ACME, MICH.—Grand Traverse Resort and Spa near Traverse City, Mich., has installed an electric vehicle charging station at the parking lot in front of the resort’s 17-story tower. The charging station can charge up to four vehicles at a time with 120 and 240-volt capacity that conforms to all industry standards.This is just one of many “green” initiatives at the resort which in 2011 earned the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council’s “Business of the Year Award.” In addition, the resort is designated a “Leader” by the state’s Green Lodging Michigan program and recently achieved “Legacy Certification” from the Michigan...

NATIONAL REPORT—Ten years ago, an infrared camera cost $50,000. Today, according to John Keane, director, Infrared Training Center, Nashua, N.H., one can purchase this type of camera for as little as $2,000. That price drop has made infrared imaging, also known as infrared thermography, more practical in a hotel environment. “The most common application is electrical inspections—looking for hot spots caused by bad connections, current overload, or other problems,” Keane says. “It would be common for a hotel to want to have all of its electrical infrastructure inspected, from the substation outside all the way to the electrical panels...

STAMFORD, CONN.—In a move that reinforces its “green from the ground up” branding, Element Hotels reports that its entire portfolio of hotels now meets the brand’s 100 percent renewable energy commitment. The initiative was launched earlier this year and gained momentum as each Element hotel individually renewed its annual energy contract. It culminated this month with the signing of the final contract.A brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Element Hotels pursues the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for high-performance buildings brand-wide. In 2010, Element’s Global Citizenship team challenged hotel...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA), the national trade association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, is seeking nominations for the 2013 Stars of the Industry Awards competition. The competition recognizes employee and lodging property achievement in 11 categories, including Good Earthkeeping, Community Service, Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year, Outstanding General Manager of the Year, and Technology Innovation of the Year.More than half of AH&LA’s partner state associations (PSAs) host competitions, and these state winners are forwarded to AH&LA for consideration for the national awards. In some cases, the PSAs do not offer...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide), one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, announced it received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), and is recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the “Best Places to Work for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality.” The CEI is the premiere national benchmark for LGBT workplace inclusion and provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers and their policies and practices pertinent to LGBT employees.The 2013 CEI rated 889 businesses, with 252 achieving the top rating of 100 percent and earning...

DENVER—The Colorado Convention Center (CCC) has become the first event and conference venue in the world to be certified to a new international sustainability standard introduced earlier this year to promote responsible environmental and social practices in the event industry. CCC achieved Level One certification with the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences (E2774-11). E2774-11 is one of nine formal, voluntary standards developed by the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and events industry to provide event planners and suppliers with specifications for producing events in a more sustainable...

CINCINNATI—Hospitality Media Group LLC (HMG) has been awarded the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) management contract beginning in 2013 and continuing through 2015, according to Michelle Finn, president of HMG.“Hospitality Media Group was selected due to their innovative approach to trade show development and their team’s extensive hospitality experience, coupled with strong operational skills and attention to bottom line performance,” said Joe McInerney, CHA and AH&LA president and CEO and a member of the IHMRS Board of Directors. “We are delighted to have a partner in HMG that also values and is dedicated to providing superb service...

PORT ORFORD, ORE.—“It feels like you are on another planet.” That is how Michelle Duarte describes the WildSpring Guest Habitat that she and her husband own along the coast of Oregon in Port Orford. Their small, eco-friendly resort sits on five acres of 100-foot trees and includes five cabins. “The cabins are built like small homes,” Duarte says. “They are not rustic.”Just about everything possible was done to minimize the environmental footprint of the five cabin suites. Duarte’s husband, Dean, who once worked on Hollywood sets in construction, played an integral part in the building of the cabins. Only...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) announces the official launch of the GMIC Greater Washington Area Chapter. The Greater Washington Area Chapter is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and serves GMIC members and the meetings and events community in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The chapter’s mission is to improve the sustainability of events held within the Greater Washington Area and to enable local members, through education and collaboration, to plan and implement sustainable meetings across the world.The inaugural chapter officers and board members include Kimberly Lewis (past president) U.S. Green Building Council, Cara Unterkofler (president) Greenview,...

Stephen Farrant, Director of International Tourism Partnership, reflects back on 20 years of ITP leading the sustainable and responsible agenda in the hotel industry.It was in the wake of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the original Rio Earth Summit) that the International Hotels Environment Initiative, now known as the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), was formed. Over the last two decades, ITP has grown and evolved as part of the International Business Leaders Forum, a not-for-profit registered in the United Kingdom and United States, and with offices in China, India and Russia.Twenty years on, this is...