BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International and the World Environment Center (WEC) announced the launch of an innovative partnership to further strengthen the environmental commitment of Marriott’s Costa Rican suppliers by reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste and raw material usage, and lowering operating costs. The partnership between WEC and Marriott was officially launched at the Costa Rica Marriott. This initiative is part of a program called “Cleaner Production Private Sector Partnerships” supported by the United States Department of State. Building on more than 20 years of energy conservation experience, Marriott is committed to protecting the environment and addressing climate change through...

ENGLEWOOD, COLO.—Building on its successful Destination Earth environmental sustainability program, Destination Hotels & Resorts has created a new platform for all group and meetings business which is built on green practices to reduce waste, conserve water, better manage energy output and more. “A ‘green’ meeting will now be standard throughout all group, meeting and conference center properties in the Destination collection,” said Mark Hickey, senior vice president of operations for the company. “Basic principles of waste reduction, water conservation, as well as sustainable food and beverage practices are among the customary meeting offerings. However, there are different shades of green...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is now accepting seminar proposals for the ninety-fifth annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), North America’s premier event for the hospitality industry. Industry experts are encouraged to submit timely and relevant topics for consideration, to be presented during the IH/M&RS, November 13 to 16, 2010, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The deadline to submit proposals is March 1, 2010. Proposals focused on trend-driven information, within the areas of lodging ownership and management, consumer travel trends, sustainability and related issues, will be given preference. Additional topics of...

LONDON—Whitbread, the United Kingdom’s leading hotel and restaurant group, confirmed details of its plans for a second green hotel and its first low-carbon restaurant. The Burgess Hill Premier Inn, in West Sussex, represents the latest evolution in environmentally-friendly budget hotels. It follows Whitbread’s pioneering green hotel pilot in Tamworth, Staffordshire—the United Kingdom’s first green budget hotel which opened its doors to guests in December 2008. The 60-bedroom Premier Inn at Burgess Hill, due to open in autumn 2010, will adopt the best-performing green technologies trialed in Tamworth to deliver 70 percent carbon and 60 percent water savings. Adjacent to the...

SHELTON, CONN.—Jekyll Island, Ga., has its first new hotel in 35 years with the grand opening of the new Hampton Inn and Suites, announced New Castle Hotels & Resorts, which will manage the property on behalf of co-owners Jekyll Ocean Oaks, LLC, an affiliate of the ownership group of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. In its building design and operation, the new hotel is focused on sustainability to compliment the island’s environment and is among the greenest hotels in New Castle’s portfolio, having used many recycled materials during construction, underscoring the property owner’s commitment to green business and building practices....

DALLAS/HORSHAM, PA.—Accor North America (ANA), a division of Accor Hospitality, has announced that it will pilot the Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key) within its portfolio in the United States in 2010. Green Key is one of the first programs of its kind to rank, certify and inspect hotels and resorts based on their commitment to sustainable “green” practices; the Accor North America pilot will involve 20 properties. The ANA pilot will include representatives from the Motel 6, Sofitel and Studio 6 brands; those properties selected for the pilot will participate in the entire Green Key certification process, which includes: • The...

NATIONAL REPORT—With advancements in controls technology and equipment design, washer-extractors (washers) are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and flexible. This is good news for hoteliers looking to save money in a recovering economy. In the race to gain new business, vendors are manufacturing higher G-force machines that spin off more water faster, allowing linens to dry in less time. In some cases, advancements have allowed rinse cycles and dryers to be eliminated entirely. While innovation has allowed vendors to squeeze just about as much water as they can out of the washing process, other advances, especially in software programming, are...

RICHMOND, VA.—Virginia has introduced a new green-themed vacation giveaway celebrating the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th anniversary. The Virginia “Go Green on the Blue Ridge Parkway Sweepstakes” offers a chance to win a family road trip. Participants can win a seven-day, six-night vacation for four, complete with airfare, a hybrid rental car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and overnight stays at Virginia Green hotels, resorts and cabins. The sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents 21 and older and runs through November 1, 2010. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which covers 469 miles of scenic byway from Shenandoah...

PITTSBURGH—Pittsburgh’s eagerly anticipated premier luxury hotel, Fairmont Pittsburgh, is set to open March 29, 2010. The new hotel will feature 185 guestrooms, 12,000 square feet of event space, and a 6,000-square-foot health club, as well as a full-service restaurant, Habitat, and its feature bar, “Andys.” The new Fairmont makes its home at Three PNC Plaza, the largest high rise construction project in the city of Pittsburgh in the last 20 years, and one of the largest mixed-use buildings to be certified by the United States Green Building Council in accordance with its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating...

NORWALK, CONN.—HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the United States’ fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, announced that it received the Corporate Energy Management award from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) at the 32nd World Energy Engineering Congress 2009. One of the nation’s premier energy management and renewable energy events, the AEE Corporate Energy Management award is presented to companies and individuals who make important strides in energy conservation, sustainability efforts and/or products. HEI joins Toyota, General Motors, the U.S. Postal Service and McDonald’s as past winners of the award. “Since launching our energy management programs in 2005,...