PARIS—Reduction can only be achieved through precise measurement. To accurately quantify food waste and comply with shared standards, each property is encouraged to measure its waste using Gaïa, a dedicated online reporting tool unique to Accor hotels. This technology-based solution makes it easier for hotels to measure and monitor their energy, water, waste, and carbon footprint performance, so that they can accurately track the impact of their sustainability initiatives. To date, 71 percent of the Group’s affiliate, managed and franchised hotels, spread across 3,900 properties, have adopted this platform. The Group plans to extend this to all its hotels...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—California lawmakers have advanced a bill to ban the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from household and institutional cleaners sold in the state. The bill cleared the Legislature and now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature. Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (La Mesa-San Diego) authored Assembly Bill 727 to protect the health of consumers and workers from PFAS. They are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down, and they pose a health risk to the millions of people exposed to them through cleaners and many other products. If enacted, the ban would take effect on January 1, 2026, and make California the...

NEW YORK—Boutique Design New York (BDNY), the leading trade fair and conference for hospitality’s boutique and lifestyle design community, returns to the Javits Center on November 12 to 13, 2023. This annual, high-energy event connects interior designers, architects, purchasing agents, hoteliers, owners, brands, and developers with innovative manufacturers of hospitality interior products for two days of networking, inspiration, and exclusive insight into today’s boutique and lifestyle hotel trends. BDNY’s bespoke, curated fair experience features more than 650 exhibitors that focus on a selection of exceptional product solutions for lodging, restaurants, wellness, spas, clubs, marine, and senior lifestyle interiors. As...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hotel operators and investors are increasingly collaborating to accomplish shared green goals, a sign of growing interest in meeting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments. Take luxury resort group Six Senses and its parent company InterContinental Hotels Group. Each Six Senses property embeds sustainability commitments, such as the adoption of green building standards, the allocation of funds toward local community and environmental initiatives, and even the appointment of in-house sustainability professionals. “ESG is quickly gaining significance as an investment and performance metric for hotel owners and broader stakeholders to align on,” says YouRee Park, Senior Associate, Hotels Sustainability Lead, Asia...

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND—Real estate investor and developer Lamington Group is adding to its pioneering eco hometel brand with the opening of room2 Belfast, the fourth outpost, and first property outside England, set to open October 16. The new property will consist of 175 rooms across nine floors as well as a vibrant café, tearoom, meeting and event spaces, a gym, bar, restaurant and a spacious lounge available for both guests and locals alike looking for a vibrant eco-friendly space to work, relax or simply catch up with friends. Keeping in line with Lamington Group’s commitment to sustainability, the fully electric room2...

NEW HAVEN, CONN.—When architect and developer Bruce Redman Becker envisioned the opportunity to create Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton which opened in May 2022, he set an ambitious goal to achieve something no one else in the U.S. had ever done—to create a hotel that operated fully on renewable energy, without any use of fossil fuels. Today, that vision is now a reality and Hotel Marcel has also become the first Passive House-certified hotel in the country. The Passive House certification*, managed by Passive House Institute (PHI), is the only internationally recognized performance standard for air tightness and energy consumption,...

ROSEMONT, ILL.—The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) will be holding its ISSA Show North America from November 13 to 16 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The annual tradeshow brings together leaders from the commercial, institutional, and residential cleaning community. In addition to having access to hundreds of cleaning supply companies, show attendees will be able to attend 11 educational sessions focused on various aspects of Environmental, Social Responsibility and Governance (ESG). According to ISSA, the mission of ISSA Show North America is to be the leading resource for information, education, innovation, networking, and commercial opportunities for firms within the worldwide...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—According to a review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources provided a quarter of the nation’s electrical generation during the first half of 2023—a slight increase from 2022. The latest issue of EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through June 30, 2023) reveals that in the first six months of this year, electrical generation by the mix of renewables (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for 25.11 percent of U.S. electrical generation. That share is up slightly from the 25.06 percent reported for the first...

NEW YORK—1 Hotel Central Park, which debuted in 2015 as the first NYC property of the pioneering mission-driven luxury lifestyle hotel brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces the unveiling of the Park Penthouse, a sanctuary atop the property. Soaring 19 floors above the vibrant cityscape, this nature-inspired haven is home to three sprawling suites and two guestrooms, which can all be combined to create the Park Penthouse, spanning 2,871 square feet with 1,201 square feet of outdoor terrace space. Guests reserving this full Park Penthouse Experience receive personalized check-in and check-out services, special perks such as a...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), announced its new ForWard initiative to support the advancement of women into hotel industry leadership and ownership. The ForWard initiative represents the merger of ForWard—which began as an AHLA event—and the Castell Project into one brand offering a suite of resources, events, professional development opportunities, and community-building forums to develop a pipeline of women leaders in hospitality. The Castell Project, a legacy brand focused on accelerating the advancement of women leaders in hospitality, was acquired by the Foundation last year. The ForWard initiative’s new portfolio includes: ...