STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Stockholm is a world-leading city when it comes to environmental thinking. This is particularly noticeable among the city’s hotels, which are now focusing on their green credentials more than ever. Scandic Hotels started its environmental thinking back in the early 1990s. In 2004, it became the first hotel chain to receive an eco-label, the prestigious Nordic ‘Swan’ eco-labeling, for all its 74 Swedish hotels. Scandic Hotels’ environmental program is now fully implemented across both operations and hotel construction. The newly opened Scandic Anglais in Stockholm features a number of innovative environmental solutions. All organic waste from the hotel’s restaurants...

NATIONAL REPORT—They are certainly not all uniform and some are managed better than others but the number of state level green lodging programs is growing. Participation in the programs is also increasing. There are now at least 16 states that have some type of green lodging program. The Missouri Hotel and Lodging Assn. just launched a program in that state (see article) and in New York more than 10 state organizations are currently working together as part of the New York State Governor’s Initiative: Green Hospitality Partnership to put together a program (see article). Through online research and interviews with...

WISCONSIN DELLS, WISC.—Several hundred waterpark resort owners, managers and developers from across the United States, Mexico and Canada are expected to meet in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc. from March 10 to 13, 2009 at the Hotel Waterpark Resort Workshop—How to Survive & Prosper in Turbulent Times. Due to the economy, the topics this year have shifted from new construction to the sharing of survival techniques by existing property owners and operators. The theme of the workshop is focused on Getting Back to Fundamentals—building consumer confidence, promoting travel close to home, marketing value-added packages, job sharing, customer service, revenue...

FAIRFAX, VA.—Crestline Hotels & Resorts, the fifth largest independent hotel management company in the United States, announced an expansive sustainability initiative that is scalable and inclusive across all of the branded and non-branded hotels in the company’s portfolio. Crestline manages 70 full and select service hotels, resorts and conference centers throughout the United States. “EarthPact is a comprehensive green initiative that uniquely addresses sustainability across multiple disciplines including administration, food and beverage, facility management, conferences and meetings, owner relations, public relations and rooms operations,” says Dave Durbin, president and CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts. “In designing EarthPact we...

ATLANTA—The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), along with nine other leading organizations, is forming a consortium in response to the U.S. Department of Energy request for consortia to advise the department on high-performance building issues. The High-Performance Commercial Green Building Partnership (HPCGBP) brings together leading organizations from all aspects of the building community to provide guidance and technical leadership on key sustainability issues to the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program. “This partnership will ensure that the voices of the building industry are being heard,” says Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “At a time when reducing energy...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and the GUESTROOM 20X Task Force, a group of hospitality technology leaders and experts, are searching for the latest and near-future technologies for the newest version of GUESTROOM 20X. The 2009 version of GUESTROOM 20X, a special exhibit showcasing the most innovative technologies for the guestroom, debuts at the 2009 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) June 23 to 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. “Over the past three years, GUESTROOM 20X has garnered a reputation as providing the first glimpse into the possibilities of future guestroom technologies,” said...

LAS VEGAS—More than two years after Nevada voters passed legislation banning smoking in a majority of the state’s indoor public places and all of its restaurants, researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Kentucky have found that restaurants in some Southern Nevada casinos still contain unsafe levels of secondhand smoke. With the close proximity of nonsmoking restaurants to smoking-allowed gaming areas, UNLV assistant professor of nursing Nancy York and Kiyoung Lee, associate professor of public health at the University of Kentucky, measured air quality samples from 16 casinos in Southern Nevada to gauge...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The wind industry just closed out another banner year, and the American Wind Energy Assn. (AWEA) is looking ahead to further progress in 2009. Although the industry is buffeted by the financial crisis and economic downturn, it is also buoyed by a strong strategic position and the prospect of strong policy support from Congress and the new president. Here are some wind energy projections for the New Year: “The world’s largest operating wind power project” will be a hotly contested designation this year: At least one new project may soon surpass FPL Energy’s 736-megawatt (MW) Horse Hollow wind...

NATIONAL REPORT—In September 2008, NUS Consulting Group, which specializes in utility cost management, reported that Seattle had the highest combined water and sewer rates in the country, charging $14.28 per thousand gallons, up 5.1 percent from last year. Seattle’s costs are followed by: Atlanta with combined rates of $13.28; Boston at $12.96; San Francisco at $12.76; and Portland, Maine at $11.67. In total, 51 major water markets were analyzed and although the rates varied, they all shared one thing in common: rates are increasing and expected to go up even more. The bulk of these charges is for purchasing water,...

CHICAGO—After becoming just one of five hotels in Chicago to be awarded the coveted Green Seal Certification, The Talbott Hotel has been added to the 2008 Green Power Leadership Club by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This award was in recognition of its exemplary environmental leadership. In particular, the luxury, boutique hotel is being honored for its efforts to operate a 100 percent carbon neutral property by purchasing renewable wind energy credits that offset the hotel’s entire carbon footprint. The hotel not only met the minimum requirements for the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, but reached the 10-fold...