With 7,530 properties under its watch, 6,587 of which are franchised, Hilton’s impact on the environment is significant. Hilton’s progress toward reducing that impact was just reported in its 2023 Hilton Travel with Purpose Report. In 2018, Hilton set its Travel with Purpose 2030 goals. The goals closely align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and include emissions-reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. LightStay, Hilton’s ESG management system, helps track, analyze, and report environmental and social impact at each of its hotels and corporate offices, as well as...

As reported here on Green Lodging News, WTTC, UN Tourism and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (now World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance) released a report on Earth Day entitled, “Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action.” The report lays out the organizations’ joint plan to help halt and reverse biodiversity loss. To what degree does your property or company take into consideration biodiversity loss as a result of running your business? Developed in collaboration with specialist consultancy ANIMONDIAL, the report is the sector’s pledge to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the UN’s Biodiversity Plan. The report presents more than 30 case studies of...

In late February at the AHLA Responsible Stay Summit, I met Jen Collins, President of Procure Impact. Procure Impact is a B2B marketplace for products that support overlooked communities—products ranging from candles and bath and body products to tables to art to consumer-packaged goods. I strongly encourage you to partner with Procure Impact in any way you can. Your purchases will put people to work—survivors of trafficking, veterans, at-risk youth, refugees, individuals with disabilities, and individuals who have experienced poverty, incarceration, homelessness, mental health issues and trauma, or substance use disorders. I will be posting an article about Procure...

I attended HD Expo in Las Vegas this past week. The annual trade show featured hundreds of exhibitors, many of which featured green products of note. It would be impossible to mention all of those products here, but the following are some that stood out for recognition. (See complete list of exhibitors on the HD Expo site.) Coulée Coffee Co. featured The Coulée Swirl, the world’s only self-adapting automated pour-over coffee maker. The compact system captures the pour-over experience with its automated moving swirl-arm, precisely heated water, and intelligently-dispensed water pours. Used with the company’s compostable Vpac filters, the Swirl...

Earth Week was a busy one with numerous significant announcements. First, Marriott International, Inc. announced it has verified its near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi is a global climate action organization that develops tools that allow businesses to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets in line with data-driven methodology. Marriott is the largest global hospitality company to receive approval for both near-term and long-term science-based targets. Marriott has committed to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050. With over 8,800 properties in 139 countries and territories,...

A birthday, which I celebrated recently, is one of those days when I tend to reflect more than other days on how far I have come in life and how far I have to go to the finish line. What if the Earth could do the same? April 22, Earth Day, is certainly one day to think about that. Last week it was reported that for the 10th consecutive month, Earth in March set a new monthly record for global heat—with both air temperatures and the world’s oceans hitting an all-time high for the month. Climate scientists attribute most of...

Within the Renewable Energy All Stars section of Green Lodging News, I list lodging establishments that have invested in wind, solar, geothermal, or hydroelectric technologies. In all the years I have been building those lists I have never come across a property with systems in three of those four categories. So, a big shout out this week to Dominion Properties for its Hotel Verdant which has solar, geothermal and wind. I wrote and posted an article about the downtown Racine, Wisconsin hotel this past week. It was Dominion Properties’ Co-Principal Michael O’Connor who filled me in on all the great...

I attended the AAHOA Convention & Trade Show this past week. According to AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association), almost 6,400 of its 20,000 members were in attendance. For those of you not familiar with AAHOA’s clout, it is the largest hotel owners association in the world. Its members own 60 percent of the hotels in the United States and are responsible for 1.4 percent of the nation’s GDP. More than one million employees work at AAHOA Member-owned hotels, earning more than $51 billion annually, and member-owned hotels support 4.1 million U.S. jobs across all sectors of the hospitality...

April 1 is the beginning of Earth Month with Earth Day being the highlight on April 22. What are you planning? I would love to know. To mark Earth Month, Wyndham Grand Rio Mar, Wyndham Palmas, the Friends of El Yunque Foundation, and the United States Forest Service announced the signing of a donation agreement that will provide a simple way for tourists to directly support El Yunque National Rainforest in the promotion of its educational programs, conservation, and recreation. Under this agreement, guests of Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rainforest, Beach and Golf Resort and Wyndham Palmas Beach and Golf Resort will have the...

Bigger than the Taylor Swift effect on our industry? Cosmically speaking, for sure. The upcoming total solar eclipse is definitely stirring up a lot of reservation activity across the U.S. Who knew that a show put on by our own solar system could have such an impact? For those of you who have been in “the dark” about the eclipse, the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun on April 8. In the U.S. the path of totality, where the moon will “cover” the sun in its entirety, will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT and end...