Home Publisher's Point of View

Publisher's Point of View

Each week, Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, will address the hottest industry topics. Sometimes hard hitting, his column will challenge the industry’s leaders to take action. At other times, he will lift up the industry’s environmental champions. “Point of View” is a column you will not want to miss. To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com

Publisher's Point of View

Home Publisher's Point of View
Each week, Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, will address the hottest industry topics. Sometimes hard hitting, his column will challenge the industry’s leaders to take action. At other times, he will lift up the industry’s environmental champions. “Point of View” is a column you will not want to miss. To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com

Hilton Takes Steps to Help Keep America Beautiful

A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to act every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Keep America Beautiful envisions a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, Beautify America’s public spaces, and Restore & Support resilient communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of millions of individual volunteers, nearly 700 community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, and the support of municipalities, elected officials, and corporate partners. Hilton Sponsors Greatest American Cleanup Hilton recently announced sponsorship of Keep...

Nuveen Green Capital Makes News with Two Large C-PACE Transactions

Nuveen Green Capital made the news twice recently, and for good reason. First, the leader in sustainable commercial real estate financing solutions announced that it has closed on the financing of $190 million in C-PACE capital for the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The project marks the first C-PACE financed deal in Clark County, as well as the largest in Nevada, and second largest C-PACE financed deal in the country to date. Second, it announced that it has closed on a $76.2 million financing package for Bishop’s Lodge Auberge Resort in Santa Fe, N.M. The closing marks the first-ever C-PACE...

Carbon Positive Populus Hotel is Showcase for Green Design, Operations

Denver’s Populus hotel, developed by Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward, and managed by Aparium Hotel Group, is staking its claim as one of the greenest hotels on the planet. A recent press release described it as the first carbon positive hotel in the United States. The hotel’s embodied carbon footprint has been reduced through a combination of sustainable design and construction techniques—including the use of low-carbon concrete, an insulated façade system and GFRC rainscreen, and intentionally not having onsite parking—then offset by the acquisition of 7,000 tons of certified carbon credits as a part of its evolving,...

What Hoteliers Need to Know About Green Key Global

In April, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) announced a partnership to jointly operate the Green Key Global sustainability certification program in the U.S. and Canada. Since then, many of America’s top hospitality companies have signed up for the program, which provides third-party certification for hotels’ sustainability policies and processes. To find out what hoteliers need to know about this leading sustainability certification program, Green Lodging News spoke with Green Key Global Managing Director Anick Levesque and AHLA Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey about how Green Key Global certification supports sustainability...

Three More Certification Programs to Keep on Your Radar

There are several certification programs that recently got my attention—all of which are now listed on the Green Lodging News certifications page. Be sure to visit the programs’ respective websites for additional information, as only a portion of the programs' details are included here. The first program, launched by Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT), aims to transform the hospitality sector by providing prestigious certification criteria that sets properties apart in a competitive market, enabling them to enhance their wellness offerings and attract travelers. “The WITT Certified seal provides hotels and resorts with a significant advantage in attracting travelers by offering objective and rigorous...

A New Way to fill Waste-Saving Dispensers

With its new Liquifill, Hotel Emporium is changing the way hoteliers fill waste-saving dispensers. The hospitality industry generates substantial plastic waste due to the frequent disposal of single-use bath liquid bottles. Additionally, the manual refilling of pump bottles is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often inconsistent, leading to inefficiencies and varying guest experiences. Liquifill is an innovative machine designed to refill bath liquid dispensers efficiently and sustainably. By automating the refilling process, Liquifill drastically reduces plastic waste, lowers labor costs, and ensures a seamless refilling process. According to Hotel Emporium, this smart solution empowers hotels to adopt eco-friendly practices while improving operational efficiency and enhancing guest satisfaction. The single bath liquid filling machine offers a compact and efficient solution, filling one...

Several Decades On, LEED Green Building Certification System Continues to Evolve

More than 500 articles on the Green Lodging News website reference the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Many hotel companies have embraced LEED and for good reason. The system provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. Also, according to USGBC, LEED buildings have a higher resale value than non-LEED buildings. LEED-certified buildings are a solid asset for investors, occupiers, and communities. LEED is available for every project: Building Design...

Marriott Makes Much Progress Toward 2025 Serve 360 Goals

When Marriott speaks, the entire industry listens, and so it will with the company’s 2024 Serve 360 Report highlighting the company’s global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts and progress toward its 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. The Report reflects data for the calendar year ended December 31, 2023. The Report can be accessed here. Marriott now consists of more than 30 brands, and more than 8,700 properties in 139 countries and territories. In its report, Marriott separates its 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact goals into four areas: Nurture Our World, Sustain Responsible Operations, Empower Through Opportunity, and Welcome All and...

A Look at the Many Upsides to Purchasing Revitalized PTAC Units

Many of you use PTAC units to heat and cool guestrooms and other spaces in your hotel. When those PTACs have reached the “end of life,” what do you do with them? I recently spoke with Mylien Collins, Vice President of Digital Marketing at RoomOne Solutions, to get her company’s take on the lifecycle of the PTAC. RoomOne Solutions’ PTAC4Less takes used PTACs and renovates them for resale back into the hotel market—contributing to a more circular economy. Any PTACs that cannot be revitalized are scrapped. “Every single piece gets recycled properly,” Mylien told me. Any refrigerant that needs...

Green Key Global, Some Sad News from AAHOA & More

Pay attention to several stories posted on the Green Lodging News website this past week. First, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) shared news of the tragic murder of Hemant Mistry (59), a respected AAHOA Member and veteran hotel owner/operator from Oklahoma City, Okla. According to police reports, a 41-year-old suspect was arrested and is now in custody following an altercation on Saturday, June 22, during which he punched Mistry, who died Sunday, June 23 from the impact. Local sources indicate that Mistry had asked the suspect to leave the property. This incident bears a heartbreaking resemblance to the murder of Pravin R. Patel,...