This past week was one of the busiest news weeks in quite some time. First, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the expansion of New York City’s Javits Center by 1.2 million square feet, resulting in a fivefold increase in meeting and ballroom space, including the largest ballroom in the Northeast. The proposal includes the installation of a 34,000-square-foot solar energy array, the largest of its kind on a public building in New York State. As a part of the expansion project, the Javits Center will seek LEED Platinum certification—a rare feat for convention centers. The expansion will...

Hilton Worldwide just published its 2015 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report—four years after launching its corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose. The two-page report is a very brief summary of a long series of initiatives and represents the work of 157,000 associates at 4,500 hotels. Focus areas include: people, communities and the environment.Green Lodging News just published an article summarizing the results of Hilton’s largest ever Global Month of Service. It is just one example of the company’s efforts to help people in need. During 2015’s Global Month of Service, team members united to work on 4,145 projects and contributed...

A number of years ago, what was then Hotel & Motel Management magazine dropped “Motel” from its name and became “Hotel Management.” I am not sure of the motivations for the change. It certainly was one more stake in the heart of the “motor hotel” word that has certainly seen its better days. That said, there are many thriving motels in the world today and of course Motel 6 is the most prominent motel brand in the United States.Add the number of motels together—Motel 6 alone has more than 1,100 locations—and you have got quite an environmental impact. Sadly,...

As another year winds down, I have to say a big thank you to the many sponsors who have made another year of Green Lodging News possible. When you contact them for help with energy conservation, water conservation, waste management, amenities, etc., be sure to tell them you discovered them here at Green Lodging News.This year was another year of growth for Green Lodging News. A year ago this month, our website attracted 23,000 different visitors and 145,000 total visits. This month our site is on track to attract 28,000 different visitors and 183,000 total visits. Thank you so...

“We were recycling ninjas.” That is how Kathy Mantz described herself, her associates at Waste Management, and the events team at Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, after Waste Management and Casa Marina pulled off a rare zero waste event at Casa Marina in Key West, Fla. earlier this month. The occasion was the Seventh Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit. The attendance at the event was 435.For those not familiar with the criterion for a zero waste event, Mantz, Government Affairs Manager for Waste Management, says, “If 90 percent or more of the material can be diverted...

I have got Santa Claus on my mind. My son, who turned four in August, has me twisted in knots trying to explain why there are so many Santa Claus look-alikes walking around. When I posed the idea that they were “Santa’s helpers,” he was skeptical. He is a smart kid; he knows Santa’s real helpers are the elves. It is only a matter of time before he figures out the real truth. Arrrgh.Santa also came to mind this past week as I was trying to explain “the chimney effect” in my article about open vents at the top...

One of my biggest challenges over the years has been selling advertising to companies that supply guestroom energy management systems (EMS). I often wonder why that is. Is it that these systems are still a difficult sell and nobody has marketing dollars to spare? Or, is it just a reflection of the overall instability in this niche in our industry. Allow me to give you a few examples. I won’t embarrass any companies by sharing their names.This past week I spoke with a long-time EMS client whose company just had to declare bankruptcy. It is kind of confusing but...

Ten years ago, the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot culinary forecast said the top food trend was “bite-sized desserts.” This year that trend is nowhere to be found on the NRA’s top 20 list. Topping this year’s list of trends: “Locally sourced meats and seafood.” The NRA surveyed nearly 1,600 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation—to find which foods, beverages and culinary themes will be hot on restaurant menus in 2016.Interestingly, seven of the top 10 trends have something to do with sustainability and wellness: 3. Locally grown produce; 4. Hyper-local sourcing; 5. Natural ingredients/minimally processed food; 6....

As part of HX: The Hotel Experience, the trade show held earlier this month in New York, I moderated a panel discussion on innovations in the laundry and how one can benefit by saving energy, reducing water and chemical consumption, and extending towel and linen life. There was a lot of laundry experience represented on the stage that day. It was an honor to have companies like Water Energy Technologies and Laundry Consulting, Pellerin Milnor Corp., Xeros, Inc., and P&G Professional Business represented. These companies and a number of other ones that were at HX are dramatically reducing the...

HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York (BDNY) wrapped up last week at the Javits Center in New York City. HX, formerly the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show (IHMRS), was a great place to be if your goal was to find new products and technologies to help green up your property. At BDNY, there were many green stories as well, although sometimes not as readily apparent if you were walking the trade show floor.Those looking for radical changes from the IHMRS events in years past did not find them but there were some additions that stood...