HENDERSON, KY.—The Envi Boutique Hotel, located in Henderson, Kentucky, is proof that an old, tired hotel that has seen its share of flags can not only survive but thrive as a shiny, totally renovated green hotel striving to be greener. According to Kiran Patel, owner of the property, the 54-room hotel was first opened in 1967 as a full-service Holiday Inn. It later was converted to a Best Western and finally two other brands before being renovated into the Envi Boutique Hotel in June of this year. “In 1994 we purchased the property and was with Super 8 for 23.5...

NATIONAL REPORT—The Tax Code has long been used to help achieve various societal goals, one of which is the more efficient use of energy by individuals and businesses. It’s also long been used to promote energy production, to help achieve energy independence, and in more recent years to promote renewable and clean energy production. These tax provisions change frequently to try to keep up with the latest technologies and encourage individuals and businesses to make their homes, vehicles, and businesses more energy efficient while also encouraging the energy industry to address various specific aspects of energy production. The current...

SAN FRANCISCO—Over the past several years, the Airbnb community has opened thousands of doors to those in need. Airbnb.org—an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in moments of crisis—has helped to shelter those displaced by natural disasters, and offered hundreds of thousands of places to stay and peace of mind to frontline workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Airbnb.org Host and Member of the Airbnb Host Advisory Board, Susan Bailey, participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss Airbnb.org and a new initiative aimed at helping Afghan refugees. Over the past few weeks, it has...

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FLA.—Element by Westin has debuted in Jacksonville Beach with the opening of the 80-room Element Jacksonville Beach. It is operated by Shivam Property Management. The new longer-stay hotel in Jacksonville Beach will feature Element’s new room concept, Studio Commons. Blending the convenience of a hotel with the flexibility and comfort of a home, the rooms are designed for groups looking to spend time together in a more private setting, while still enjoying all the benefits of a hotel room. Anchored by four private guestrooms, travelers can cook, collaborate, and relax together in shared kitchen and living room areas,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The hotel industry is projected to end 2021 down more than $59 billion in business travel revenue compared to 2019, according to a new report released by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs. That comes after losing nearly $49 billion in business travel revenue in 2020. Business travel is the hotel industry’s largest source of revenue and has been slow to return since the onset of the pandemic. Business travel includes corporate, group, government, and other commercial categories. Business travel revenue is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2024. The new analysis comes on the heels...

SEDONA, ARIZ.—As one of the most anticipated hotel openings of the year, Ambiente, A Landscape Hotel in Sedona, Ariz. is set to welcome its first guests this December and local family developer Two Sister Bosses is offering a first glance into the highly unique, ultra-luxury accommodations as the first Atrium is now completed. Set on three rugged acres in Red Rock Country overlooking the city's most iconic monoliths, diligent and intentional work is quickly progressing as Ambiente takes shape with all 40 of its cubed-shaped, glass-encased Atriums fully constructed and undergoing interior and rooftop finishing touches. Work is also underway on...

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS—The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the leading global community tourism nonprofit based in Canada, Planeterra, have joined forces to support community tourism in CTO member countries. This strategic partnership aims to scale up community tourism throughout the Caribbean with the goal to enhance the social, economic, and environmental well-being of communities in the region. The organizations will be seeking funding to build the capacity of enterprises, while encouraging community tourism enterprises towards the training and mentorship offered by Planeterra’s Global Community Tourism Network. “Four years ago, the CTO launched a program to support the continued development of community-based tourism...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. released its 2021 Serve 360 Report presenting data from 2020 and demonstrating its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts toward the company’s 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. The Report can be accessed here. In support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Marriott’s sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, guides the company’s commitment to make a positive and sustainable impact wherever it does business, delivering value for associates, customers, owners, the environment, and communities around the world. “While we, along with the rest of the world, continue to focus on pandemic...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Code Council—the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions—launched its “Code on a Mission” challenge which aims to have over a third of the U.S. population covered by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by the end of 2023. To make this a reality, the Code Council is challenging the building industry and communities alike to update their building energy codes to meet or exceed the requirements of the 2021 IECC. Already industry leaders like Architecture 2030, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), Northeast Energy Efficiency...

MCLEAN, VA.—Home2 Suites by Hilton, Hilton’s award-winning extended stay brand, has achieved its 500th hotel opening in just 10 years, becoming one of the fastest hotel brands in industry history to reach that milestone. Home2 Suites started with a unique purpose—designed to be a savvy, dynamic brand for extended stay travelers. Today, Home2 Suites by Hilton holds the industry’s largest pipeline in North America, with more than 400 hotels in development, and is in the midst of a global expansion by introducing an innovative and value-added extended stay product in China, with the first hotel expected to open this fall. “As we...