LOS ANGELES—EV Mobility, LLC., a leading all-electric vehicle car-sharing platform and W South Beach, one of Miami's most iconic hotels announced that they have signed an agreement to roll out on-demand EVs exclusively for hotel guests. “After almost one year of negotiating an agreement with Marriott International corporate, we are excited to partner with W South Beach as the first hotel in Marriott’s portfolio. We both see that EVs as a world-class amenity will elevate the hospitality offer,” said Ramy El-Batrawi, CEO of EV Mobility. The agreement was negotiated by Marriott International, which will lead to expansion throughout the Marriott portfolios of hotels. At W South Beach,...

NEW YORK—Finding the right best practices for a bike or e-bike lending program should not be taken lightly. Your choice of bike supplier could mean the difference between happy, satisfied guests and staff and both groups getting stressed due to middle-of-nowhere breakdowns and mechanical messes. If you do get your bike and e-bike program right, it can be a shining, brand-building amenity for your property—and keep guests coming back for more. Green Lodging News recently spoke with Lauren Jones, Director of Partnerships for New York-based Priority Bicycles, to not only learn more about her company but to also get a...

CHICAGO—Miraval Resorts & Spas, a global leader in wellness destinations, announces its first ever wellbeing wedding offering, the Miraval mindful wedding. Available to book beginning this fall at Miraval Berkshires, the Miraval mindful wedding is a multi-day, immersive experience customized to honor the couple’s intentions. This one-of-a-kind wedding journey includes a thoughtful wellbeing itinerary for the couple, experiential reconnection opportunities for their guests, and a ceremony and reception filled with mindful touch points. Couples and their wedding party will experience Miraval Berkshires’ signature wellness programs and spa services, culminating in a bespoke wedding celebration that opens the door to...

PARIS—Accor and SHe Travel Club, the only independent hotel label designed by women for women, announced a partnership which aims to reimagine the female travel and hospitality experience. SHe Travel Club is the first and only hotel label which leverages technology and women’s individual feedback to create a label specifically designed around meeting their expectations and requirements. Key Accor brands including Sofitel, MGallery, Novotel and Mercure will be part of a 50-hotel pilot in Europe and in the Middle East to encourage the deployment and growth of the She Label. Its ambition is to work hand in hand to raise...

NATIONAL REPORT—The worsening effects of climate change have made decarbonization a top priority for many industries, including global travel and tourism, which accounts for between 8 and 11 percent of the world’s emissions. If nothing is done, the sector’s carbon emissions will only rise as it grows. Travel activity is expected to soar by 85 percent from 2016 to 2030. As more consumers, employees, regulators, and investors consider reducing their trips, they are also ramping up the pressure for the sector to reduce its carbon emissions. In response, more travel companies have pledged to reach net zero. But obstacles stand in...

SHANGHAI—Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, released its inaugural “Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022,” celebrating the annual World Tourism Day—September 27. This report sheds light on the increased acceptance of sustainable travel and its implications for the travel industry and the wider world. Across the globe, sustainable travel as a concept and practice has moved from the back of travelers’ minds to claim a dominant position in the decision-making process, with close to eight in 10 travelers (78.7 percent) acknowledging its importance. Sustainable Travel an Increasingly Accepted Idea Based on a survey of 7,705 respondents across 11 markets in Asia and Europe, the report finds that the...

Capterra conducted the Consumer Sustainability Expectations Survey in August 2022 among 759 U.S. consumers to learn about their expectations and preferences for sustainably made and transported goods. The goal of the survey is to understand consumers’ expectations and shopping behavior for products being made and shipped sustainably. While Capterra’s survey was not focused on hospitality, it does provide some insight into how consumers are thinking, and shopping, these days. For the survey, 759 consumers were asked questions to learn about their expectations and preferences for sustainably made and transported goods. Here are just some of the findings from the survey: In...

An article published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management caught my attention this past week. Its title: “Narrowing the intention-behavior gap: The impact of hotel green certification.” I highly recommend reading it. The research, which included three studies, was well-researched by the authors: Christina G. Chi, Oscar Hengxuan Chi, Xun Xu, and Ian Kennedy. Data for the article was pulled from a survey conducted at a major U.S. university and from STR. It would be impossible to highlight all the findings in this article, and the article is indeed worth numerous columns by yours truly, but here is a...

PULLMAN, WASH.—Many travelers say they would prefer to stay at eco-friendly hotels but lodging facilities don’t benefit financially from acquiring certification for green business practices, new research shows. Researchers compared five years’ worth of financial data for hotels with and without third-party audits for practices like saving energy, conserving water and recycling. The green-certified hotels performed no better than hotels without the certification, although displaying comparable pricing information and informing consumers about what green certification entails could boost future sales, researchers said. “Our work examines the gap between customers’ intent to patronize eco-friendly hotels and where they are booking nights,” said Christina...

The topic of climate change and sustainability has reached a fever pitch. The WHO predicts a $2 to $4 billion cost to public health, and it’s viewed as a national responsibility. From battery-powered cars to eliminating single-use plastic and embracing a more climate-friendly lifestyle, a worldwide commitment to sustainability is taking shape. As green initiatives continue to take the world by storm, we quickly realize that no industry is exempt from its duty to reexamine and—where necessary—reimagine practices which may pose harm to our ever-fragile environment. Hospitality, as you might have guessed, is certainly no exception. Right now, hospitality brands...