CHICAGO—President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the 42nd President of the United States, will address attendees at the 2012 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show on May 6. Clinton will share insights into his presidency and his current work with the William J. Clinton Foundation. NRA Show 2012 will be held at its new dates May 5 to 8 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.“President Clinton has a unique perspective on our nation and the world,” said Jack Crawford, convention chair for NRA Show 2012 and president and CEO of Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC....

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts, Inc. announced the company achieved its 10 percent energy reduction goal announced in 2008. Through a continuous focus on energy conservation, the company was able to reduce its electricity and natural gas usage by 10.75 percent in three years by operating more efficiently. Examples of the energy savings initiatives include performing energy audits at all Vail Resorts properties, replacing inefficient lighting and using motion sensors to shut off lights when rooms are unoccupied, making snowmaking systems more energy efficient by using less compressed air, implementing a company-wide “Idle-wise” program that limits the time company vehicles are...

COLUMBUS, OHIO—Red Roof is welcoming American Veterans home with “America’s Heroes at Work” open houses for potential job opportunities at Red Roof properties across the United States from March 5 through March 11, 2012. Faced with tough economic times, Red Roof is hoping to make reentry for veterans and their families a bit easier by providing immediate and future employment opportunities to them and their spouses.“As Veterans return home from serving their country abroad, many are having difficulty finding employment after being out of the job market for so long,” said Red Roof senior vice president of marketing Marina...

LAS VEGAS—At a ceremonial “green” ribbon-cutting event, representatives from the Clean the World Foundation, a nonprofit organization that collects, recycles and distributes recycled hotel soaps and bottled amenities (shampoo, conditioner, lotion etc.), and Caesars Foundation opened a new soap recycling facility in Las Vegas to help stop the spread of preventable diseases in communities worldwide.The Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center, located at 3111 S. Valley View Blvd., Ste. L-115 will serve as the soap and bottled amenities collection center and bar soap recycling site for all hotel partners in the western region of the United States.Thanks to $250,000 in...

MIAMI—The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) welcomes Dream South Beach to the Florida Green Lodging Program. The voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with free technical assistance, encouraging hotels to adopt cost-saving green practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. “It is wonderful to see businesses implement green practices such as water conservation, recycling and energy reduction because they are not only good for business, they are good for Florida’s environment,” said DEP Sustainable Initiatives director Deas Bohn. To become a designated member of the Florida Green Lodging Program, hotels must implement a variety of green practices. At...

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The Green Hotel Pilot Program, funded by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), was created in order to engage New York State’s lodging properties and understand key environmental challenges affecting this industry. The goal of the program was to assist lodging properties in reducing their environmental footprint while saving operating costs as well as increase revenue by attracting environmentally conscious tourists. In addition, those participating in the certification process would have the opportunity to increase the number of certified green hotels in New York and be featured in green tourism marketing.In the spring of 2009 in...

ST. JOHN, U.S.V.I.—Eco Serendib Villa and Spa, a new eco-friendly, luxury retreat on U.S. Virgin Islands’ St. John, has initiated a conservation program in partnership with the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park to save the island’s pristine beaches from the devastating impact of erosion while reducing the property’s carbon footprint. The Eco Serendib Beach Restoration Project will re-introduce indigenous trees and shrubs, such as sea grape, at beaches throughout the island and is funded by Eco Serendib Villa and Spa. In addition to providing seed money to kick start the program, the Restoration Project will sponsor one...

ATLANTA—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announces the launch in the United States of EVEN Hotels, its new hotel brand. This brand meets the large and growing customer demand for healthier travel, at a mainstream price. EVEN Hotels is another industry first for IHG, as it uniquely provides solutions for all aspects of travelers’ wellness needs in the areas of exercise, food, work and rest. Joining IHG’s existing seven hotel brands, EVEN Hotels will be a key pillar in IHG’s portfolio of preferred brands and in the long term, a key driver in market share growth in the United States. “We...

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—Worldhotels, one of the leading groups of independent upscale hotels, has launched a new Worldhotels Sustainability Program aimed at assisting affiliate hotels to increase efficiency through sustainability. The initiative includes the publication of a group-wide Sustainability Policy, as well as the introduction of resources and tools to assist hotels in their individual efforts towards sustainability. In November 2011 Worldhotels undertook an extensive survey of its affiliate properties, which now number nearly 500 across the globe, on their current engagement in sustainability initiatives. All regarded corporate social responsibility as important, while 85 percent reported that their corporate clients now...

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO.—The Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Steamboat’s only full-service luxury ski-in/ski-out resort and conference center, announced that its Green Team has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives to help make the resort as eco-friendly as possible.The Sheraton Steamboat has partnered with Clean the World, a charitable organization that recycles discarded hotel soap and bottled shampoo products, sending them to communities in need worldwide to help prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses. Since the partnership began in June 2011, the Sheraton Steamboat has recycled 691 pounds of bottled amenities and 504 pounds of soap, which have been used to...