MIAMI—Site activity is now underway at One Bayfront Plaza, announced Florida East Coast Realty, Inc. (FECR). Borings have been completed on the $2 billion development in downtown Miami that will comprise a 70-story mixed-use tower. At 1,049 feet, the One Bayfront Plaza tower is poised to be the tallest building in Miami. Adjacent will be a 43-story hotel, the first to be built north of the Miami River in 25 years. Together, the project will total 4 million square feet. FECR is pursuing Silver level LEED certification for the buildings. According to FECR’s construction manager, Alan Krause, the...

NATIONAL REPORT—Going green is no longer a passing trend but an important initiative for every business to consider. Today’s customers are becoming more environmentally conscious consumers and looking toward companies that are both responsive to their needs and environmentally aware. Some consumers are going as far as to change their shopping behaviors to only purchase from “green” companies. In the hospitality industry, where customer satisfaction drives the success of an establishment, hoteliers understand the importance of going green. From energy efficient lighting to limited laundry services, there are numerous ways that hoteliers have implemented green practices to provide a more...

FREEPORT, ME.—As the final numbers for the Maine Innkeeper’s Assn. (MEIA) fifth annual Hospitality for Habitat program are tallied, it is clear that visitors to Maine appreciate the opportunity to ‘give while getting away’. Hospitality for Habitat was designed to raise money for local Maine chapters of Habitat for Humanity, and since its inception in 2003 the program has grown each year. This year Hospitality for Habitat attracted more than 40 MEIA members and raised over $12,000 to help fund housing for Maine families. Hospitality for Habitat runs in May, and participating Innkeepers offer a designated number of their rooms...

ISLAMORADA, FLA.—Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) South District Director Jon Iglehart announced that Lookout Lodge Resort in the Florida Keys has been added to the Florida Green Lodging Program. The property is the 200th designation in the program and the first combined Green Lodging and Clean Marina property. Both voluntary initiatives are administered through DEP to help facilities go “clean and green” by adopting cost-saving practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. “With Florida’s hotels serving more than 35 million guests annually and more than one million registered boats on our waters, the lodging and marine industries play...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Supporting the hospitality industry’s continued efforts to decrease carbon footprints and develop eco-friendly properties, the 93rd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) will feature educational programming, a special exhibit, and product awards highlighting the latest sustainable products and resources. Taking place November 8-11, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the IH/M&RS will serve as the industry’s top gathering place for informed decisions about this trend and others. “With the sustainability movement continuing to strengthen, we’re pleased to present an opportunity for 35,000 industry professionals to learn from noted experts in the field, understand...

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—For every medal Team USA receives at the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games, Doubletree will donate trees to a variety of need-based, reforestation projects across America through the Arbor Day Foundation. For every gold medal, Doubletree will donate 100 trees to be planted in the athlete’s honor. For every silver medal, Doubletree will donate 50 trees to be planted in the athlete’s honor. For every bronze medal, Doubletree will donate 25 trees to be planted in the athlete’s honor. The countdown campaign for the Doubletree U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Commemorative Forest initiative began with the first medal events...

HOUSTON—How do you get a laundry facility that covers 27,000 square feet into the basement of a downtown Houston, Texas hotel? It’s easy; you build the hotel on top of the laundry. Most hotel laundries are put in as an afterthought to the construction of the hotel and as such have limited space for equipment. The laundry facility located in the basement of the Hilton Americas-Houston was included in the initial building of the structure and exists as the largest laundry facility in the United States Hilton family of hotels. The massive equipment, including two tunnel washers, was put into...

ATHENS, GA.—Atlanta-based Rialto Property Partners, LLC and Savannah, Ga.-based Melaver, Inc. announced that construction on a new Hotel Indigo has commenced in downtown Athens, Ga. Located five blocks from the University of Georgia’s campus, the boutique hotel will have 130 eco-luxury guestrooms and plans to be open by the fall of 2009. The building is anticipated to be among the first three hotels in the world to achieve LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Hotel Indigo Athens will offer a complete boutique experience. Features include residential-inspired guestrooms, hardwood floors and spa-like showers, which are all part of...

IRVING, TEXAS—Omni Hotels is hanging up on phone books for good. The luxury hotel brand announced that it will immediately recycle its current stock of approximately 30,000 phone books and eliminate future use of phone books at all of its properties. “Saying goodbye to phone books means Omni Hotels will preserve approximately 217,200 pounds of paper each year,” said Richard Maxfield, senior vice president of operations for Omni Hotels. “Our goal is to preserve more than 18,000 trees over the next decade. We feel good about the impact this initiative will have on the environment.” With this move, Omni estimates it...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Doris Kearns Goodwin, noted historian and author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, will deliver the keynote address at the 2008 Hospitality Leadership Forum. More than 700 senior level hospitality managers will be in attendance as Goodwin illustrates lessons in leadership relevant to today’s issues and headlines using some of the country’s greatest figures as examples. The full day conference will take place on Saturday, November 8, 2008, preceding the 93rd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), running November 9-11, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In a presentation based...