MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced the 2011 results of LightStay, the company’s proprietary sustainability measurement system. Overall, the program has been a success with more than $147 million in cumulative savings from efficiency projected for hotels reporting through LightStay. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide has achieved its five-year goal to reduce total waste output by 20 percent, a full two years ahead of schedule. The company also reports it is on track to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 20 percent, and water consumption by 10 percent. Since the introduction of LightStay, the company has reduced its carbon output by 10.9...

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has signed an agreement with Bari Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG to open a new-build Element hotel at Gateway Gardens, Frankfurt`s new city district near the airport. Scheduled to open in 2014, Element Frankfurt Airport marks the European debut of the eco-wise brand. The hotel will be located in a newly developed business district at the doorstep of Europe’s third busiest air travel hub, near the global headquarters of companies such as Lufthansa, Condor and DB Schenker.Launched in 2008, Element has made history as the only major hotel brand to mandate that...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide announced a 5 percent reduction in its carbon footprint over 2010 based on energy per square foot, as it releases its second annual Sustainability Report.“We view sustainability as part of our culture, and a fundamental part of how we responsibly do business in communities around the world,” says Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO, Wyndham Worldwide. “We are proud of our continued success in this area, which is the result of incredible collaboration and innovation by our associates together with our franchisees, suppliers, and business and community partners. Their dedication and combined efforts continue to produce...

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—Shore Hotel announces a new eco-voluntourism program as part of its Green Concierge service. The eco-voluntourism program, available beginning September 17, brings an added sense of well-being to guests’ vacations. With a variety of volunteer activities to choose from, guests will have the opportunity to better the local community while working with organizations that share the hotel’s strong commitment to the environment and surrounding communities.Volunteer excursions with Heal the Bay, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring Santa Monica Bay, offer guests the experience to participate in a self-guided beach cleanup ending with a VIP tour of the...

DENVER—Marriott International, Inc. announced the first TownePlace Suites hotel to open as part of its LEED Volume Program—the TownePlace Suites Denver Airport at Gateway Park in Colorado. TownePlace Suites is Marriott’s second brand to construct a hotel built using its LEED Volume program. The hotel will be the brand’s first property using the LEED Volume prototype.Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED Volume Program eases the process for property developers, such as hotel owners who want to build a LEED-certified hotel. Volume certification provides a streamlined path to LEED certification based on a pre-approved prototype...

NATIONAL REPORT—For too many hoteliers, the past three to four years have been fraught with group cancelations, rate attrition, and cost reduction efforts. Engineering operations have been asked to do their part as well, often drastically reducing repair and maintenance expenses.   After all, with 10-12 cents of every dollar headed toward maintenance and energy, hoteliers often opted to eliminate or defer maintenance activities in a desperate attempt to maintain margins, prevent layoffs, or even just to keep the doors open. After years of trying to do more with less, the economic outlook is not quite as grim, and fiscal indicators...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is inviting tourism businesses, organizations, and destinations worldwide to apply for its prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Each year, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards recognize global leadership in sustainable tourism best practices. Due to its rigorous three-step judging process involving 22 independent expert judges from all around the world, and including an on-site evaluation of all award finalists, the Awards have become one of the highest accolades in the global travel and tourism industry.Applicants should demonstrate how they are actively engaged in a successful program of sustainable tourism practices and management, including...

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.—When you have 744 guestrooms in multiple buildings, a spa, restaurants, and three 18-hole golf courses—all on 3,000 acres—maintaining a high level of operational efficiency is always a challenge. At The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., however, the management team has been able to keep up with aging infrastructure thanks to owners who have poured $300 million into the property since 1995. It was in 1995 that renovations began on the historic hotel that was first constructed in 1918.“The main hotel building was built to 1918 energy standards,” says Terry McHale, The Broadmoor’s director of facilities. “It...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) will combine the 30,000-foot view from the industry’s preeminent experts and the grassroots vision of destinations working toward sustainability during its annual meeting from September 25 to 28. The event will be held at various locations in the Washington, D.C. area. The Open Forum, to be held at the Washington Hilton on September 26, is free and open to the public. The meeting’s aim is to provide strategic and practical takeaways for anyone interested in developing sustainable tourism initiatives that protect the world’s natural and cultural resources.The Open Forum will include a...

LATROBE, PA.—Golfing legend Arnold Palmer and hospitality industry icon Bill Marriott yesterday teamed up to celebrate the opening of the SpringHill Suites Pittsburgh Latrobe hotel in Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, Pa. The 109-room, all-suite, LEED-pursuing (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) hotel is a joint venture between Palmer Hospitality, L.P., Concord Hospitality Enterprises, one of the nation’s leading hotel developer/owner/operators, and private investor Keith H. McGraw of Sewickley, Pa. Concord Hospitality developed and will operate the hotel.Among the green features are a guestroom energy management system, exhaust heat recovery system, light sensor system that extinguishes guestroom lights 30 minutes...