TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently welcomed the Staybridge Suites to the Florida Green Lodging Program. The hotel is the second designated in Leon County and 52nd for the state. The Florida Green Lodging Program is a voluntary state initiative that provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, and encourages hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving green practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. “Staybridge Suites has shown great environmental leadership by becoming a Florida Green Lodge,” says DEP Director of Sustainable Initiatives Deas Bohn. “They are helping conserve and protect Florida’s natural resources for...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that the Fairmont Mara Safari Club has opened following an extensive renovation program. Surrounded on three sides by the Mara River, and on the edge of the world’s Seventh “New” Wonder of the World—the Masai Mara—Fairmont Mara Safari Club specializes in tented luxury. The resort will be joined by two additional renowned Kenyan properties in the coming months; in total, $35 million of phased enhancements have been invested into Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club. With four poster, pillow-top beds and a veranda overlooking the hippo and crocodile-filled...

COLUMBUS, OHIO—The Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. (OH&LA) held its annual conference on Monday, November 19 in Columbus. Approximately 400 attendees met at the Hilton Columbus at Easton to learn about green industry trends and how to simultaneously save energy, water and improve profitability. The theme for the event was “Lodging Forecast: Green” and featured speakers including Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA), and Chris Lane, v.p. environmental affairs for Xanterra Parks & Resorts. McInerney was the keynote speaker during the luncheon. He commended OH&LA for its focus on environmental issues and...

MIAMI—The Miami Airport Marriott recently donated more than $100,000 worth of furniture and household goods to benefit the Miami Rescue Mission and recycled more than 300 tons of building materials to help the environment. The upscale, 366-room hotel, which will undergo a major renovation next year, is part of a unique concept from Marriott, in which three different Marriott properties—the Miami Airport Marriott, the Courtyard by Marriott and a planned Residence Inn—are located together on one campus for business and leisure travelers. When the Fairfield Inn on the campus was demolished earlier this year to make room for the Residence...

NORTHERN KACHIN STATE, MYANMAR—Silks, rattan, teak and bamboo embellish the brand new luxury wilderness Malikha Lodge which recently opened for its first full season in Northern Kachin State, Myanmar on the border of Tibet and Northern India. Designed by architect Jean Michel Gathy, whose artistry is displayed at several Aman Resorts, this is one of the last great areas of subtropical and mountain rainforest in the Himalayas and is home to both Lisu and Rawang hill tribes. Its opening heralds the highest possible level of commitment from its owner to provide opportunities for guests to view local community projects...

AVON, COLO.—The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Vail Valley’s newest luxury resort scheduled to open next summer, is doing everything possible to be sensitive to the environment and “go green” for guests. Situated on a 19-acre site bordering the Eagle River at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain, the property has brought sustainability to new heights with the ultimate in public transportation: its own Riverfront Gondola that will bring guests to the ski area. “We are building this hotel from the ‘green up’,” says Bob Trotter, general manager of The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa. “The new gondola literally at...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Greater Fort Lauderdale officials have named Hilton the winner in a competitive field of hoteliers seeking to build a 1,000-room anchor hotel for the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. Scheduled to be built on the northern edge of Port Everglades adjacent to the 600,000-square-foot convention center, the much-anticipated property will be Greater Fort Lauderdale’s largest hotel and increase its attractiveness as a destination for large conferences, trade shows and other events. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2012. The Broward Convention Center hosts approximately 280 events per year, and the new hotel is seen as...

PHILADELPHIA—ARAMARK, a professional services organization and leading concessionaire of parks, resorts and hospitality services, has helped secure a $1 million grant to the National Park Foundation as the initial and lead sponsor of the Foundation’s newly unveiled First Bloom project. First Bloom was created in conjunction with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, for children to participate in hands-on natural resource protection activities in national parks. The First Bloom project, honoring the work of Lady Bird Johnson, was launched by the National Park Foundation and Honorary Chair, Mrs. Laura Bush. The donation is the first investment in the First Bloom...

NEW YORK—The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show may have seen its greenest collection of products in its history, as this year’s collection of exhibitors featured everything from towels with organic cotton and bamboo blends to touch-activated faucet systems that allow one to choose hot, warm or cold water with the touch of a button. Environmental concern was evident in exhibitor booth marketing as well, as vendors used green themes to catch attendees’ attention. The following are just some of the product announcement highlights from the show this past week. HD Supply rolled out its ideallygreen campaign, which emphasizes the environmental...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—The Grand Hyatt Dubai has converted its main water heating system from diesel oil-fired to solar powered in a bid to reduce climate change and running costs. With the UAE’s carbon footprint spiraling, causing the country to be one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide per capita in the world, the Grand Hyatt Dubai’s new solar panel heating system will reduce its own emissions dramatically. “This is the first commercial installation of its kind in the U.A.E., and probably the largest in the whole of Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” says Phil Barnett, Grand Hyatt Dubai’s director...