GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK—Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C., operator of lodges, restaurants and activities at the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, has joined Arizona Performance Track. The program is a voluntary partnership between the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), businesses and other regulated entities that recognizes and rewards environmental leadership for going above and beyond the minimum requirements of the law. According to ADEQ, Xanterra South Rim was selected to join Arizona Performance Track for reducing water usage, solid waste sent to landfills, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increasing the amount of recycled content in...

CHICAGO—With more than 67 percent of Americans placing importance on the eco-friendliness of a destination, this market segment has a growing future ahead of it, according to a recent Orbitz survey of 320 adults ages 19 to 65. Travelers are reassessing how they travel, where they stay and the impact they leave behind when on vacation. Conducted by MarketTool’s Zoomerang’s polling service, the Orbitz survey found that: • More than half (65 percent) state it would somewhat impact their decision to stay at a hotel if they knew the hotel was using solar or wind energy to supplement...

LAS VEGAS—The Signature at MGM Grand announced the July opening of its third 576-suite tower. The debut of this all-suite tower will mark the completion of The Signature at MGM Grand complex, a first-of-its-kind hotel concept in Las Vegas that features an entirely non-gaming, nonsmoking environment focused on personal service within an intimate, exclusive environment. “There are no other accommodations in Las Vegas like The Signature at MGM Grand, which offers the best of all worlds,” says Frederic Luvisutto, Vice President of The Signature at MGM Grand. “We combine personalized service and an intimate environment just steps away...

JACKSON HOLE, WYO.—Proving that luxury and sustainability can join forces with unprecedented results, Hotel Terra will open in Jackson Hole this winter season. The first in a collection of green hotels launched by the Terra Resort Group, Hotel Terra will offer the exceptional amenities and services expected from boutique hotels, combined with environmentally sustainable building and operating practices. Green practices include Hotel Terra’s pending LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which will put it in an elite group of just five LEED-certified hotels in the United States. The 72 room, six-story Hotel Terra is a condominium hotel property built...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel and Lodging Assn. (AH&LA), has released a new survey, The Quiet Good: Measuring Corporate Social Responsibility within the Lodging Industry. Commissioned by AH&LEF and the board of International Society of Hotel Association Executives (ISHAE), the study measures the contributions made to the community by lodging properties, lodging corporations, and lodging industry-related foundations throughout the United States. A total of 469 properties and corporations responded to the survey, and 54 out of 70 industry-related foundations were analyzed. In 2005, the total national...

NATIONAL REPORT—Combined heat and power (CHP), the simultaneous production of electricity and thermal energy from a single heat source, is increasingly being used by companies such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. to alleviate rising energy costs. CHP, also known as cogeneration, is generated onsite by a plant powered by any number of systems: fuel cells, reciprocating engines, turbines, or microturbines. Electricity generated is used to meet a portion of the hotel’s needs and byproduct heat is used to heat hot water or steam. Cogeneration plants are much more efficient than coal-powered or other...

PORTLAND, ORE.—According to recent research, 67 percent of meeting and incentive professionals have taken environmental considerations into account when planning a conference or incentive program (IMEX 2007). The corporate model is fast changing to one where sustainability is no longer fringe, but mainstream. This year promises to be an unprecedented year for the global meetings industry. In response to this trend, the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) is helping to prepare meeting professionals to meet the challenges of a sustainable approach and experience how greener meetings are creating better meetings. On the heels of a successful annual...

NEW YORK—Travelers in the United States will be able to enjoy Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee at all of the Holiday Inn brand’s nearly 1,000 hotels nationwide by June. The commitment by Holiday Inn, which will be the largest hotel chain to serve Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, means that at least 30 percent of the beans used to brew the more than 55,000 cups of coffee served at the hotels every day will come from farms that meet rigorous environmental and social standards. These standards include biodiversity conservation, worker protection, healthcare and education for children of farm workers. “Holiday...

LONDON, ENGLAND—Recent months have given evidence of a marked increase in the world’s determination to address environmental challenges. Above all, a tipping point has been reached on climate change and in particular its impact on the environment. In response, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched an international campaign to call to dialogue the issues on climate change. The campaign will run full pages in authoritative publications including The Daily Telegraph, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal and travel trade media around the world. An online forum has been created to encourage open dialogue on the issues...

CHEVY CHASE, MD.—The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. will introduce an exclusive new resort brand, The Reserve, with the 2008 debut of Molasses Reef, a 125-room boutique hotel on the secluded island of West Caicos, in The Turks and Caicos Islands. Other select destinations around the world are under consideration for future The Reserve brand locations. “A departure for Ritz-Carlton in size and scope, The Reserve brand will feature signature, one-of-a-kind boutique resorts located in choice settings, each with a distinctive personality and sense of place, says Simon F. Cooper, President and COO. A refuge from the expected, The Reserve is...