PORTLAND, ORE.—Vacation club brand WorldMark by Wyndham is launching Planting Seeds, a pilot program that introduces guests staying at WorldMark Portland Waterfront Park to the concept of urban permaculture through interactive workshops and an on-site vertical demo garden. Guests who participate in the free monthly workshop series will be empowered to live more holistically and reduce waste by embracing their surrounding ecosystems to grow their own food, at scale—no matter where it is they call home. To oversee its new Planting Seeds program, WorldMark enlisted the expertise of master regenerative urban farmer Daniel Campbell, owner and operator of Portland’s PDX Farm, who installed a demo garden...

HOLLYWOOD, FLA.—Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming announced the release of its 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Report: Fifty Years Forward. Social purpose has propelled Hard Rock since its inception in 1971, guided by its founding mottos: Love All-Serve All, All Is One, Save The Planet, and Take Time To Be Kind. “Our brand mottos have shaped who we are as a brand for the past 50 years while setting the foundation of our future,” said Paul Pellizzari, Vice President of Global Social Responsibility at Hard Rock International. “Today, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming operate 250+ cafes, hotels and casinos spanning...

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYA—JW Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of 30 hotel brands, announced the opening of JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, marking the company’s highly anticipated debut in the luxury safari segment. Sitting within the Masai Mara National Reserve in Southwestern Kenya, one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife and wilderness conservation regions, the lodge is a sophisticated sanctuary from which to discover animals and vistas in harmony. Guided game drives offer guests the opportunity to observe the “Big Five” that Masai Mara is home to, including lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros, and elephants. Between June and September,...

NATIONAL REPORT—When searching for water conservation opportunities in a hotel, the guestroom bathroom is a prime target. While most showerheads and faucets today offer savings opportunities, where huge progress has been made in recent years is in the engineering and design of toilets. While the current federal standard in the U.S. is 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf), the EPA’s own WaterSense site lists 73 models that use just .8 gpf. Of those 73 models, 16 are made by Niagara Conservation Corp. Green Lodging News recently spoke with Michael Campbell, Director of Business Development at Niagara, to talk toilet trends...

CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOR, CALIF.—While it has received minimal attention in the United States, a new law proposed by the European Union (EU) will require manufacturers and other organizations to prove their product’s green claims. The goal is to eliminate greenwashing, which studies find is more prevalent in Europe—and many other places worldwide—than we may realize. For instance, in January 2021, the European Commission, a politically independent arm of the EU, published the results of a study involving 344 claims on European company websites. According to the researchers, forty-two percent of those green claims were “exaggerated, false, or misleading.” The Commission went on to...

LONDON—The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Hospitality and Tourism Task Force announced its founding members and new partnerships, which includes 14 global hospitality companies and three leading sustainability and inter-governmental development organizations. The Task Force will drive more sustainable actions in the sector. Founding members include: Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and Co-chair of Sustainable Markets Initiative Hospitality and Tourism Task Force; Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Co-founding Partner of the Considerate Group and Co-chair of Sustainable Markets Initiative Hospitality and Tourism; Keith Barr, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts; Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor; Jorg Bockler, CEO of Dorint Hotels...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Travel Association launched a first-of-its-kind initiative, JourneyToClean.com, to share the collective story of the U.S. travel industry’s bold vision for achieving greater sustainability. The initiative consists of more than 100 examples of sustainable travel practices from a diverse cross-section of more than 50 travel businesses. “The travel industry embraces sustainability initiatives and business practices because it is good for the planet and it’s good for business,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. “Travelers and businesses alike are demanding more sustainable options, and our industry is evolving to meet the needs of travelers now and for...

NATIONAL REPORT—In this article, CBRE’s Alan Jutte provides insights on a study of hotel operating statements from CBRE’s Trends in the Hotel Industry which showed that new properties with energy-efficient features resulted in substantial energy savings compared to older or less efficient properties. The study concluded that while sustainability efforts can lead to reduced costs, the extent of these savings may depend on various factors such as room size, building size, amenities, building materials, etc. Sustainability is an increasingly crucial component across almost all industries. Embracing new and more efficient business models and technologies is expensive, and often developers and operators...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Dubai, U.A.E.-based Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, has launched its Green Collection, bringing under one umbrella nearly 200 hotels, resorts and palaces operated by GHA hotel brands that are demonstrating their commitment to protecting people and the planet. Every Green Collection property has attained at least one certification from a globally recognized environmental organization, with EarthCheck, Green Growth 2050, Green Key and Green Globe among the 15 leading certification bodies represented, and each requiring hotels to meet the highest international standards for sustainability initiatives and performance, with regular third-party audits conducted to...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance), which brings together the industry to create a prosperous and responsible global hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes out, has released its latest Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality v2.0 at ITB Berlin. First launched in March 2022, this updated version of the Pathway provides a more holistic and practical four-stage roadmap to accelerate hospitality towards a sustainable and contributory future. It harnesses the power of the four pillars of people, planet, place, and prosperity combined with the industry’s transformative power, innovation, and resources. It aligns with leading...