incredibly passionate and dedicated team is also always looking for ways to support...

ORLANDO, FLA.—This past June AAA announced that it had enhanced its housekeeping evaluation to include objective, scientific validation of the cleanliness of common surfaces throughout hotels. Hotels that meet AAA’s standards for cleanliness, condition and this new surface cleanliness testing will be recognized as Inspected Clean and then assigned a Diamond designation. Scott Hammerle, Director of the AAA Diamond Program, told Green Lodging News that AAA is hoping for a late 2021 Q4 or early 2022 Q1 rollout of the Inspected Clean recognition program. According to AAA research, 76 percent of consumers surveyed would be disappointed if a third-party inspection...

NEW CASTLE, PENN.—Impressions about cleanliness in commercial facilities start from the ground up, according to new research from Whittaker, the leader in low-moisture carpet cleaning. The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Whittaker from August 5 to 9, 2021, among 2,056 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, found that 83 percent of Americans say well-maintained carpet improves their confidence in a facility’s cleanliness. “Often the first thing that people notice upon entering a facility is the flooring and what condition it is in,” said Joe Bshero, Director of Technical Services at Whittaker. “Carpet needs to be free...

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIF.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) announced the acquisition of the 41-room, beachfront Laguna Riviera Beach Resort. The historic Laguna Beach hotel marks SCP’s first expansion into California, and its sixth hotel overall. The acquisition advances SCP’s plan to expand its footprint into communities that align with SCP’s healthy, kind, green values. Opened in 1948, the Laguna Riviera is located directly on the beach just two blocks south of Downtown Laguna Beach. Described as a part French Riviera and part Mediterranean retreat, the resort boasts scenic coastal views, direct access to surfing and stand-up paddle boarding, and features a variety of...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announces the launch of a Net Zero Roadmap for the Travel & Tourism sector to support the industry in combating climate change during its virtual climate week event. It also announced the launch of ground-breaking social and environmental research data. The first time such data will be produced across the whole sector, building on WTTC’s annual high-anticipated  Economic Impact Report (EIR). These vital pieces of work represent WTTC’s biggest deliverables in the sector’s drive towards net zero by 2050. The powerful initiative is being run in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and professional services and consulting experts, Accenture. WTTC made the...

RIYADH—The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind the ambitious regenerative tourism project, The Red Sea Project (TRSP), has revealed design plans for its new mountain resort named Desert Rock in the wadi vistas in the west of the country. Created by the world-class architectural design firm, Oppenheim Architecture, Desert Rock is designed to protect and preserve the environment and will allow guests to connect with the nature and local culture of the region. “We wanted to create a destination that allows guests to experience Saudi Arabia’s untouched beauty,” said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC. “Desert Rock will provide guests...

PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN—Belvera Partners—a PR consultancy for the B2B travel space—has published the Belvera B2B Sustainability Report 2021: sustainability reporting in B2B travel’s top 350 companies globally. The report analyzes the current state of sustainability reporting in the B2B travel space by reviewing the websites of the top 350 organizations to establish how many have published a report, clear policies or other information related to the topic. Organizations selected for review are based on the Belvera B2B Travel Map, which is a metro-style rendition of the B2B travel ecosystem published earlier this year. The highlights of the study reveal that overall the sector...

CORTE MADERA, CALIF.—Marin Suites Hotel, a 101-room all-suite boutique hotel located in the town of Corte Madera, just minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, announced the completion of a three year project to install solar panels by Bay Area-based Clean Solar. A fixture in Corte Madera since the 1960s, the ownership of Marin Suites Hotel has made a long-term commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. The hotel’s new solar system produces almost 250,000 kilowatt hours annually, which is the equivalent of planting more than 80 acres of trees, taking 45 cars off the road, or off-setting 15 million miles driven...

OLYMPIC VALLEY, CALIF.—Resort at Squaw Creek, a luxury Lake Tahoe resort based in California’s Olympic Valley, announces its commitment to change its name to remove the word “squaw” through an official rebranding. The resort will unveil its new name by April 2022. “Removing the word ‘squaw’ from our name is an ongoing priority for our resort, and we feel that this change is of the utmost importance to showcase the core values of our resort and our commitment to inclusion and diversity. With the rebrand next year, we look forward to joining our local Olympic Valley partners in starting a...

NEW YORK—1 Hotel West Hollywood and the newly opened 1 Hotel Toronto have been accepted into Virtuoso’s exclusive portfolio of luxury travel partners, comprising more than 2,000 preferred suppliers in 100 countries. Additionally, the soon-to-open flagship property 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has been accepted as a Virtuoso Preview Hotel. According to Milton Sgarbi, VP of Operations, 1 Hotel South Beach, inclusion in Virtuoso presents new sales and marketing opportunities to the network’s luxury travel advisors and their highly desirable clientele. Virtuoso agencies worldwide sell an average of $25 billion to $30 billion annually, making the network the most significant player in luxury travel. “Virtuoso’s...