ROCKVILLE, MD.—Choice Hotels International announced that Comfort Inn will join Comfort Suites in implementing a 100 percent smoke-free policy beginning July 1, 2016, making Comfort the largest hotel brand in the United States to do so with more than 1,700 properties across the country. Becoming the largest hotel brand to provide a smoke-free environment reinforces the Comfort brand’s commitment to wellness and helping travelers feel refreshed while on the road.“This smoke-free initiative is the latest in a series of bold steps the Comfort brand is taking to enhance the guest experience and deliver the needs of today’s business and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The third annual industry study of sustainability performance benchmarking of energy, water, and carbon emissions is now open for participation. Hotel owners and operators of all sizes are invited to participate in this innovative industrywide collaboration. Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) 2016 is an initiative of the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), Greenview, and an industry advisory group. Eleven hotel companies—including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, and Wyndham—supported the previous study with more than 4,750 hotels globally. This year’s study will expand its global locations and segments, add hotel types to the benchmarking results, and...

NATIONAL REPORT—As of September 8, according to Plug In America, 360,236 plug-in vehicles had been sold in the United States. Since the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) about five years ago, total sales are on pace to double that of plugless hybrids for their first five years. Today, there are more than 32,000 charging stations listed on the PlugShare website. Undoubtedly, there is a shift taking place in how folks get from point A to point B.According to the most recent AH&LA Lodging Survey, prepared by STR and funded by AHLEF, 11 percent of surveyed properties offer electric...

NEW YORK—The panelist lineup for the three green sessions that will be part of the inaugural HX: The Hotel Experience (formerly International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show) has been finalized. The three sessions will take place over three days during HX, November 8 to 10, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.Planned for Sunday, November 8 from noon to 12:45 p.m. is “The Numbers Behind the Trends—Gauging Traveler/Hotelier Reaction to the Greening of Lodging.” As awareness of sustainability has grown among business and leisure travelers in recent years, hoteliers increasingly have put green practices in place to reduce their...

EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA—After giving Aruba decades of great change, the island nation has gifted its sustainable tourism pioneer with something permanent. The government of Aruba honored Ewald Biemans, founder of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts and one of the Caribbean’s most prominent environmentalists, by naming a street after him. A stretch of L. G. Smith Boulevard, conveniently located near the namesake’s resort on the world-famous Eagle Beach, is now officially known as Caya Ewald Biemans.The “caya,” meaning “street” in Papiamento, Aruba’s official language, is a tribute to Biemans for his significant contributions to the island’s tourism industry and recognizes...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International employee volunteers build a house from the ground up, and hand over the keys to an elated single mother and her children. Tens of millions of dollars are spent conducting business with minority- and women-owned enterprises, supporting the company's strategic objectives and commitment to diversity. MGM Resorts and NRG Renew partner to install one of the nation’s largest rooftop solar arrays at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, stretching a massive 20 acres.These are just a few of the powerful displays of corporate citizenship chronicled in MGM Resorts’ 2014 Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Themed “Inspiration...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and Interstate Hotels & Resorts announce the recent launch of AHLEI’s human trafficking awareness training into Interstate’s mandatory training curriculum for front-line associates and managers at more than 300 hotels in the United States. “The Role of Hospitality in Preventing and Reacting to Child Trafficking” is an online program developed in partnership with ECPAT-USA that provides hotel staff and managers with the information they need to identify and respond to crimes of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC).“The safety of our guests and associates is always top...

NATIONAL REPORT—In hotels, utility costs consist of four major components.  According to the 2015 edition of Trends in the Hotel Industry, electricity is the largest utility expense comprising 60 percent of total expenditures. Water/service is the next largest utility cost (23.8 percent) followed by gas/fuel (10.6 percent), and steam (2.3 percent). Trends in the Hotel Industry is the annual survey of U.S. hotel operating statements conducted by PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR), a CBRE Company. Over the years, the energy component of the consumer price index (CPI) has been a good indicator of the direction of the change in total utility...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide recently celebrated its second annual Careers@Hilton Live: Youth in Hospitality Month, a global career awareness initiative showcasing the diversity of opportunities available in the hospitality industry. Throughout the month of May, Hilton Worldwide properties and offices hosted more than 750 events globally totaling 22,365 volunteer hours and reaching more than 90,000 young people. Careers@Hilton Live is just one program in support of the company’s Open Doors commitment to impact one million young people around the world by 2019 and better prepare them to reach their full potential.“Travel and tourism accounts for one in 11 jobs globally...

KELOWNA, B.C.—They say winners are willing to go the extra mile to succeed. Bruce and Susan Stout did that, quite literally, to take top honors in the third annual E-mazing Race. Their cross-country adventure took them to many places, including a pit stop at one of the more forward-thinking Kelowna hotels.In total, the Vancouver couple drove their new Tesla Model S 17,895 kilometers coast-to-coast-to-coast for the competition that’s aimed at raising awareness for electric vehicles (EVs). They added another 1,600 kilometers in the final two days of the month-long competition (May 27 to June 26) to finish with a...