VANCOUVER, B.C.—Vancouver’s newest lounge at Hyatt Regency Vancouver is a unique gastro bar and urban retreat for foodies and fun lovers. Grain Tasting Bar offers a warm, open atmosphere inspired by a window wall of glass panes that gives an all-season view of the downtown streetscape and can be removed so the inside and outside are a seamless experience.Specializing in artisan cocktails, regional wines, craft beer, and fresh, local cuisine, Grain Tasting Bar is a pure culinary experience that infuses the flavors of British Columbia. Sourcing produce, organic breads and cured meats from local and sustainable growers, bakers, and...

NATIONAL REPORT—Just as the lodging industry has made significant strides toward sustainability since 2008, so too have two promotional product companies, each launching in that year and since expanding their green product offerings to thousands of items. The two companies include Green Promotional Items, Danvers, Mass., and Eco Promotional Products, Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill. The two distributors carry pads of recycled paper, pens, USB flash drives, mugs, apparel, water bottles, solar powered calculators, awards/plaques, magnets, name badges and many other items. Each item makes its own unique green statement—whether in a guestroom, at the front desk, during a trade...

NEW YORK—The InterContinental New York Barclay debuts its 45-bottle strong 100 percent USDA approved organic wine and spirits menu. The menu and organic cocktail selection is available at The Barclay Bar, on hotel room service menus and for private banquet events.In partnering with the Green Bar Collective, the InterContinental New York Barclay and Barclay Bar aim to conserve the environment. Using certified organic ingredients, the spirits offered at the hotel help to maintain clean farmland and groundwater, and prevent adding artificial fertilizers, synthetic pesticides or genetically modified organisms to the world.The new menu includes nearly 50 selections of organic...

NEW ORLEANS—In honor of National Food Day, a time to champion affordable, healthy and sustainable food, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center announced a partnership with the Recirculating Farms Coalition and the New Orleans Food and Farm Network to create an urban food and farming center on 2.5 acres of land owned by the Convention Center, at the corner of Melpomene Street and Tchoupitoulas. The new center, named Growing Local NOLA, will be a hub for research, education, training, and community interaction on growing, marketing, and preparing healthy, fresh food.“We are thrilled to host the new food...

COLUMBUS, OHIO—Hilton Hotels & Resorts announces the opening of Hilton Columbus Downtown. The 532-room property is located at 401 North High Street, conveniently positioned in the center of the city’s most admired neighborhoods, including the Short North Arts District and the Arena District. “Today is a significant milestone in the longstanding relationship between Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the City of Columbus and our distinguished business partners involved in this monumental project,” said Major Michael B. Coleman. “Hilton Columbus Downtown will attract millions of new visitors and make Columbus a best-in-class destination for national conventions and events.”The $140 million convention...

LAS VEGAS—A leading publication that monitors corporate responsibility has included the chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International among the 30 finalists for its 5th Annual Responsible Chief Executive Officer of the Year recognition. Jim Murren, chairman & CEO of MGM Resorts International, was noted in the annual compilation by CR Magazine, the voice of the corporate responsibility profession.“Corporate responsibility begins at the top and Jim Murren’s leadership has materially advanced MGM Resorts’ sustainability results,” said Richard Crespin, executive director of the Corporate Responsibility Officer Assn. and chairman of the COMMIT!Forum. “Jim, together with all of this year’s finalists,...

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced that Moscone Center has received LEED Gold certification, the first convention center on the West Coast to attain the green building honor. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).“Moscone Center is a vital hub for our convention and tourism economy, and we are very proud to have the first convention center on the West Coast to earn LEED Gold for an existing building,” said Mayor Lee. “This is now our City’s largest municipally-owned green building. Receiving LEED Gold on...

DALLAS—The MPI Foundation has completed the third and final phase of its benchmark Thought Leadership research study on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the results of which were presented at IMEX America 2012 in Las Vegas. For meetings and event professionals, the findings will enhance their understanding of CSR and demonstrate ways the policy can be put into practice ahead of consumer demand.The research is based on more than 2,300 surveys representing businesses and delegates from more than 150 countries and 90 interviews.Among the findings: •    80 percent of industry professionals feel that customer expectations for CSR will increase in the...

MCLEAN, VA.—On World Food Day, October 16, Hilton Worldwide announced multi-year partnerships with Feeding America and The Global FoodBanking Network to secure food and reduce hunger in communities where it operates around the globe. The collaborations will enable Hilton Worldwide hotels to collect safe, surplus food from conferences and daily food and beverage operations that would otherwise be thrown away and make it available to those in need.Feeding America and The Global FoodBanking Network will each connect Hilton Worldwide hotels with local food banks and their networks of local community agencies to facilitate food delivery to school feeding programs,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) announced their alliance to help raise awareness of foodservice packaging recovery among restaurant operators and consumers. As part of this new effort, the groups are hosting a first-of-its-kind, industrywide Foodservice Packaging Recovery Summit November 7 to 8 in Austin, Texas, that will bring stakeholders together to collaborate on industry-driven solutions that increase the recovery of valuable resources and landfill diversion.At the inaugural summit, NRA and FPI members and invited guests will share expertise to gain a better understanding of how the industry is working to increase recovery...