SAN DIEGO—Oster and Associates, Inc., a San Diego-based marketing agency, has announced a shift in agency branding to a focus on green marketing. “Being environmentally conscious is not a new philosophy for us,” says Bev Oster, the agency’s president. “It has been at the core of much of the business the agency has done over the past 21 years.” “If we had announced that we were a ‘green’ agency five years ago, no one would have noticed,” she adds. “Today, green is attracting everyone’s attention. And that has triggered some significant growth for the agency.” The agency’s green...

BOSTON—The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston has just received official Energy Star status in recognition of its energy conservation and efficiency efforts. The hotel, built in 1963, has just completed a year-long effort to achieve this status. To that end, building automation systems were used to efficiently control the building’s energy consumption, coordinating HVAC, boilers, chillers and common area lighting. The guestroom energy management system manages heating and cooling when guests are not in their rooms and guestrooms are now lit by compact fluorescent lighting. “The overall guiding principle in decision making for all projects over the last year has...

LEEDS, ENGLAND—The lodging industry has a new Web portal for green hotels to market themselves. The site, www.ecobookers.com, is a unique travel portal created so that the independent traveler can find a range of eco-friendly accommodations, obtain an instant price quote and book or request a room online. Finding eco-friendly accommodation can be hard work, especially because the term is so loosely defined. How do you know that a hotel or lodge really is eco-friendly and not just greenwashing themselves to cash in on a trend? That’s where www.ecobookers.com comes in. At www.ecobookers.com, there is a variety of carefully...

HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF.—Guido Bauer, an entrepreneur with significant hospitality industry experience and who first studied tourism and hospitality management at the University of Munich in Germany, is working hard to build a Green Hotel Certification program for the global lodging industry. Bauer launched his program in November 2006 and already has established a foothold for it in the Caribbean. With two others selling Green Hotel Certification and two support staff on board, Bauer now has his eyes set on the United States and beyond. Bauer says he started researching Green Hotel Certification several years ago after hearing over and over...

CANMORE, ALBERTA—Eco Crown Hospitality has announced an exclusive partnership with the Hotel Association of Canada and its Green Key Eco-Rating program. As part of Eco Crown, hotels and chains that are recognized by the organization as a certified environmentally responsible property are offered membership services including a 24/7 1-800 reservation system, GDS, products, and training specifically designed for the environmentally friendly lodging industry. “Eco is not just a trend," says Andrea Speiss, CEO of Eco Crown Hospitality. "It is a lifestyle and the hospitality industry needs to be ready for it. We are now all measured by the footprints we...

LONDON—World Travel Market will host a major United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ministers’ Summit on Tourism and Climate Change, a key part of an international program to widen and deepen the debate on one of the biggest challenges facing the industry. Ministers will be asked to consider and ratify a Declaration recommended by environmental experts at the UNWTO’s Summit on Climate Change in Davos, Switzerland in October. The Ministerial Declaration is to be put to the UNWTO’s General Assembly at the end of November and will be a major aspect of the organization’s submission to the U.N.’s Bali Climate...

PEMBROKE PINES, FLA.—The Chemically Safer Travel Directory, a guide for health-conscious travelers with sensitivities to chemicals, is now available. It features 658 listings (314 of which are new). Each listing represents a less-toxic place to vacation and stay in the United States, Canada and other countries. The “Safer” in Safer Travel Directory was inspired by the 1995 movie “Safe,” in which the main character inexplicably becomes allergic to the 20th century. Twentieth Century Disease (also known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) is a very real disability with no cure. It is brought about by some 60,000 chemicals present in our environment,...

SINGAPORE—As part of the launch of the Energy Smart Building Labeling Program, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and Energy Sustainability Unit (ESU)—an entity jointly supported by the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore (NUS) and various Research Partners—has awarded The Regent Singapore, a Four Seasons Hotel, the country’s inaugural Energy Smart Hotel Award. This award accords recognition to buildings (and now includes hotels) in the top 25 percent of their class for achieving exemplary energy efficiency without compromising indoor environmental quality. Since the energy-efficiency label was launched in December 2005, The Regent Singapore has undergone rigorous testing...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—As part of its ongoing program of green initiatives, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will offer complimentary overnight valet parking to guests who arrive in a hybrid vehicle. Beginning August 21, guests who drive a hybrid vehicle will enjoy the convenience of the resort’s overnight valet parking service, valued at $23 per night, for free. “We are excited about including our guests in our environmental programs such as the recycling effort in Willow Stream Spa and our Sonoran Trail eco-tour,” says Bob Foster, the resort’s general manager. “Offering complimentary valet parking is just one more way to encourage green-minded guests...

You may be on a tight budget or just looking to create renewed exposure and interest for your green hotel or B&B efforts, yet cannot seem to find anything newsworthy to report. We’ve all encountered that from time to time. Don’t worry; there is still hope. There are hundreds of ways for you to create some news of your own to get the exposure you need. Here are some of them: Stage a green event. For those of you who are unfamiliar with doing this, you may think it sounds difficult. With a little creativity and proper planning, you can pull...