WATERLOO, IA—Heartland Inns of America, LLC, with 19 locations in Iowa and Wisconsin, announced that it will be the first moderately-priced hotel chain of its size to implement a 100 percent, smoke-free policy. In response to growing guest demand for comfortable, quality accommodations in a healthy, smoke-free environment, effective immediately all 19 Heartland Inn facilities will be 100 percent smoke free, including all guestrooms and public areas. “Now guests can sleep and breathe easier in every room at every Heartland Inn,” says Barb Cullinan, director of operations at Heartland Inns of America. “Our operating philosophy has always been ‘do right’ when...

MIAMI—The 2006 American Express Caribbean Tourism Environmental Awards, presented in late June in Miami during a special awards luncheon as part of the annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC), paid tribute to the hotels that are models of responsible environmental and social performance in the region. “The relationship between tourism and environment must be intimate and continuous, especially in the Caribbean, where sustainability is indispensable to preserve our tropical paradise” says Dianelys Rodríguez, vice president establishment services, American Express Latin America and Caribbean Division. “Our congratulations to both winners for taking the lead in environmental practices and serving...

NATIONAL REPORT—The road has not been an easy one for green cleaning product entrepreneurs trying to break into the hospitality industry. One company has dominated the lodging sector for years and there has been the perception that green cleaning products are more expensive and less effective than market competitors. While those perceptions may have been true 10 years ago, it is no longer the case. In fact, with the price of petroleum—a primary ingredient in many cleaning fluids—skyrocketing, green cleaning options can be just as affordable. Also, in many cases, they can be more effective than more toxic...

NATIONAL REPORT—Patty Griffin, a nonsmoker, recently found herself staying in a smoking room in a hotel in Texas. It wasn’t her first choice, but it was what was available. The smoking odor didn’t hit her hard, however, until she got home and unpacked. “I took out a cotton nightgown, and I couldn’t believe how much it smelled like smoke,” says Griffin, president and founder of the 300-member Green Hotels Assn., Houston, Texas. Certainly, hotels and motels are becoming more accommodating to nonsmokers such as Griffin who don’t want to smell stale smoke or be exposed to its health risks. In...

NATIONAL REPORT—With baby steps. That is how the lodging industry is approaching the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Only two hotels have been LEED certified—one in Sri Lanka, and the Marriott-managed Inn & Conference Center at the University of Maryland University College in Adelphi. The Hilton Vancouver, Washington, and other hotels are pursuing LEED certification. What is USGBC? It consists of a coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. LEED certification distinguishes building...

NATIONAL REPORT—It is a hotel owner’s nightmare—a call from an attorney representing a guest who has been bitten by bedbugs. If accounts found all over the Internet, on blogs and from vendors are true, it happens often. In fact, the news media recently reported that a woman is suing a Catskills resort for $20 million due to the approximately 500 bedbug bites she received while staying at the property in summer 2005. Traditionally, hotels have resorted to chemical treatments from some of the pest control industry’s leading companies to fight the problem. This medicine can be as bad as the...

LAS VEGAS—Cala Corp. has completed its plans to build a $400 million destination casino three miles off the Miami coast. The UnderSea Resort will feature 600 luxurious suites, a 50,000-square-foot casino, a 50,000-square-foot spa, six food and beverage outlets, an on-site golf driving range, approximately 100,000 square feet of meeting space, on-site helicopter service and approximately 50,000 square feet of undersea aquarium observatory space. The company intends to become both the largest offshore casino operator as well as the largest offshore timeshare developer. For more information, visit www.UnderSeaResort.com.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO—In May 2005, the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) Governing Council convened in Puerto Rico with the purpose of planning the strategies to advance the development of sustainable tourism in the Caribbean. During the meeting, Sir Royston Hopkin KCMG, Chairman of the Council, made the announcement of a new regional award for Green Globe-certified properties based on their benchmarking data submitted for the past two years to Green Globe and reviewed by EarthCheck. The Best Overall Performer Award was granted to Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort in Aruba, a property that achieved best practice status...

DENVER—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) recently honored the winners of the AH&LA Achievement Awards, part of the Stars of the Industry Awards breakfast, held during the AH&LA Summer Summit at The Brown Palace Hotel and sponsored by U.S. Foodservice. The awards, created in 1966, recognize individual hotel properties that have developed outstanding public relations campaigns. Among the categories is Good Earthkeeping. The Onyx Hotel in Boston won the Good Earthkeeping award, small property category, for its integrated approach to sustainable lodging practices. The hotel demonstrates a strong commitment to purchasing eco-friendly products and amenities, as well as innovative...

THE WOODLANDS (HOUSTON) TEXAS—Well over 100 executives of Benchmark Hospitality International converged recently at The Hermitage Foundation Museum of Norfolk, Virginia, to put the company’s Hometown Hospitality Caring for Our Communities initiative into practice. The executives were attending a management forum at The Founders Inn, which is operated by Benchmark and located in nearby Virginia Beach. The executives participated in Norfolk’s “Living Shoreline Wetlands Restoration Project” at the Hermitage. The Benchmark team spent the day clearing debris that had washed up on the banks of the Lafayette River flowing near the circa 1908 Tudor-style historic house museum, formerly...