STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO.—The Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Steamboat’s only full-service luxury ski-in/ski-out resort and conference center, announced that its Green Team has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives to help make the resort as eco-friendly as possible.The Sheraton Steamboat has partnered with Clean the World, a charitable organization that recycles discarded hotel soap and bottled shampoo products, sending them to communities in need worldwide to help prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses. Since the partnership began in June 2011, the Sheraton Steamboat has recycled 691 pounds of bottled amenities and 504 pounds of soap, which have been used to...

LAS VEGAS—For its 20th annual trade event, taking place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas May 15 to 17, Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) will delve into the topics of sustainable design, social responsibility, and eco-conscious practices in a new initiative called Green Conversations with the Experts, sponsored by NEWH. These half-hour Q&A-style talks will occur at exhibitors’ booths on Tuesday and Wednesday of the show and cover a range of pertinent topics, including raw materials, education, and green design in action. In years past, the Hospitality Design Group has offered a separate...

LAS VEGAS—Caesars Entertainment’s 2010-2011 Sustainability Report covers calendar 2010 and the first half of 2011. It is the company’s second such report. One report highlight is an updated CodeGreen (environmental) strategy that produced new two- to five-year targets for energy conservation, renewables, water consumption, waste diversion, supply chain, and guest and employee perceptions of Caesars’ CodeGreen performance. Other highlights: • On track to meet 2010 target to reduce absolute carbon emissions by 10 percent from 2007 to 2013. • Created Green Meetings & Events certificate program, graduating more than 200 managers. • Joined and played active role in UN Global Sustainability...

STAMFORD, CONN.—The Florida sun is shining its light on a new lodging option for travelers, with the opening of Element Miami International Airport. Element , the eco-wise brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., brings a fresh update to the Miami hotel scene with 209 guestrooms and suites built green from the ground up.Element Miami International Airport typifies the “balance” that Starwood’s Element brand offers to business and leisure travelers. The hotel’s strategic location puts it at the doorstep of one of the world’s busiest air-travel hubs—Miami International Airport—and just two blocks from the long anticipated Miami Central...

DENVER—At an exclusive gathering of national park leaders last month, Xanterra Parks & Resorts executive chefs Peter Pahk and Joe Nobile prepared a special menu featuring sustainable cuisine. Well-suited to the tone of the two-day meeting—a response to the National Park Service’s (NPS) Call to Action report focusing on establishing a mission for the NPS 2016 centennial and beyond—the printed menu included a brief history on the subject of tatanka, the Lakota word for bison. The background on bison was especially fitting because one of the main course choices was Braised Bison Short Ribs. The bison was sourced from the...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.—The Wyndham Philadelphia-Mount Laurel is just a few weeks away from going “live” with its 756-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system on 10 carports in the hotel’s parking area. The carports cover 70 percent of the 400-vehicle parking space and were constructed—along with the solar panels—as part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The PPA was signed by the owners of the Wyndham hotel with US Solargy, Inc. US Solargy secured the financing for the system. US Solargy then placed the PPA with SolarMax Technology which financed and developed it. The owners of the hotel incurred no upfront...

PALATINE, ILL.—Investments in energy efficiency initiatives in four- and five-star U.S. hotels are impacted by concerns from hoteliers about building automation and control systems around initial costs and the perception that energy management systems will result in a negative guest experience, according to a recent survey by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Harrah Hotel College and Cannon Survey Center. The study was commissioned by Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management.The independent survey of approximately 100 C-level hotel executives, general managers and lead facility engineers sought to understand the current level of awareness around energy management...

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA.—A collection of eight new ASTM International standards will provide meeting and event planners and their suppliers with specific guidelines and performance measurements for creating environmentally sustainable or “green” events.The standards have been in development since 2007, when Subcommittee E60.02 on Hospitality, part of ASTM International Committee E60 on Sustainability, partnered with the Convention Industry Council through its Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative to address the tremendous need for uniform standards that measure environmental performance in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. APEX promotes development of industry-wide accepted practices to enhance efficiencies throughout the meetings industry.“This is...

NORWALK, CONN.—HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), a socially responsible investor and employer in the hospitality industry, announced the success of its associate wellness program and the launch of new company-wide associate wellness initiatives, which includes a variety of health and wellness programs that are free and accessible to all HEI associates across all of the company's 42 hotels and corporate offices. The new initiatives are part of the company’s continued focus on leading the industry in associate wellness and, consistent with HEI’s culture, creating a higher standard of excellence. The new programs are being offered by health service company...

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.—The Hampton Inn of Hendersonville, N.C., has installed 24 4’x10’ AET solar thermal collector panels on the roof of the hotel. These panels now provide approximately 1,200 gallons of hot water a day for the hotel’s hot water needs, including laundry and guest showers. The owners of the Hampton Inn have a long-standing commitment to operate their hotel in a manner that’s as environmentally-friendly as possible, and the installation of solar panels is representative of their continued desire to achieve that goal.The solar panels work by harnessing thermal energy from the sun and using that energy to heat...