Denver’s Populus hotel, developed by Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward, and managed by Aparium Hotel Group, is staking its claim as one of the greenest hotels on the planet. A recent press release described it as the first carbon positive hotel in the United States. The hotel’s embodied carbon footprint has been reduced through a combination of sustainable design and construction techniques—including the use of low-carbon concrete, an insulated façade system and GFRC rainscreen, and intentionally not having onsite parking—then offset by the acquisition of 7,000 tons of certified carbon credits as a part of its evolving,...

In April, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) announced a partnership to jointly operate the Green Key Global sustainability certification program in the U.S. and Canada. Since then, many of America’s top hospitality companies have signed up for the program, which provides third-party certification for hotels’ sustainability policies and processes. To find out what hoteliers need to know about this leading sustainability certification program, Green Lodging News spoke with Green Key Global Managing Director Anick Levesque and AHLA Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey about how Green Key Global certification supports sustainability...

There are several certification programs that recently got my attention—all of which are now listed on the Green Lodging News certifications page. Be sure to visit the programs’ respective websites for additional information, as only a portion of the programs' details are included here. The first program, launched by Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT), aims to transform the hospitality sector by providing prestigious certification criteria that sets properties apart in a competitive market, enabling them to enhance their wellness offerings and attract travelers. “The WITT Certified seal provides hotels and resorts with a significant advantage in attracting travelers by offering objective and rigorous...

With its new Liquifill, Hotel Emporium is changing the way hoteliers fill waste-saving dispensers. The hospitality industry generates substantial plastic waste due to the frequent disposal of single-use bath liquid bottles. Additionally, the manual refilling of pump bottles is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often inconsistent, leading to inefficiencies and varying guest experiences. Liquifill is an innovative machine designed to refill bath liquid dispensers efficiently and sustainably. By automating the refilling process, Liquifill drastically reduces plastic waste, lowers labor costs, and ensures a seamless refilling process. According to Hotel Emporium, this smart solution empowers hotels to adopt eco-friendly practices while improving operational efficiency and enhancing guest satisfaction. The single bath liquid filling machine offers a compact and efficient solution, filling one...

More than 500 articles on the Green Lodging News website reference the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Many hotel companies have embraced LEED and for good reason. The system provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. Also, according to USGBC, LEED buildings have a higher resale value than non-LEED buildings. LEED-certified buildings are a solid asset for investors, occupiers, and communities. LEED is available for every project: Building Design...

When Marriott speaks, the entire industry listens, and so it will with the company’s 2024 Serve 360 Report highlighting the company’s global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts and progress toward its 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. The Report reflects data for the calendar year ended December 31, 2023. The Report can be accessed here. Marriott now consists of more than 30 brands, and more than 8,700 properties in 139 countries and territories. In its report, Marriott separates its 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact goals into four areas: Nurture Our World, Sustain Responsible Operations, Empower Through Opportunity, and Welcome All and...

Many of you use PTAC units to heat and cool guestrooms and other spaces in your hotel. When those PTACs have reached the “end of life,” what do you do with them? I recently spoke with Mylien Collins, Vice President of Digital Marketing at RoomOne Solutions, to get her company’s take on the lifecycle of the PTAC. RoomOne Solutions’ PTAC4Less takes used PTACs and renovates them for resale back into the hotel market—contributing to a more circular economy. Any PTACs that cannot be revitalized are scrapped. “Every single piece gets recycled properly,” Mylien told me. Any refrigerant that needs...

Pay attention to several stories posted on the Green Lodging News website this past week. First, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) shared news of the tragic murder of Hemant Mistry (59), a respected AAHOA Member and veteran hotel owner/operator from Oklahoma City, Okla. According to police reports, a 41-year-old suspect was arrested and is now in custody following an altercation on Saturday, June 22, during which he punched Mistry, who died Sunday, June 23 from the impact. Local sources indicate that Mistry had asked the suspect to leave the property. This incident bears a heartbreaking resemblance to the murder of Pravin R. Patel,...

Over the years I have written about various alternatives to plastic bottled water. Some are as simple as water filtration/dispensing systems. These systems have become quite common in our industry. Other systems are rarer and more complex. For example, last year Accor announced that it is partnering with SOURCE Global, PBC to bring reusable glass bottled drinking water—water from the air—to key hotels in Singapore. Unique to this water is that it is made by SOURCE Hydropanels—a ground-breaking solar-powered technology that harvests the pure, endlessly renewable water vapor in the air and transforms it into premium drinking water. In April I reported on...

This month is World Oceans Month, a time to recognize the current state of our oceans and, if possible, do something about it. One way to help our oceans is to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated at your property. Did you know that 60 to 80 percent of the pollution in our ocean comes from plastic and an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and up to 1 million sea birds die each year after ingesting or being tangled in plastic marine litter? I heard from several people this month regarding World Oceans Month. First, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) announced...