BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—Doubletree Hotels announced the early completion of its Pledge to Plant Challenge following a strong public response. The proposed month-long campaign with The National Arbor Day Foundation, aimed at raising awareness about the importance of trees, struck an environmental chord with America as Doubletree was forced to close its website to further entries after receiving 35,000 entries and nearly 100,000 website hits in less than two weeks. As a result of the outpouring of support for both the campaign and the environment, Doubletree will honor additional pledges by tripling its original tree planting contribution to nearly...

HONOLULU, HAWAII—The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa has won its second Green Business Award from the State of Hawaii. The award is sponsored by the following: State Department of Health; Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. The award is given to companies that employ innovative green practices and do their part to ensure that residents and visitors continue to enjoy a healthy environment. The Hilton property has a long history in Hawaii. With close to 3,000 rooms, it is one of the Hilton Hotels Corporation’s (100 percent) flagship...

MILL VALLEY, CALIF.—John Reed has announced the formation of Elevator Communications, LLC, a new public relations agency focused on green, sustainable and technology companies. Based in Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco, the virtual agency uses public relations professionals based around the country to provide publicity, media outreach and strategic planning for clients. “For a wide variety of reasons, public and corporate awareness of green business practices, services and products is growing very rapidly,” Reed says. “Post-Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth movie and book, consumers are taking a closer look at who they do business with, and that...

JUPITER, FLA.—Each year, from March 1 through October 30, guests of the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa are exclusive witnesses to one of Nature’s miracles: the annual migration of endangered sea turtles to the beaches of Palm Beach County, Fla. “Florida’s east coast beaches provide nesting habitat for the world’s largest remaining population of threatened loggerhead turtles, as well as globally important populations of endangered green and leatherback turtles,” says David Godfrey, executive director of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation & The Sea Turtle Survival League. “For these species to survive, Florida must protect its sea turtle nesting beaches.”...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—It’s now easier than ever for travelers to click and book smoke-free hotel reservations, simply by visiting the completely redesigned FreshStay online directory and integrated booking process for more than 3,500 nonsmoking lodging facilities. With an increasing number of hotels discovering the many benefits that come with fresher guestrooms and nonsmoking environments, the new FreshStay lists hundreds of additional smoke-free lodging facilities. The FreshStay site also has greatly improved search capabilities, making it simple for site surfers to find the rooms they want, where and when they want them. Even more valuable, FreshStay now features...

ATLANTA—With concern for our nation’s environment and conservation of its natural resources on the rise, today’s travelers want a safer, more healthy and sustainable experience while on the road. Now, two hotel chains—America’s Best Inns & Suites and Country Hearth Inns—will feature a green initiative known as EcoRooms with products that are energy efficient, water efficient, waste reducing, and non-toxic and/or biodegradable. The systemwide program was announced by America’s Best Franchising Inc., franchisor of the hotel brands. “EcoRooms are more comfortable for guests and more cost-effective for hotels,” says Doug Collins, chairman and CEO of America’s Best Franchising...

You’ve taken the plunge and greened your hotel. Now, how do you make people aware that your hotel meets their standards? How do you reach your most important target market—the eco-conscious, often referred to as geo-tourist? If your hotel is located in one of the states that has few, if any, green hotels, this may prove to be an easier feat. You won’t have to contend with an overcrowded marketplace and heavy competition. One of the first things you need to do is determine what knowledge point or base you are starting from with the media. This can easily be...

NEW YORK—Leonardo Media, an international leader in providing e-marketing solutions for the travel and hospitality industries, announced that The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. Leading Spas collection directory is now available online as a digital eBook. Using the original artwork from the printed version, Leonardo created an exact replica of the 120-page directory into a dynamic and eye-catching electronic format—complete with links to the Leading Spas website and page zoom functionality that provides online viewers with the feeling that they are reading a printed brochure. “It is tremendous to expand our relationship with The Leading Hotels...

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts recently accepted the IMEX Green Meetings Award for its efforts in environmental responsibility and stewardship. Through its commitment to GreenPath, a nationally renowned system of environmental management, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts received the Silver IMEX Green Meetings Award for hosting a green meeting for the Sierra Business Council (SBC) conference at Curry Village and Yosemite Lodge at the Falls in Yosemite National Park. The conference, held in November 2006, featured many green initiatives and used many environmentally friendly products. Measurable achievements at the SBC conference included 50 percent...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is erecting a new milestone in the march toward a greener government. Now the agency plans to turn its meetings green. EPA is changing its acquisition rules to give preference to facilities that consume less and manage their resources in environmentally positive ways. The rule change was effective May 1. For the first time, EPA will consider environmental achievement along with such factors as price and past performance when buying meeting and conference space. The new regulation is a step toward giving priority to hotels and conference centers that demonstrate green progress....