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...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The ongoing efforts of the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower—one of the country’s first hotels to green its operations and the largest hotel in Oregon—have been recognized by Green Seal with the coveted Green Seal Lodging Properties certification (www.greenseal.org). Green Seal is a nonprofit organization that promotes the management, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services. In 2005, Hilton Portland & Executive Tower turned its attention to greening hotel operations. Recognizing the enormous consumption and dramatic impact of the hospitality industry on the planet, hotel management decided to take action to decrease its environmental footprint....

TORONTO—Businesses are embracing Fairmont Hotel and Resorts’ respect for the environment and promotion of sustainable tourism by rallying behind its Eco-Meet program now available at all of its properties. A staunch advocate of environmental stewardship within the travel and tourism industry, Fairmont was the first major hotel company in North America to include green business practices as an intrinsic part of its operations. Another major milestone as the pioneer of going green is the brandwide launch of the Eco-Meet program—an environmentally friendly conferencing program intended to minimize harm to the environment during meetings, conferences and similar events. ...

CABO DO SANTO AGOSTINO, BRAZIL—Grupo Posadas has opened a new resort on the coast of Brazil’s Pernambuco State—the Caesar Park Eco Resort do Cabo. The environmentally-friendly resort is located at Cabo do Santo Agostinho beach. The nature-inspired resort includes 300 guestrooms and amenities that were created with sustainable development mechanisms in mind. All are focused on preserving and utilizing natural resources. A well established niche among dozens of hotel chains in Mexico and South America, Caesar Park Eco Resort do Cabo is Grupo Posadas’ first eco resort. With a keen focus on sustainable development, Resort do Cabo...