Saturday, March 22 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, Earth Hour will take place. Since its beginnings in 2007, Earth Hour has been known for its “lights off” moment, with individuals around the world switching off their lights to show symbolic support for the Earth. Two years ago, the organizers of Earth Hour began encouraging participants to also give an hour for Earth—spending 60 minutes doing something positive for our planet. This year, the Fauchon L'Hotel Paris plans to celebrate Earth Hour at The Grand Cafe Fauchon from 7 to 10:30 pm. Diners will have the opportunity to enjoy a...

I have always had a fascination with the night sky. I remember seeing Halley’s Comet in 1986 and Comet Kohoutek in 1973. I have never seen the Northern Lights but hope to someday. Here in Florida, we are far from the Northern Lights. Light pollution hides most stars in the Tampa area, but I don’t have to travel far to see thousands of them. Nearly two thirds of Americans live in areas where it’s difficult to see stars glimmering, and about one third of the world’s population miss out completely on the beauty of stargazing. According to Booking.com, 2025 is set...

Earlier this month Green Lodging News reported that University of New Mexico Health Sciences researchers have detected microplastics in human brains at much higher concentrations than in other organs—and the plastic accumulation appears to be growing over time, having increased 50 percent over just the past eight years. Microplastics—tiny bits of degraded polymers that are ubiquitous in our air, water and soil—have lodged themselves throughout the human body, including the liver, kidney, placenta and testes, over the past half century. The constant use and laundering that hotel fabrics endure result in a vast amount of unavoidable synthetic textile shedding, contributing to...

You can do many things at your property to reduce associated CO2 emissions. Incorporating products and technologies that help you avoid energy consumption in the first place is a great way to start. There are hundreds of best practice examples on Green Lodging News, especially in the Energy Management section of the website. One unique technology that Minnesota’s Radisson Blu Mall of America (MOA) has incorporated for the last couple of years in its mechanical room is CarbinX. Made by CleanO2, CarbinX is a small-scale carbon capture device that sequesters CO2 emissions from hotel water boilers, reducing carbon emissions by...

The first half of the conference and trade show season is heating up with The NAFEM Show scheduled this month (February 26 to 28). To be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, this year’s show will feature hundreds of exhibitors with just about anything you can imagine for your kitchen—from air curtains to biodigesters to walk-in cooler systems. Twenty thousand food service industry professionals are expected to attend. As in past years, NAFEM will have a “What’s Hot! What’s Cool!” section of the trade show floor. It will feature the newest, most innovative products from more than...

“Embracing differences and putting people first is part of our culture of inclusion and the way we do business,” says Marriott International. “Our core strength lies in our ability to support diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating opportunities for our associates, guests, owners and franchisees, and suppliers.” “As a business of people serving people, our primary focus is creating a culture that best serves our Team Members, business partners, and community members,” Hilton says. “We foster inclusive growth by enabling everyone to participate in and benefit from travel. From creating career opportunities for our Team Members and our neighbors, to...

Way back in December 2009, I wrote a column focused on worker safety. Around that time, the Las Vegas Sun reported that during the construction of Las Vegas’ CityCenter, six construction workers were killed. The Las Vegas Sun also reported that for one 18-month stretch, 20 construction workers lost their lives along The Strip. That was quite a price to pay for glitzy new hotels. This past week, HospitalityLawyer.com cited a recent article by law firm Fisher Phillips that reported on the total number of workplace fatalities in the U.S. hospitality industry in 2023. According to Fisher Phillips, there were...

Should guests pay extra for a greener guestroom experience? Crescent Hotels & Resorts thinks so. Based in Fairfax, Va., and with more than 120 hotels under management, Crescent and Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. recently announced a partnership pilot that has guests paying a premium of $50 for a Beyond Plastic Stay at five Crescent properties. According to a press release, guests who participate in a Beyond Plastic Stay will save the equivalent of 50 plastic water bottles during their stay. I recently reached out to Crescent several times for comments on the program but did not hear back. Grove Collaborative...

Last month I had the opportunity to visit the Orlando, Fla. headquarters of Clean the World. It was great to meet with founder and CEO Shawn Seipler and his team again. My first article about Clean the World appeared on Green Lodging News on June 12, 2009. In that article, entitled, “Unused Soap & Shampoo Problem Hits Salesman ‘Like a Hurricane,’ I explain the origin of the nonprofit that repurposes partially used soap bars and amenities, and that does so much more to help those in need. If you are one of the few unfamiliar with the work of Clean...

Happy new year! With 2025 upon us, I thought I would share what others are saying about trends in this new year. The Points Guy (TPG), the media platform focused on maximizing travel experiences while minimizing spending, released its 2025 Travel Trends Report, highlighting the global conditions that will shape why and where Americans will travel this year. The Impact of Overtourism According to TPG, the post-lockdown travel surge has brought renewed attention to overtourism, with local governments stepping in to protect their communities. In 2025, popular vacation spots will seek a better balance between the economic benefits and negative community impact, which...