SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS—Sabre Holdings, a global technology company for the travel industry, announced the launch of its Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program, a program that provides clear and easy access to sustainable travel offerings throughout Sabre’s portfolio. The program addresses travelers’ growing desire for environmentally responsible accommodations and includes more than 4,700 hotels certified by globally-recognized certification programs.The Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program builds upon Travelocity’s Green Hotel Directory, launched in 2009, and extends the program company-wide to recognize hotels that are certified as sustainable according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s guidelines. Travelocity is still the only major online travel company...

ST. PETE BEACH, FLA.—The TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, a beachfront resort located directly on the Gulf of Mexico on St. Pete Beach, is now serving Gulf Wild seafood at two of its restaurants—Palm Court Italian Grill and Bermudas Steak & Seafood—so diners know exactly where their fish originated. The change ensures the fish are responsibly caught and that guests are receiving the freshest possible seafood from sustainability-focused fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.Guests who order specially-marked Gulf Wild seafood from the menu are presented a tag number which is directly tied to the Gulf Wild TransparenSea system. Diners can...

RAPID CITY, S.D.—Atmosphere Hospitality Management LLC has assumed the management and license contract of a former downtown Rapid City branded hotel and has plans to convert it to the first Adoba Eco Hotel. The conversion of the nine-story, 177-guestroom property will include a full property guestroom renovation and public area restoration beginning mid-February. The hotel will stay open during the renovation that is expected to be done by May. The destination inspired, sustainable guestroom design will be created by Antonio Ballatore from HGTV’s “The Antonio Treatment” TV show.“Our goal since the launch of the Adoba Brand has been to...

ATLANTA—The engineering, architectural and green building communities, as well as governmental agencies, are seeking to fundamentally change energy-use aspects of the built environment. The ASHRAE conference, High Performance Buildings: A Focus on Deep Energy Savings, addresses what really works when tackling major improvements in energy efficiency, renewable applications and operating practices in buildings. The conference is sponsored by ASHRAE’s High Performing Buildings magazine and takes place March 12 to 13 in San Diego. “The conference’s focus on case studies and networking offers attendees an up close and personal exchange of ideas on best practices for high performance buildings,” Kent Peterson, conference...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announces that Amadeus, Melia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, Sabre Holdings and TUI Travel are among the first group of global travel and tourism corporations to publicly commit to promoting sustainable tourism products and services recognized by the GSTC. Each of these companies has committed to using the GSTC Criteria—a global framework for defining a sustainable travel benchmark—as the reference for sustainable travel.The objective of the program is to recognize and reward genuine practitioners of sustainable tourism, which in turn builds confidence and credibility with consumers. The commitment from these organizations demonstrates their...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute announced the winners of the newly launched Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award program, which includes $25,000 for one feature film and one in-process category winner. The prizes will be presented at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival this week. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide will screen the winning feature film, The Island President, at a special private event during the Festival. A Q&A session with director Jon Shenk will follow the screening. The Island President will be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on March 28. “Our partnership with Sundance Institute provides a platform for filmmakers to tell...

OAKLAND, CALIF.—Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, unveiled a newly redesigned certification label and significant revisions to its Multiple Ingredients Product Policy. The changes will better serve the needs of farmers, businesses and consumers that look to the Fair Trade Certified label to ensure that rigorous standards, transparency and efforts to provide the greatest impact possible have been met.Under the revised Ingredients Policy, which applies to all food and personal care products, only products that contain 100 percent Fair Trade Certified ingredients may bear the full Fair Trade Certified label....

NATIONAL REPORT—An increasing number of solar thermal systems are being used by the hospitality industry. Almost every brand has invested in this technology to lower heating bills. These systems work in a wide variety of climates from southern Singapore to northern Denmark and throughout the United States. What is a Solar Hot Water System? Solar thermal systems are a proven technology that has been around since the early 1900s. However, the technology has greatly advanced. Today’s solar collectors are very efficient and have a lifespan of more than 25 years. Evacuated tube solar collectors are a popular choice for solar hot...

NAPA, CALIF.—Designated as a Best Western Plus hotel, Inn at the Vines features accommodations that suit the needs of both business and leisure travelers. Now, the Best Western Plus Inn at the Vines is a certified green hotel through Best Western International. Best Western properties in compliance with at least one of the national or international eco-labeling programs for the hotel industry are now able to be noted as such on bestwestern.com and related websites. “We recycle of course,” said Bret Cudd of Best Western Plus Inn at the Vines. “To help conserve energy, we have an ozone machine in...

ST. LOUIS—Drury Hotels Company, a family owned and operated company based in St. Louis, is in the process of rolling out amenity dispensers in the bathrooms of its guestrooms in all 123 of its Drury branded properties. The five Drury brands include Drury Inn & Suites, Drury Inn, Drury Suites, Drury Plaza Hotel, and Pear Tree Inn by Drury. Drury properties can be found in 20 states. Alison Casler, director of training and communication for Drury Hotels Company, says the new dispenser standard will save the purchase and disposal of at least 1.8 million amenity bottles a year. Drury...