One of the most impressive parts of Starwood Capital Group’s new eco-luxury “1” Hotel and Residences concept is the commitment to give back to the local community. In fact, when up and running, each property will donate 1 percent of its revenue to local environmental organizations. Allocation of funds will be guided by a steering committee that includes representation from the Natural Resources Defense Council. I know of no other new eco-brand that has made such a financial commitment. Starwood got me thinking about what I could do to help the environment. In addition to trying to convey good resource-saving...

You have probably seen the cartoons where there is a devil on one person’s shoulder and an angel on the other, with each tiny character trying to convince the person to do what it believes is right. Well, that scenario has been playing out with me this holiday season as I walk the aisles of my favorite electronics stores. The little devil on one side has been pushing me to buy a flat screen TV; the little angel (eco-angel, I guess) has been telling me to wait. Guys, I am sure you can relate to this. Ladies, maybe some...

What do Aspen Skiing Co., The Rezidor Hotel Group, Xanterra Parks & Resorts and the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites all have in common? Each produces a corporate sustainability report—something still very rare in the lodging industry. Outside the industry, corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Dell, and even Wal-Mart generate them. Why are they so uncommon in lodging? I believe it is a reflection of how far our industry still needs to go to not only implement sustainability programs but also document them, measure their progress, and establish short- and long-term continuous improvement goals. I know that many companies...

In the midst of the holiday season, it is a good time for the lodging industry to show its heart. In the United States, the industry has had another good year, with the average U.S. room rate surpassing $100 for the first time. I would not be surprised at all if industry pretax profits exceed those of 2006: $26.6 billion. We all have a lot to be thankful for. So tell me, what are you doing to give back to your community this holiday season? I would like to know. Call or e-mail to tell me. I will include...

To my knowledge, just four U.S.-based companies announced new 100 percent nonsmoking policies this year—Choice Hotels International for its Comfort Suites brand, Gaylord Hotels for its three properties, Walt Disney World Resort for its owned and operated hotels, and Shaner Hotels for its 20-plus properties. Choice, Gaylord, Disney and Shaner joined Marriott International, which eliminated smoking in its U.S. and Canada hotels in 2006, Heartland Inns, which eliminated smoking that same year, and Westin Hotels & Resorts, which went smoke free almost two years ago. One of the biggest surprises in our industry this year, I believe, is that...

Three wire stories caught my interest this week and they all had the same theme: compostable cups, plates and utensils. In the first article, a restaurant called the Grille Zone in Boston was featured. It composts all of the items described above. In fact, there are no trashcans in the eating area and the restaurant produces an average of just 15 pounds of waste per day. The restaurant does not even own a dumpster. In the second article, Hilton Garden Inn announced the introduction of the ecotainer, an environmentally friendly coffee cup, in more than 340 locations across North America....

I have been attending trade shows since 1989 and I can honestly say I have never seen anything like Greenbuild. Held in Chicago last week, the event drew more than 20,500 attendees and featured more than 850 exhibitors. There certainly are shows in the hospitality industry that are larger but none has grown as quickly as Greenbuild. The attendance at last year’s event in Denver was 13,500. It was painfully obvious at McCormick Place that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was not ready for the huge turnout. It reminded me of the kind of crowd that turns out on...

This week will be one of the most exciting weeks of the year for those interested in green building design and operations. From Wednesday through Friday, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild will take place in Chicago. I will be attending the event for the first time and will be providing coverage in Green Lodging News later in the week. Greenbuild will feature a record 850 exhibitors and 18,000 attendees. What has surprised me most about this event, and it shouldn’t, is the number of hospitality industry vendors that will be exhibiting there. It says a lot about the...

When comparing the elements of a guestroom that have the most to do with a quality sleep experience, the pillow has to rank right up there with the mattress and the room’s ability to block noise. Unfortunately, many hoteliers forget about the pillow’s importance. We all have our own pillow stories from our travels but I can’t tell you how many times I have stayed in properties that offer the steam-rolled variety—as flat as a pancake and way past their end of life. It is ridiculous when you have to stack two pillows on top of one another to...

Crunchy is the only word I can think of to describe the feel of the grass when I was in Tennessee over Labor Day weekend. Crunchy, yellow and brown. I had no idea how bad things had gotten in parts of the southeastern United States until viewing news reports in the past few weeks. The situation is extreme. Lake Lanier, the Atlanta area’s main source of water for 3 million people, could be empty in three to four months if it does not rain a lot soon. In addition to Tennessee and most of Georgia, parts of North and South...