LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International and Cirque du Soleil announced that they are joining forces in support of the mission of ONE DROP, a global non-governmental organization that promotes global awareness of the central role of water. From March 20 to March 25, and in recognition of World Water Day on March 22, MGM Resorts and Cirque du Soleil will donate the proceeds from ticket sales of performances of Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas shows to help further ONE DROP’s mission. Initiated by Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, ONE DROP is dedicated to fighting poverty worldwide through projects aimed...

CHICAGO—Six hundred bucks is not a bad monthly electricity bill for a 15-story, 63-room urban hotel. Granted, The Ivy Hotel has not opened yet but general manager James Cazares says public space lighting has been burning 24/7. Key to the tiny bill last month is LED recessed lighting—MR16 bulbs that consume just one watt each. LED lighting is just one of the many green facets of the luxury boutique Chicago property set to open at the end of April.Just over a block from Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood, The Ivy Hotel was once an office building. The...

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS—The top man at the world’s leading international tourism organization will address the Caribbean’s premier tourism gathering, organized by the region’s tourism development agency. The secretary general of the World Tourism Organization—a United Nations agency (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, has confirmed that he will speak at the State of the Industry Conference scheduled for October 11 to 13, 2012, in St. Kitts. The conference is being organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the international organization responsible for the development of Caribbean tourism. “We are pleased that Dr. Rifai has accepted our invitation to speak at the CTO State of...

BOULDER, COLO.—With a simple flip of a switch, The Best Western Plus Boulder Inn recently became the most solar powered hotel in Boulder County. The newly installed 880-kilowatt system that includes 88 solar panels will save 28,694 kWh of electricity production annually, and provide approximately 25 percent of the hotel’s overall electrical needs. A digital reporting device located at the hotel’s front desk provides real-time and cumulative information on CO2 savings and power production. This and other sustainability tracking initiatives applied throughout the hotel will provide a true look at the hotel’s overall environmental impact.“Our goal is to reduce...

NEW YORK—With a crowd of more than 800 industry and agency professionals, The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) presented the winners of its 55th annual Adrian Awards at the New York Marriott Marquis recently to the top companies and individuals in hospitality, travel and tourism for achievements in advertising, public relations and digital marketing. Founded in 1957, the Adrian Awards embraces every segment of the industry, including hotels, airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies, destinations, credit card companies and more.Within this distinguished framework, Costa Rica’s Parador Resort & Spa and its agency, Andria Mitsakos Public Relations (AMPR)...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Earth Day Network, organizer of the world’s largest civic observance, has teamed up with Best Western International. In a year-long partnership just announced, Best Western will become a sponsor of the massive Earth Day event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 22. “The theme of Earth Day 2012 is Mobilize the Earth, and Best Western has been mobilizing its hotels around the world to implement eco-friendly policies,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “Because of their enormous size and influence in the industry, it’s an extremely important step.”The event on the National Mall...

BORA BORA—Surrounded by the legendary sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, The St. Regis Bora Bora is home to a rich underwater ecosystem. This week the resort announced a partnership with BoraEcoFish, an aquaculture company whose main purpose is to spread information and educate the public on marine organisms and reef development in Bora Bora. The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort is working closely with BoraEcoFish to preserve the region’s rich underwater ecosystem—one of the immediate key projects is protecting the lagoon area at the property.The marine environment is an integral part of the Polynesian culture and economy....

OTTAWA, ONT.—Latest results from the 2012 HAC Canadian Travel Intentions Survey show that 42 percent of business travelers (up 5 percent from 2011) said environmental initiatives such as water recycling and energy efficiency are important to them. Thirty six percent of leisure travelers and 34 percent of business travelers said it is important for hotels to have green products. Twenty-five percent of leisure travelers and 31 percent of business travelers said a hotel with an environmental certification program is important to them.  Nineteen percent of business travelers and fifteen percent of leisure travelers said the ability to purchase carbon...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) next update to the LEED green building program, LEED 2012, will include various updates to credits within the LEED Pilot Credit Library. As a flexible, interactive mechanism for testing proposed credits in the marketplace, the Pilot Credit Library gathers real-time feedback on credit usability and ability to meet a credit’s intent.The Pilot Credit Library was established to facilitate the introduction of new prerequisites and credits to LEED through stakeholder engagement and collaboration on the testing and analysis of proposed requirements. This process allows USGBC to refine credits through LEED project evaluations before...

NATIONAL REPORT—From an industry penetration standpoint, mattress encasements are still in their “infancy stage,” says Sandy DiVito, vice president Hospitality & Healthcare for Protect-A-Bed. Increasingly, however, lodging establishments are using encasements to extend the life of their mattresses, keeping them out of the landfill and ready for the day when they can either be donated or recycled. From a sustainability standpoint, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to encasements. Encasements reduce the need to clean or treat mattresses, which is often done with toxic chemicals. A reduced need to clean means less labor and less...