Experts say the domesticated dog has been around for about 12,000 years. The domesticated cat? About 10,000 years. (Why did it take dogs longer? Insert your own joke here.) For as long as guest lodging has been around there have been cats and dogs accompanying travelers. In recent history, dogs and cats have not always been welcome in hotels and resorts and for good reasons—of course the extra cleaning and maintenance being high on the list. In fact, according to the 2018 Lodging Survey, only 56 percent of participants said they allow pets. A good portion of those that do...

It was in my April 26 column that I discussed a Nature Geoscience article about the volume of microplastics falling in the air—yet another reason for all of us to eliminate as much plastic as possible from our lives. If that article was not scary enough for you, review the results of a June 5, 2019 article appearing in Environmental Science & Technology. According to the “Human Consumption of Microplastics” article, we are all ingesting thousands of microplastic particles each year. The research focused on commonly consumed foods in relation to their recommended daily intake. The potential for microplastic inhalation...

It was on October 22, 2006 when I first wrote about Barry Sternlicht’s 1 Hotels venture. Then, it was called “1” Hotel and Residences. For various reasons—primarily a recession—the first 1 Hotel did not open until March 2015. That one is in South Beach in Miami Beach and now owned by Host Hotels & Resorts. Since that time other 1 Hotels have opened in Brooklyn, N.Y. and by New York’s Central Park. Another is coming soon in West Hollywood, Calif. With his award-winning 1 Hotels, Sternlicht has created one of the most successful green brands in the world. The...

As reported this past week on Green Lodging News, The Duffie Companies’ Home2 Suites by Hilton Silver Spring (Silver Spring, Md.) is on its way to becoming LEED Platinum—the highest level of green building certification available through the U.S. Green Building Council. Earlier in May, MGM Resorts International announced that MGM Springfield, located in Springfield, Mass., has received the world’s first LEED New Construction Platinum level certification for a gaming resort. The Home2 Suites by Hilton Silver Spring and MGM Springfield join these other LEED Platinum hotels or resorts in the United States: Proximity Hotel, Greensboro, N.C.; Hotel Skyler...

I attended HD Expo in Las Vegas from May 15 to 17. With approximately 900 exhibitors and 10,000 attendees, the show is proof that our industry is still enjoying strong growth—through both new construction and renovation. I walked the aisles looking for signs of sustainability. Companies are much more subtle than they used to be in pushing their green commitments, but I did come across quite a few examples of suppliers with interesting stories to tell and products or services to introduce. It would be impossible to include all the companies but here are some examples that caught my eye. Living...

The definition of an allergy-friendly room has often been in flux in our industry. More than a decade ago, PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms were introduced. At that time, the PURE process included steps ranging from ozone shock treatment to an air purification system to a showerhead with a chlorine filter. PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms have since evolved and are now called Pure Rooms as part of a Pure Wellness experience. The current seven steps include: ozone shock treatment, sanitize air handling unit, deep clean soft and hard surfaces, apply Pure Shield Barrier, install air purification system, install antimicrobial tea...

I will be attending HD Expo from May 15 to 17 at the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The trade show and conference are among the best annual events for the design community and others to find everything from furniture to artwork—from companies that take sustainability to heart. For the first time in its history, this year’s HD Expo will have a Wellness Pavilion. Curated by Hospitality Design magazine, in partnership with the Well Building Institute and NEWH, seven sessions will delve into what wellness means for the hospitality industry, showcasing not only big brands integrating wellness and sustainability,...

In March, Orlando, Fla.-based Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR) announced that it had officially achieved Certified B Corporation status. Clean the World, also in Orlando, is another organization that has achieved the B Corporation designation. If you do a search on Hospitality on the B Corporation site, you will find just 15 businesses listed. Among them: Taos Ski Valley, Inc., Qbic Hotels, and the Sleeping Lady Resort. Other hospitality-related businesses can be found under other categories such as Catering & Meeting/Event Management and Travel & Leisure. There are currently more than 2,500 Certified B Corporations in more than 50 countries....

Plastic has been the topic of several of my columns recently. I would like to add one more to the list for three reasons: Orbitz, Yelp, and the results of a very important study published earlier this month in Nature Geoscience. First, Orbitz is helping travelers stay at waste-conscious hotels by listing hotels and locations on its website that are doing their part to reduce or eliminate waste—specifically single-use plastic. The website includes a clickable U.S. map that explains specifically what type of plastic has been banned by the entire state or part of the state. In Illinois, for example,...

Glenn Hasek The big news out of California this past week is Assembly Bill No. 1162, legislation that would eliminate single-use plastic bottles used to provide amenities to California lodging guests by January 1, 2023. It was introduced by California Assembly Member Ash Kalra and coauthored by Assembly Member Mark Stone. The next hearing date for the bill is April 23. While I applaud this groundbreaking legislation—a bold step to reduce the mountains of plastic amenity bottle waste that ends up in landfills, oceans and elsewhere—I am baffled by our industry’s response...