New data unveiled by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) show the Travel & Tourism sector is not contributing what it was once thought to be contributing to the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions total. Previous estimates have suggested that the global Travel & Tourism sector was responsible for up to 11 percent of all emissions. However, WTTC’s Environmental & Social Research (ESR) shows that in 2019 the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions totaled just 8.1 percent globally. That 8.1 percent is a big “just” but good news nevertheless—but certainly not reason to slow efforts to improve efficiency. According to WTTC,...

Passport Photo Online recently released the results of its “Is Sustainable Travel Trending Up” study. The purpose of the survey of more than 1,000 Americans was to determine if sustainability is still a priority among travelers. Previous similar studies have shown that sustainable travel has indeed become more of a priority in recent years. The following are some tidbits from the survey that stood out for me: Communication Most employers don’t communicate if they are acting on sustainability with about seven in 10 employees unaware of their organization’s green policies regarding business travel. Is your company among those failing to communicate your...

I attended my first trade show in several years this past week—HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York (BDNY). Both shows were held at the Javits Center in New York City. While smaller than before the era of Covid, the two shows impressed me greatly with their selection of exhibitors. Almost everywhere I turned, there was an exhibitor with a sustainability story to tell. Sometimes the company’s commitment was not necessarily seen in the product itself but in how it was made and the culture of the company. There were also numerous speaker presentations on the show...

One of the most interesting trends to watch from my seat as an editor has been the evolution of the “green” amenity. I have learned that it is quite a complex issue and a very competitive space for suppliers. If one were to describe the evolution of the greening of the amenity, it would begin with the dispenser and its numerous variations, include the elimination of certain chemicals within the products themselves, involve the shape of the soap bar itself (I loved the version with the hole in the middle), the introduction of alternative plastic and paper containers (including...

The year was 1989 and it was my first experience visiting the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (now called HX: The Hotel Experience (HX) and paired with Boutique Design New York (BDNY) at the Javits Center in New York City.) I was a much younger editor with Hotel & Motel Management magazine then and did journalism the old-fashioned way—taking photos using Polaroid Instant Cameras and standing there with the suppliers waiting for the photos to develop, writing articles on ancient, slow computers in the press room, and physically taking the pages for the daily show edition to the printer....

With approximately 8,000 properties under its wings, Marriott International, Inc. is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to influencing the direction of our industry—at all levels, including ESG— Environmental, Social, and Governance. Marriott just released its 2022 Serve 360 Report presenting data from 2021 and demonstrating its ESG efforts toward the company’s 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction is the name of Marriott’s sustainability and social impact platform. It was launched in 2017. When a company oversees so many properties, it also oversees a lot of employees. At year-end 2021,...

Here in late October, the trade show/conference season is heating up quickly with the Global Wellness Summit in Tel Aviv from October 31 to November 3, Greenbuild in San Francisco from November 1 to 3, and the HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York (BDNY) trade shows from November 13 to 14. I will be attending HX and BDNY. The Global Wellness Summit will have a packed agenda and deservedly so. Globally, the business of wellness is worth $4.4 trillion. There will be 30+ keynotes and panels including one panel focused on the “Future of Travel, Hospitality &...

When I was younger, I did not have a car, so I bicycled just about everywhere I needed to go. One summer, to take a college exam, I rode my bicycle from my home in Cleveland to Bluffton College (now Bluffton University) in western Ohio. It took me from sunrise to sunset to do it, but I made the almost 140-mile trip in one day. I was naïve back then and don’t remember riding with a helmet or toe clips. Oh, to have that energy again but I still ride some today. I thought about that trip while writing...

Since moving to Florida almost nine years ago, I have been through two hurricanes—Irma and Ian. For my neighborhood, Irma was more potent, but it was nothing compared to what the folks in Southwest Florida are going through now thanks to Ian. It is likely that the economic damage of Hurricane Ian will end up in the $75 billion range. More than 100 people lost their lives. (For the latest information on Florida’s recovery from Hurricane Ian, visit floridadisaster.org/info and fema.gov/disaster/4673.) Just a day ago, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced that the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program has been...

With its late 1970s vibe, Marriott’s previous headquarters was “like a cave,” Rado Ivanov told me this past week. Ivanov is Vice President, Global Design, U.S. & Canada for Marriott International. Marriott’s associates were located on just six floors. I spoke with Ivanov about Marriott’s all new headquarters in downtown Bethesda, Md. The 21-story, 785,000-square-foot building, which just had its official opening, is light years from a cave and probably one of the most advanced headquarters buildings in the country. It is LEEDv4 Gold-certified (for Core & Shell), is aiming for LEEDv4 Gold for Commercial Interiors, and has earned a...