This past week The Walt Disney Co. released its 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. It is longer than most at 83 pages but an interesting read with a kickoff letter from Bob Chapek, CEO. No surprise, Disney took a storytelling approach to its report and there are three focus areas: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Environmental Sustainability; and Community. In the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, seven of the company’s 11 Directors represent racial/ethnic or gender diversity, including the Chairman and all four of the committee chairs. This year the company also directed more than 50 percent of its annual...

Three stories caught my attention this past week. First, as reported in Reuters and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sea levels around the United States are expected to increase up to a foot over the next 30 years due to climate change—as much as they have risen in the last century. Sea levels will tend to be higher along the Atlantic and Gulf shores, because of greater land subsidence there, than along the Pacific coasts. The NOAA study, designed as a planning tool to mitigate and adapt to rising sea levels predicted, has a high degree...

Since Covid-19 hit us all, I have been hearing from a lot of makers of air filtration/purification equipment. Sometimes the technology is unique to that supplier. Other times it is pretty much the same as others on the market. One thing is for sure: indoor air quality (IAQ) and air filtration/purification will remain hot topics for a long time to come. I heard from one maker of air quality systems in the past few weeks and the company had an interesting story to share. Wynd, led by Ray Wu, CEO, conducted a study of the air quality of 28 hotels...

This past week was an important one as far as official statements and reports are concerned. First, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow delivered an assessment and vision for the U.S. travel industry at the association’s annual State of the Travel Industry address. Dow, who will be stepping down as president and CEO of U.S. Travel in July, mentioned sustainability as one of the five key areas of focus that will drive the association and the broader travel industry in the months and years ahead. Said Dow in his speech, “There are so many viable solutions that will make our industry...

It is likely the most visited page on the Green Lodging News website: the Hotel & Management Company Green Pages. Since being added to the site a little more than five years ago, it has racked up 22,183 page views. The page simply includes a list of all the hotel and management companies that have a page, or pages, on their website dedicated to the steps they are taking to reduce energy and water consumption, reduce waste, improve their local communities, etc. If a company’s overall sustainability program has a specific name, I have listed it. For example, the...

It was about 14 years ago that I wrote about the energy surcharges that some hotels were charging. Due to their unpopularity, they disappeared quite quickly. In a January 10 story on The Points Guy, it was reported that some Marriott hotels have begun tacking on a nightly “sustainability fee”. The Points Guy picked up the story from One Mile at a Time which reported about one hotel adding on a nightly $4.99 sustainability fee. “This fee isn’t referenced when rates are initially displayed, but rather it’s just added at the end of the booking process, as part of...

I have written about canned gel chafing fuel in the past on Green Lodging News. Is your hotel still using it, sending partially used containers to the landfill? Putting your guests and staff at risk? One industry expert told me this past week that upwards of 90 percent of the hospitality industry still uses canned gel chafing fuel to keep food hot and ready for serving groups of people. What prompted me to write about food heating again this past week was the discovery that at least two companies have developed better ways—more flexible ways—to keep food hot and, for...

Put me in a tiny house permanently with my family and I think it would just be a matter of time—probably a very short period—before we all went crazy. I suspect many of you can relate and have seen some of the same tiny homes I have seen on TV. It does not help that my family is all tall. That said, you could put me in a tiny house or tiny cabin for a brief getaway in the forest and I would love it. That is one reason I chose to feature Getaway on my website this past week....

Not enough companies and suppliers use video to highlight their programs and products. It is a missed opportunity. E-mails that include videos that have been sent out by Green Lodging News have consistently been opened and clicked through more than those without videos. Getting a message across that you want folks to remember is so much easier using video. In case you missed it, prior to the holidays, Hilton released the latest installment of its new “Extending Our Stay” video docuseries, which is focused on sustainable travel and creating meaningful change in the world as part of the company’s “Travel with Purpose”...

A big tip of the hat this week to The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). It has collaborated with Tata Projects Limited for the construction of the new Ginger Hotel at Santacruz, Mumbai by an all-woman engineering team. This marquee project is a significant step forward in promoting varied opportunities for women in otherwise traditionally male-dominated industries such as construction. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, stated, “At IHCL, we are committed to providing equal opportunities for all. Today, the world is marching towards a future where women are continuing to push the boundaries across sectors. This partnership with Tata Projects Limited reiterates this belief. We are...