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: ...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA—Leaders from across the global tourism sector are set to unite in Riyadh for this year’s UNWTO World Tourism Day (WTD), which will be celebrated from September 27 to 28. Through a range of impactful events, global ministers, industry leaders and experts will highlight the power of tourism and explore avenues for collaboration to foster growth of the sector, placing people, the planet and prosperity front and center of proceedings. Under the theme of “Tourism and Green Investments”, WTD 2023 will examine the role of investment in people and planet to secure livelihoods and foster mutual understanding, while exploring opportunities to...

PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab, a global sustainability leader offering water solutions and services, announced findings from the inaugural Ecolab Watermark Study. The global consumer research examined the state of water stewardship through water’s importance, usage, connection to climate and responsibility among key consumer populations around the world. By 2030, the planet is set to face a 56 percent water deficit, according to the World Resources Institute, and 1.6 billion people will lack safely managed drinking water, according to the United Nations. It’s amid this pressing water crisis that Ecolab developed the Ecolab Watermark Study to identify trends, help educate and generate action across industry stakeholders, specifically those...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the world works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the infrastructure needed for wind, solar, and electric vehicles is being built at record rates. Before long, a wave of solar panels, wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) will reach the end of their useful life. Nevertheless, despite growing demand for the critical minerals such as copper, lithium, silver, and cobalt used to build these renewable technologies, there seems to be little analysis about the dynamics of recycling. The transition to a clean energy future requires a secure supply of critical minerals. Recycling is one way that society can mitigate...