BETHESDA, MD.—In honor of Earth Day and Environmental Awareness Month, Marriott International is hosting its first green products fair for more than 3,000 employees at Marriott headquarters. The event will be held Friday, April 20. Local vendors—EcoLab, Whole Foods, Eco-Coach, Green Living, Clean Energy Currents, Starbucks, Clean Up the World and more—will showcase their latest eco-friendly products from paint, carpet and flooring to green travel, recycling and organic food. Associates will also have a chance to check out the latest hybrid cars from Toyota and Ford. Elected officials have also been invited. Guest speakers include: Dennis Dimick, Executive...

NATIONAL REPORT—If your idea of a water-saving toilet is 3.5 gallons per flush (gpf), it is time to pull yourself out of the 1980s. Since 1994, it has been a requirement in the United States for new toilets to be installed with at least 1.6 gpf tanks. With today’s high-efficiency models, it is possible to use as little as 1.28 gpf or even less per flush. High-efficiency toilets (HETs) can save thousands of gallons of water per room over a year’s time, reducing expenses and preserving valuable natural resources. That is good news for hoteliers, especially those with hotels in...

DALLAS—In honor of international Earth Day on April 22, Accor North America (NA), which operates more than 1,200 upscale and economy hotels, will launch Accor Earth Guest Week from April 15-22. As part of the Earth Guest initiatives implemented at Accor hotels worldwide, Accor NA will plant 20,000 trees representing each Accor employee in North America, implement a 65-point environmental checklist at all properties and corporate, and donate $375,000 to educational and charitable groups. The Accor NA Earth Guest Week efforts are designed to maximize Accor employee involvement in beautifying Mother Earth, educating and helping the community and...

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...