People, Planet, Profit…Pups? In case you missed it on Green Lodging News, McKibbon Hotel Group, located in Tampa, Fla., has come up with one of the coolest community service projects I have heard about. McKibbon, which owns and manages the Aloft Asheville Downtown in Asheville, N.C., paired up with a local animal shelter last August, Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue (CAAR), in an effort to increase the dog adoption numbers in the community. When guests arrive at the Aloft hotel, they are met by a dog (located behind the registration desk) in an “Adopt Me” vest. Guests can interact with...

Extended Stay America (ESA) has completed the renovation of more than half of its 682 properties in the United States and Canada. It is a program that began in 2012 that should wrap up sometime next year. What is impressive about the program is ESA’s commitment not to throw away recyclable or donatable items. So far, 25 million cubic feet of materials has been diverted from the landfill. ESA is not a company that typically comes to mind when it comes to sustainability. Aside from a mention of supporting the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge program, there is no...

When I first heard about Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide earning the highest level of LEED achievement—LEED Platinum—for its headquarters building in Stamford, Conn., I scanned the information I received for some mention of solar, wind or geothermal. My search came up empty. Turns out Starwood achieved LEED Platinum without any renewable energy technologies. “We were able to do it without the big flash items,” says Ken Siegel, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and head of Global Citizenship at Starwood. “Thought was the critical piece of this. We proved that you can do this without going overboard with things...

In less than a month—March 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time—Earth Hour will take place around the world. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the parent organization of Earth Hour. This year, the Earth Hour website is offering a guide for hotels interested in participating in the annual event. Be sure to check it out. At the core of any Earth Hour celebration is switching off or turning down the lights—without compromising guest or associate safety of course. Also key is creating an event or events around the act of switching off or dimming down the...

Guests staying at the 250-room Virgin Hotels Chicago in need of a ride to a nearby destination now have the option of being driven in the hotel’s house car—a top-of-the-line red Tesla Model S. The premium electric vehicle is the quickest-accelerating four door vehicle ever built. Would you expect anything less from entrepreneur Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder?Virgin Hotels Chicago, which opened last month, is the first of Branson’s series of hotels to open. Virgin Hotels has plans to open a second location in Nashville in the summer of 2016 and a third property in New York City in...

In case you missed it, Hilton Worldwide recently announced Meet with Purpose, a concept designed to make it easier for meeting professionals to reduce waste and incorporate health and wellness into meetings and events. Inspired by Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, Hilton gathered feedback from customers and Sales Team members to identify the most pressing sustainability issues for meetings and events. To meet these needs, Hilton created Meet with Purpose, supported by two focus areas: Mindful Eating, which encourages meeting professionals to reexamine event dining to minimize food waste and encourage healthy choices; and Mindful Meeting, which...

This past week Marriott International officially launched “Heart of the House,” an online social platform featuring real stories about guest service, community service, innovation, culture and recognition. I strongly encourage you to check out the site. Anyone can submit a story for consideration, including Marriott employees, the employees of franchisees, customers and guests. Submissions can include photos and videos. Stories must be from 50 to 100 words in length. The lead story on the site is a video of Gregory Scott, Engineer at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. Gregory overcame drug addiction and...

“In a world of disposable beds, it is remarkable how difficult it has been to get folks to buy sustainable beds.” So said Tony Hochschild, President of Sterling Sleep Systems, during my interview with him for my article on greener mattress systems. While I am certainly no expert on mattresses, Tony’s statement does not surprise me. It has got to be a challenge to compete against Serta, Simmons and Sealy. Not to put down those three companies—they are doing some good things in operations, materials and recycling—but it is certainly a David against Goliath world out there.My challenge to...

I am in the early stages of conducting some interviews for an article on mattresses and would love to get some of your input on the topic. Has sustainability ever come into play when making the purchase of your mattresses? Sustainability is such a broad topic so allow me to hone in a little bit on the issues at play here. Aside from cost, which is certainly high on everyone’s list of priorities, the durability and expected lifespan of a mattress has also got to be important. How many years do you expect a mattress to last? What about...

Looking back in the archives of Green Lodging News, I found just two examples of lodging establishments constructed using sea shipping containers—the Out by the Sea Bed and Breakfast in Crystal Beach, Texas, and the Deer Lake Lodge & Spa, a 40-minute drive from Houston. That is why I chose to write this past week about the recently opened Days Inn-Sioux Lookout in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. The 60-room, two-story property is truly unique because it is comprised of 120 sea shipping containers. According to Joe Kiss, President of Ladacor Ltd., the company that prefabricated the modular units at its...