FREEPORT, MAINE—Some of Maine’s finest inns and resorts will slash their rates by 50 percent this spring to support Hospitality for Habitat, a Maine Innkeepers Assn. (MEIA) program that raises funds for local chapters of Habitat for Humanity, announced Greg Dugal, executive director of MEIA. Participating Innkeepers all over the state will reduce room rates by half between April 25 and May 27, 2011 for guests willing to write a $35 donation check payable to Habitat for Humanity.  “Every dollar donated goes to help build homes in Maine for deserving families,” said Dugal. “Travelers taking advantage of the Hospitality for...

DALLAS—Following a successful pilot of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key) in the United States in 2010, Accor North America has made a commitment for all Motel 6 and Studio 6 properties to be Green Key certified by the end of 2011. With the commitment, 1,100 locations will be ranked and certified according to Green Key’s sustainable practices, which adhere to Accor’s long-standing commitment to the environment and sustainability. “The Green Key program has been beneficial to our Canadian properties for several years, and our participation in the U.S. pilot reaffirmed the business and sustainability benefits of the program,”...

SAN DIEGO—From the floors of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in San Diego last week, Advaya Hospitality unveiled a global lifestyle hotel brand before an audience of industry insiders. The brand, MODO Hotel, which will have some green features, will make its debut in major markets around the world, starting with a minimum of five properties in India and another five in Brazil. Advaya also is in the early stages of establishing a fund to acquire strategic assets and build new hotels, targeting major U.S. markets like New York, Kansas City and Miami. MODO presents a new take on hospitality...

CHICAGO—The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place’s approach to sustainability is not to make one big splash with one giant investment. Instead, says Roger Martin, director of engineering at the 800-room hotel, “Our focus is to do a lot of the little things that add up to one big green initiative.” That approach is definitely working. The hotel, which is part of the giant McCormick Place complex that attracts close to 3 million visitors annually, reduced its electricity consumption by 12.7 percent from 2009 to 2010 and its water consumption by 24.4 percent. Part of those reductions was a result of...

CONCORD, N.H.—More than 8 million pounds of greenhouse gases were eliminated last year as a result of energy efficient lighting implemented in 57 lodging businesses in New Hampshire.  That is the equivalent of 358 cars being taken off the road according to Michelle Veasey, manager of the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program (NHSLRP). That is just the beginning. Those same businesses conserved more than 7 million gallons of water with water saving devices and guest-directed conservation programs. The NHSLRP asked certified green properties to recertify under a new application that allowed the program to calculate the impact of...

PORTLAND, ORE.—It’s Game On! as the sixth annual Sustainable Meetings Conference convenes senior level meeting and hospitality professionals from Fortune 500 companies, destinations, hotels and leading green industry associations into an immersive and innovative conference design in Portland, Ore., February 20 to 23, 2011. The international delegates, challenged to solve event case studies in a sustainability context, are now able to take their experience one step further with the announcement of GMIC’s keynote speaker of Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt of The Natural Step International. “The question of reaching sustainability is not about if we will have enough energy, enough food, or...

SCHAUMBURG, ILL.—The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Chicago Wilderness to receive a 2010 Conservation and Native Landscaping Award. The award recognizes seven and a half acres of ponds, wetlands and prairie plantings that surround the Schaumburg hotel. The native plantings that have been incorporated in the hotel grounds replace a majority of the turf grass and ornamental plants that were originally found in the area. The new plants help trap pollutants, clean storm water and reduce runoff. After the new plants established themselves in the environment, the use of...

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND—On its second anniversary, the Mercure Meetings Carbon Neutral Conference program has offset more than 3,821 tons of carbon emissions, equating to the carbon used to drive drive 1,127 times around Australia or 47 trips to the moon (if you could drive there). To put this into perspective, Mercure has effectively taken 1,803 cars off the road through this initiative over the past two years. Mercure Meetings has committed to offsetting—at a cost to Mercure, not the conference organizer—the impact of every conference held in its hotels. Since introducing the program two years ago, Mercure hotels have hosted...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred program announced that a final rule to initiate a voluntary product certification and labeling program for qualifying biobased products has been published in the Federal Register. This new label will clearly identify biobased products made from renewable resources, and will promote the increased sale and use of these products in the commercial market and for consumers. “Today’s consumers are increasingly interested in making educated purchasing choices for their families,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “This label will make those decisions easier by identifying products as biobased. These products have enormous potential to...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Mandala Research and World Footprints, leaders in travel market research and sustainable tourism, are teaming up with travel industry leaders on a Sustainable Travel and Tourism Study. The research will address the 55 million travelers who the U.S. Travel Association says have growing concerns about environmental issues.  The study will assess the value and impact of sustainability on travelers by understanding their expectations and their propensity to support destinations and travel companies that implement sustainable practices. In addition, the Sustainable Travel and Tourism Study will assess the impact of the new GSA Federal Travel Regulations on destinations, cities,...