WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) annual Summer Summit, held June 14 to 15 at The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, will include educational offerings, networking with diverse groups of industry professionals, and the honoring of exemplary employees and programs at the annual Stars of the Industry Awards luncheon.   The conference kicks off Tuesday, June 15 with the U.S. Lodging Industry Summit, which features the latest forecasting data via expert panelists from Smith Travel Research, Ypartnership, and PKF Hospitality Research. Other seminars include a newly-released cost and benefit analysis on third-party distributors, and how to maximize operations and marketing via...

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—America’s newest, environmentally sustainable hotel is now open near the campus of Syracuse University. Hotel Skyler is only the third hotel in the United States to seek Platinum certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Woodbine Group, owners of the Genessee Grande and Parkview hotels, renovated the former Temple Adath Yeshurun building—constructed in 1921—to create a one-of-a-kind 58-room boutique hotel. Hotel Skyler features some of the most advanced green design elements of any hotel in the United States. The building is heated and cooled with a geothermal heat pump, just...

SALEM, ORE.—Travel Oregon has launched two new programs that will develop tourism while preserving and protecting Oregon. Under the umbrella brand, “Travel Oregon Forever,” the new Sustainable Business Challenge will incentivize businesses to implement sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. The Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund will give businesses and travelers opportunity to contribute to projects that enhance Oregon’s destinations. Travel Oregon, in partnership with Sustainable Travel International, recently introduced “Travel Oregon Forever” to tourism businesses at an event hosted by Travel Portland. Sustainable tourism is a growing market that Oregon is well positioned to capture. In 2009, nearly 85 percent of...

NATIONAL REPORT—“Almost all buildings will experience some kind of water intrusion, in the form of leaks, flooding or other excessive indoor dampness at some point in their life cycle.” This statement from the Institute of Medicine’s report, Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, is an important reminder to builders, building owners and facility managers that vigilance is the best protection against liabilities for construction defects and building failures from water and moisture damage. Proactive action is far less expensive and disruptive than ignoring warning signs or being complacent about water and moisture intrusion, both of which may lead to becoming...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The Hotel Andaluz announced that it has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The hotel is the only historic property to be certified LEED Gold in the Southwest and the second in the United States. “The Hotel underwent a $30 million dollar renovation in 2009 with an eye on sustainability,” explained Gary Goodman, owner of Hotel Andaluz. “At the top of our priority list was long-term sustainability and...

DALLAS—The Omni Dallas Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Dallas, has outlined its sustainability plan which will lead to the property’s LEED Silver New Construction (NC) certification upon opening. The plan includes use of recycled and regionally-sourced materials, reduced construction pollution and water conservation initiatives. “Earning the LEED Silver New Construction status will be a tremendous accomplishment—one made possible by the tremendous efforts of the City, Matthews Southwest, Balfour/Russell/Pegasus, 5Gstudio_collaborative, BOKA Powell, Vivian-Nichols Associates and every team member who has a hand in keeping the project focused on sustainability,” said Nils Stolzlechner, general manager of the Omni Dallas Hotel....

QUARRY BAY, HONG KONG—Shangri-La Asia Limited released its first sustainability report outlining the company’s progress in the areas of environment, health and safety, employees, supply chain and stakeholder relations for 2010. The report will be issued every two years to track improvements in its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Titled “Enhance, Enrich, Embrace,” the report shows Shangri-La’s commitment to environmental protection and resource management, a focus on social development through investments made in the welfare of colleagues and business partners and Shangri La’s Care for People Project committing each hotel to education and health projects in local children’s organizations over...

LAS VEGAS—The speaker lineup has been finalized for Green Day on May 17, an event held one day prior to the beginning of the 2011 Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (The HD Expo). Both Green Day and The HD Expo are presented by Hospitality Design magazine and produced by the Hospitality Design Group and will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. Green Day will begin with a luncheon at which the winner of the NEWH Sustainable Hospitality Student Design Competition— Jamie Matthews Ivey, LEED AP—will be announced. The two winners of the Earth Minded...

LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND—The buzzword “sustainability” has been much discussed by the tourism industry of late and raises a number of questions. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts conducted an extensive study. In the first part—an online survey of more than 6,000 tourists in eight countries—researchers looked at how travelers define sustainable tourism and whether the topic of sustainability plays a role when people select a holiday destination or book a trip. In the second part, Swiss Kuoni customers were asked how much more they would be willing to pay for “sustainable holidays.” Nearly 30,000 customers of Kuoni and Helvetic...

LAS VEGAS—Oriens Travel & Hotel Management Corp., a boutique hotel brand operator, operating the Hotel PURE brand, announced that the company has entered into a definitive memorandum of understanding to design and build a green destination resort in Costa Rica. The agreement has been signed with S.V. International Developers S.A., a Costa Rican company that presently owns a partially developed 360-acre land parcel in the Puntarenas area of Costa Rica overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The property will be developed into a World Class Green Compliance Destination Resort that will incorporate both condominium villas and cabanas, a club house, multiple swimming...