ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Go Green Planters, Inc., St. Petersburg Fla., recently announced the nationwide launch of its “Go Green For FREE” initiative for hotels and motels. It involves the placement of lush live plants in guestrooms at no charge to hoteliers. This program is made possible by the company’s patented technology of growing live plants in an eco-friendly soil substitute so that plants don’t require watering for two to three months, and the costs associated with the plants are covered by “Go Green Vendor Sponsorships” and advertisements that appear in the upscale Plexiglas planter vessels. The company has also announced the...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—One hotel is located in the heart of Manhattan. Another caters to steel workers in northwest Indiana. One in Toronto gets guests from all over the world. Despite the different cultures and geography, all three hotels have one big thing in common: They are all completely smoke free. As members of FreshStay, the online hotel directory with integrated booking, all three hotels have pledged a 100 percent smokeless experience to their guests. Guestrooms, hotel lobbies, and meeting rooms are clean and free of the lingering odor and health risks of smoke, making it easier for guests to...

When the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) announced last month that it would support energy surcharges of up to $10 per night at its member hotels, almost immediately a flurry of statements were issued by hoteliers in that country. What did they say? No, we’re not going to do it. It was if they were caught off guard. “This is not a charge we want to pass on to our guests,” said Richard Whitfield, managing director of Jamaica’s luxury Half Moon resort, in an article in Caribbean Travel News. Ian Kerr, Sunset Resorts’ managing director, told Travel Weekly:...

KINGSTON, JAMAICA—In a special communication to member hotels, the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) last month announced its decision to support an occupancy surcharge intended to help its members combat the rising costs of energy. Effective December 15, when Jamaica’s winter season officially began, hotels have the option of adding a surcharge to their nightly room rates, with the amount to be individually determined by each property. Hotels were advised to base the amount on market assessment and cost structure; a maximum of $10 per room, per night, was recommended. JHTA president Wayne Cummings spoke in a recent...

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—In the tradition of the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, the International Restaurant and Hotel Awards (IRHA) is the world’s most prestigious awards ceremony recognizing the best value, moderate, and luxury travel establishments that go above and beyond industry standards. IRHA is currently seeking green hotels to submit entries that show how they are reducing their carbon footprint through smart design, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, on-site power generation, and more. IRHA just announced its list of sponsors. The list includes companies such as Michelin Maps & Guides, Villeroy & Boch, Fodor’s Travel Guides, The Chocolate...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Planning is underway for the 2008 Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference. The event will be held February 19 to 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver in British Columbia. The conference is targeted at the following industry types: association, independent and corporate meeting planners, convention and visitors bureau staff, conference center managers, hotel catering, sales and management staff, city and urban planners, transportation providers, and exhibition producers and decorators. The conference is the third of its kind. Previous events were held in 2005 and 2007. It is being organized by the Portland, Ore.-based Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). The...

ATLANTA—Ever wonder how energy- and environmentally conscious the hotel guests next door are? According to a recent survey, they are likely reusing their towels, turning off the lights when they leave and recycling, if given the chance. The nationwide survey of 701 people was conducted by A Closer Look, Inc., an Atlanta-based market research company focused on the hospitality industry. “Seventy-five percent of survey respondents said it is important to them that the hotel where they stay follows green practices, and those surveyed are more than willing to do their part,” says David McAleese, CEO of A Closer Look....

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) announced that the NBTA Modular Hotel RFP has been updated for the 2009 bid season. The changes include the addition of six questions to help travel buyers and hotels reach common understanding of the hotels’ environmental programs, as well as changes to the pricing grid to support dynamic pricing requests. The Modular Hotel RFP, the industry-standard hotel RFP model, is managed by the NBTA Hotel Committee. The committee, which is made up of buyers, hoteliers, third-party RFP service providers, and related vendors, gathered feedback from the corporate travel community through a survey...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Going green is the right thing to do, and few understand that better than The Florida Hotel and Conference Center, which will soon receive Green Lodging certification from the State of Florida for its conservation practices. The luxurious Florida Hotel and Conference Center, which is connected to Orlando tourist attraction the Florida Mall, has significantly reduced its water and energy usage since it began working on its Green Lodging Certificate earlier this year. “Going green is a sweeping trend within the meetings industry and it is simply the right thing to do,” stated Simone Kuska, corporate director of sales...

TAMPA, FLA.—Tampa-based BayStar Hotel Group is implementing environmentally friendly standards and practices in its hotels to earn Green Lodging certification from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). All of the properties managed by BayStar Hotel Group are involved. The hotels include: Holiday Inn-State Capitol East in Tallahassee; Holiday Inn Express-Lake Buena Vista; Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Largo; Holiday Inn Lakeland I-4 Hotel & Conference Center in Lakeland; and Best Western Brandon Hotel & Conference Center. To qualify for Green Lodging certification, hotels must document efforts to reduce energy and water consumption, improve air quality and pass a...