LAS VEGAS—The Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US) has honored CityCenter as the best commercial project of 2009 in the fifth annual Designing & Building with FSC Awards. The awards recognize entities that are committed to using sustainably harvested wood and creating a marketplace that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management. CityCenter’s dedication to the use of FSC-certified wood products is unprecedented in scale and resulted in a significant market transformation. “We are honored to be recognized as this year’s top commercial project,” said Cindy Ortega, senior vice president of MGM MIRAGE’s Energy and Environmental...

COLUMBUS, OHIO—Red Roof will give $5 cash back to every guest making a minimum $1 donation to Feeding America during the week of Thanksgiving, Sunday November 22 through Sunday, November 29. Donations must be made at the property and guests will receive the rebate upon checkout; the $5 back is per stay, not per night. According to Red Roof, it is their way of giving back and showing their thanks by teaming up with Feeding America and country music artist and Red Roof brand ambassador, Phil Vassar, to help put food on America’s tables over the holidays. Country Music star...

NEW YORK—The total number of exhibitors may have been less than previous years due to the economy and other factors but the number of vendors offering green products and services was stronger than ever at this year’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS). The event was held November 8 to 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Visitors to the show found exhibitors featuring amenity bottles that biodegrade much faster than traditional plastic bottles; dispensers that eliminate amenity bottles altogether; a nonprofit that matches up hotels with other nonprofits to help eliminate food, toiletry...

PHOENIX—Despite a challenging economic outlook, green building will support 7.9 million U.S. jobs and pump $554 billion into the American economy—including $396 billion in wages—over the next four years (2009 to 2013), according to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Booz Allen Hamilton. The study also determined that green construction spending currently supports more than 2 million American jobs and generates more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages. The economic impact of the total green construction market from 2000 to 2008, the study found, contributed $178 billion to U.S. gross domestic...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. announced that it will expand its green hotel portfolio ten-fold over the next five years by introducing a green hotel prototype that will be pre-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an internationally recognized green building certification system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The green hotel prototype, which will be available in April 2010, will save owners approximately $100,000 and six months in design time, and reduce a hotel’s energy and water consumption by up to 25 percent, based on national averages. These savings, combined with incentives offered in many jurisdictions,...

ITHACA, N.Y.—Students in the Hospitality Industry Practicum at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration are putting their academic skills to work in the real world by helping plan the Harlem Hospitality Project (HHP), a venture designed to provide educational opportunities to students in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City through both an academic curriculum and a working hotel. The five students collaborating on the project have been charged with forming a plan for HHP’s academic program, preparing a strategic marketing plan, and conducting a feasibility study to evaluate the viability of the hotel. The Hospitality Industry Practicum—a multidisciplinary course...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Out of a group of more than 200 hoteliers who accepted the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) Green Guidelines Challenge, the Hilton Americas-Houston was named the winner of this national initiative. Runners-up include the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, in Avon, Colo.; the Doubletree Hotel Burlington in South Burlington, Vt.; the Embassy Suites Chevy Chase Pavilion in Washington, D.C.; and the Westin Seattle. Notable in its selection, the Hilton Americas-Houston is the first Green Seal hotel in the state of Texas. It has implemented a robust recycling program and a comprehensive environmental awareness program that includes employees...

NATIONAL REPORT—Efforts to green practices in the lodging industry involve many cutting-edge initiatives. But simple steps can also be effective, especially when dealing with an issue that remains problematic. The disposal of feminine care products is a topic no one wants to talk about but the impact on the environment and the health and safety of guests and employees is significant. Toilets are a convenient and quick way to get rid of personal care products. Out of sight, out of mind. But with each unnecessary flush, between 1 and 3.5 gallons of water is wasted. To be water efficient, according...

NEW YORK—Ten exhibitors were honored with Editors’ Choice Awards during the Opening Ceremonies of the 94th annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), Sunday, November 8, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Awards program recognizes best new products within the categories of décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant and technology, as well as an eco-friendly equivalent to each of these categories. From the 10 winners, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award also was selected. The 2009 IH/M&RS Editors’Choice Award winners are: • Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show”—Bittel Electoronics, Ltd. (Aptos, Calif.) for UNO, a hotel guestroom...

ITHACA, N.Y.—More than 25 hotel industry leaders gathered on October 29 to 30 at Cornell University’s Statler Hotel for a Sustainability Roundtable. The Roundtable was sponsored by Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research. Roundtable participants discussed the following topics: “The Role of the Sustainability Department in Hotel Companies,” “The Impact of Emerging Codes, Laws and Regulations,” “Guest Engagement and CSR (corporate social responsibility),” and “Carbon.” In the first session on “The Role of the Sustainability Department in Hotel Companies,” David Jerome, senior vice president, corporate responsibility, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), said sustainability is about helping people understand what’s possible. “It is...