NEWTON, MASS.—TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, announced plans to extend its TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program into Canada and Europe for the first time, following rapid growth in the United States. Developed in consultation with the United Nations Environment Programme, the U.S. Green Building Council, Energy Star, and the International Center for Responsible Tourism Canada, the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program aims to help travelers around the world plan greener trips by highlighting hotels and B&Bs engaging in environmentally friendly practices.For the first time, hotels and B&Bs in 19 markets, including Canada, U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, are able to...

NATIONAL REPORT—A series of six webinars with topics ranging from water efficiency to green cleaning to window film will launch on March 26 and wrap up on May 21. In total, there will be 18 different presentations throughout the six webinars that are sponsored by the U.S. EPA. The free webinars are being organized by Dan Ruben of Boston Green Tourism and Peter Cooke of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Those who attend all six sessions will be acknowledged with a Certificate of Completion.The following is the schedule for the webinars:Session 1: March 26, 1 p.m to  2:15...

STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that its Element brand is gaining momentum in Florida with plans for a second hotel in the Miami metropolitan area. A groundbreaking ceremony for Element Miami Doral took place on March 11 with Doral Mayor Luigi Boria and other local officials in attendance, as well as several Starwood executives. The new Element is expected to open in July of 2015 as part of a dual-hotel development, joining Aloft Miami Doral which opened in March 2013. Owned by Eurocon, LLC, Element Miami Doral will offer 139 stylish, sustainable rooms.“We are delighted to...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association announced the recipients of the 2014 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards, which honor equipment and technology that specifically improves the back of the house operations and benefits restaurant operators.“2014 marks an important milestone for the KI Awards,” said Sam Facchini, co-founder and co-owner of Metro Pizza and 2014 NRA Show Convention Chair. “In addition to proudly celebrating our 10 year anniversary of the Awards, this year’s honorees demonstrate the continued tradition of the KI Awards in celebrating innovative companies making a measureable impact on the day-to-day operations of the foodservice industry.”The 2014 KI Award recipients reflect...

CORAL GABLES, FLA.—The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has announced the details for its new Caribbean Hospitality Industry Education Forum (CHIEF). The event will be held October 3 to 5, 2014, at the El Conquistador Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in Puerto Rico. CHIEF will offer sessions on the state of the industry, new outside-the-box approaches to areas such as social media and managing distribution channels as well as other sessions that focus on operations, sales and marketing, sustainability and financial efficiency. CHIEF will be an educational and sales setting with a strong focus on the use of...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—Showcasing its commitment to the Global Soap Project for the past two and one-half years, the Embassy Suites San Luis Obispo hotel announced that it has been awarded the 2013 Hotel of the Year for sending soap shipments to The Global Soap Project every other month without fail.The Global Shop Project recycles millions of bars of soap from a global network of hotel partners and redistributes the soap as part of relief efforts and hygiene education programs in more than 30 countries around the world.“We are very excited to partner with the Global Soap Project for...

NEW DELHI, INDIA—ITC Hotels Luxury Collection will add an 11th property with the opening of ITC Green Bharat in July. The property is taking shape on the outskirts of New Delhi in the northern region, amid the Aravalli hills.Pioneers of “Responsible Luxury,” ITC Hotels’ super-premium Luxury Collection has blazed new trails in sustainable hospitality as the first and only chain with all properties accorded LEED Platinum certification. The ITC Green Bharat is being built to meet these same rigorous standards, and will provide guests an idyllic getaway that also contributes to a planet-positive ethos.“We are proud of the high...

DANA POINT, CALIF.—The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel raised $29,000 for Surfers Healing through the Sixth Annual Holiday Surfboard Auction and Fourth Annual Surfing Santa Competition. Surfers Healing is a foundation for autism that hosts free surf camps that introduce children with autism and their families to the therapeutic properties of surfing. Last year, Surfers Healing took more than 4,000 children surfing during surf camps held across the country from Malibu and Doheny Beach in California to Wrightsville Beach, N.C. and Toronto, Canada.The concepts for the Surfboard Auction and Surfing Santa Competition were developed by The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel’s General Manager...

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—Do you think you could ever get to the point of being able to describe your hotel as the greenest on your continent? If you followed the lead of the innovators behind Hotel Verde in Cape Town, South Africa, you might be able to. The hotel was built with sustainability in mind from the ground up. It’s literally in the walls since the construction includes Cobiax void formers—recycled plastic balls placed strategically within the concrete slabs that are required for the various floors. They dramatically reduce the amount of concrete required, while maintaining the structural integrity.Andre...

CHICAGO—Most travelers say they prefer to buy from or patronize green vendors and service providers when they are out of town, according to a joint survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC, an international ground transportation provider and GO Airport Express, a GO Group member company based in Chicago.More than 450 people responded to the survey which asked recipients whether they made travel decisions based on companies’ environmentally-friendly practices. Of these, a total of 66 percent said being green has at least some influence on their travel purchases, with nine percent of those noting they always prefer green vendors;...