ORLANDO, FLA.—While marketers of travel services may gladly bid adieu to 2008, the year ahead promises to be equally challenging as competition for travelers heightens, according to Peter Yesawich, president and CEO of Ypartnership, a leading marketing, advertising and public relations agency serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients. According to research conducted by Ypartnership, the travel intentions of Americans remain robust with 71 percent of active travel households planning at least one overnight trip during the next six months, the same as one year ago. “Our most recent tracking surveys reveal there is still plenty of demand for travel services...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Research released by the National Restaurant Association shows that Americans are looking for healthier options and “greener” restaurants when they dine out, in addition to an increased interest in value and convenience. Surveys of restaurant operators, customers and chefs indicate that restaurateurs will sharpen their appeal in 2009 in these areas and that restaurants’ responsiveness to customers’ preferences will drive these industry trends, according to the Association’s 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast. “The restaurant industry is both innovative and resilient, and will remain the cornerstone of the nation’s economy and communities, employing and serving millions of Americans in 2009,” said...

At this time of celebration, Green Lodging News would like to wish its readers and clients a very happy and safe holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year in 2009. It is hard to believe that yet another year is about to come to a close. For Green Lodging News the year has been a good one, with newsletter circulation now at 9,300 and a high of 91,111 page views for a month in October. An average of more than 23,000 visitors a month now stop by the Green Lodging News website. That number has been as...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Spearheading the hospitality industry’s efforts in Montgomery County, Md., to be increasingly environment conscious, the Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre has launched its environmental program by integrating greener hotel products, cleaner energy, and enticing its guests to live green while traveling by participating in its Turn On service to offset the carbon footprint of their stay. “We are proud of our commitment to both traditional hospitality and contemporary environmental responsibility,” says Eric Siegel, executive vice president of Cohen Companies, the owner group of The Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre. “We are introducing our 100 percent recycling policy and hope...

OTTAWA, ONT.—The Hotel Association of Canada’s Green Key Eco-Rating Program reached a milestone as the signing of a group of properties brought program participation to just over the 1,000-member mark. Earlier this month Lakeview Hotels & Resorts, a hotel company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, began enrolling all their properties in the Green Key Eco-Rating Program. Today, with their final few hotels in the system, program participation has officially tipped the scales over into the thousands. “This is a landmark day for the Green Key program and a testament to our industry’s commitment to improving their environmental performance,” stated Tony Pollard,...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced its agreement with the Government of Santa Catarina and the Government of Brazil to hold its forthcoming Global Travel &Tourism Summit in Florianopolis (the capital of Santa Catarina) from May 15 to 16, 2009. “We are delighted to enter this agreement which brings together WTTC, the Government of Santa Catarina, and Embratur—the national tourism organization of Brazil—in a strategic partnership to enhance the role of travel and tourism in developing sustainable economies and prosperous local communities,” said Luis Henrique da Silveira, the Governor of Santa Catarina. “Brazil is not only one of...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that its flagship Element hotel—Element Lexington—is the first Starwood hotel to earn Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and the first hotel in Massachusetts to achieve this prestigious rating. Element Lexington earned LEED Gold certification in recognition of its superior performance in areas including water and energy conservation and improved indoor environmental quality measures. The hotel, which opened its doors in July 2008, expects to recoup its investment in green building in less than five years, due to associated operational savings....

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) annual Greenbuild conference welcomed nearly 30,000 attendees in November at its show in Boston, the most robust crowd in the show’s seven year history. Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, and convenes the building industry for three days of educational sessions, renowned speakers, green building tours, seminars and networking events. This year’s show offered a slate of educational offerings, covering a diverse array of current topics, from green jobs, green building technologies, to biodiversity and social equity. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate and revered advocate against...

ALBANY, N.Y.—The Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid, N.Y., recently received a New York State Environmental Excellence Award. The awards were announced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and were presented in Albany by DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis at a reception to acknowledge the winners. Now in their fifth year, the NYS Environmental Excellence Awards honor businesses, non-governmental organizations, educational facilities, government/municipalities and individuals that have made great strides in improving and protecting New York’s environment through innovative and environmentally sustainable practices or creative partnerships. The Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort was the first hotel to...

SAN FRANCISCO—Toward the end of the movie “E.T.: The Extraterrestial,” E.T. tells the young boy Elliott to “be good.” Guests waking up at the Good Hotel in San Francisco’s SoMa (South of Market) district are getting the same message just about everywhere they turn at the recently opened 117-room boutique property. On one of the walls in each guestroom, the words “begood” are painted in white and yellow. On the ceiling, in glowing letters, the words “good night” are visible. The Good Hotel is one of the latest unique innovations of Joie de Vivre, which operates California’s largest collection...