NATIONAL REPORT—For safe, non-toxic cleaning you cannot get much better than water—but it first must be converted to aqueous ozone. The cleaning and disinfection properties of ozone have been known for a long time, but it has often been inconvenient to access. At least two companies have recently introduced sleek rechargeable, reusable spray bottles, however, that make using aqueous ozone portable and easy. The first company is Donastar Enterprises, LLC. Its EnozoPRO, after an AC charge, detaches from its base and kills 99.9 percent of most harmful bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces in 30 seconds.* “Ozone is capable of...

MCLEAN, VA.—The Hilton Effect Foundation announced earlier this week that on Giving Tuesday it would donate $1 for every retweet within 24 hours of posting to World Central Kitchen to support those facing food insecurity, up to $100,000. Over the last year, the Foundation has donated more than $1 million to support communities around the world grappling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including nearly $250,000 in donations connected to food insecurity. “With world hunger on the rise due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hilton Effect Foundation wanted to provide a simple opportunity for our guests,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Eighty-seven percent of respondents to a recent survey—all of whom voted in the November 3 election—believe there should be another round of coronavirus-related relief from Washington, according to results released Tuesday by the U.S. Travel Association. The survey, conducted for U.S. Travel by the research firm Heart + Mind Strategies LLC, was taken from a nationally representative sample of 1,000 voters. It found strong majority support for another relief bill among every voter group, demographic subgroup, and geographic region. U.S. Travel represents the U.S. economic sector—America’s travel and tourism industry—that is suffering by far the most from the fallout of...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International is partnering with the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) College of Education to provide free virtual tutoring for children of active MGM Resorts employees for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. This partnership centers on both small-group tutoring as well as family engagement sessions aimed at supporting MGM employees and their families. “We are proud to partner with UNLV to provide a pivotal resource for the children of our employees during this extremely volatile school year,” said Jyoti Chopra, Chief People, Inclusion and Sustainability Officer at MGM Resorts International. “We believe in the holistic...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced 10 inspiring individuals, companies, organizations and projects have been named 2020 Leadership Award recipients. The honorees are at the forefront of green building and working to advance healthy, resilient, and equitable buildings and communities. USGBC honored this year’s recipients last month during the closing event at the Greenbuild Virtual conference. Among the Outstanding Companies, Organizations & Projects were the Chumash Casino Resort and TCF Center. Chumash Casino Resort is the sixth largest Native American gaming operation in California. Managing its waste is a critical function for the resort, Tribal Ownership and the community....

SINGAPORE—The latest Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) Index shows that carbon emissions per square meter of hotels around the world has decreased by 10 percent since 2015. The CHSB Index contains data for over 14,000 hotels in 55 countries from 20 international chains. The greatest reduction was across hotels in the U.K., in which carbon footprint reduced on average 23.4 percent between 2015 and 2018. Hotels in India, Canada and the U.S. experienced a decrease of 14.4 percent, 13.6 percent, and 12.1 percent, respectively. Hotels in China showed slightly less improvement at a 7.4 percent average reduction in carbon footprint. Of...

NEW CASTLE, PENN.—More than half (53 percent) of Americans say the level of cleanliness in a hotel they visit would impact their intent to book a future stay at the property, according to a new survey. Conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Whittaker, the leader in low-moisture carpet care, from October 29 to November 2, 2020 among 2,047 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, the survey also revealed that the level of cleanliness in a hotel would impact the perception of the hotel for 49 percent of Americans. “Most hotels can’t afford to send half of their...

DALLAS—Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, announced a collaboration with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), enrolling the first 100 portfolio hotels in the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management, building a foundation for enrolling additional properties from Aimbridge’s vast portfolio. This collaboration will advance health and safety in the hospitality sector, address the challenges and expectations presented by COVID-19, and create well environments for productive associates and satisfying guest experiences now and in the future. As a global, third-party operator, Aimbridge is uniquely positioned to comprehensively address COVID-19 concerns for their properties, with a...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—During its annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced it will provide funding for 500 people in underserved communities to earn their LEED professional credential. This commitment is designed to help build capacity and expertise for green building and is a key objective in USGBC’s draft equity strategy, USGBC All In: Building Equity Together, which was also released during the Greenbuild Opening Plenary. “Green building and equity go hand-in-hand, and we know that addressing and emphasizing sustainability through green building can provide communities with resources and opportunities that can help them reach their full...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton has been named the global industry leader in sustainability for the second consecutive year on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), the most prestigious ranking for corporate responsibility and sustainability performance. As an industry leader in hotels, resorts and cruise lines, the company earned top scores across the assessment’s three key areas including governance & economic, environmental and social performance. This marks the fourth consecutive year Hilton has been recognized for sustainability leadership through inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and North America Index. “In a year where the hospitality industry has been severely impacted by...