PARIS—HRS, the leading global corporate lodging platform, announced the addition of Accor properties, a world leading hospitality group, in HRS’ new Green Stay Initiative. This decision provides analytical and time-saving benefits to corporate hotel procurement executives as they increasingly require sustainability data as they consider which properties to include on their list of preferred hotels for 2022 and beyond. “The world’s leading multi-national companies are promoting their aspirations to achieve net-zero operations by 2030 or sooner. These company-wide goals impact managed travel programs, who are tasked to travel more sustainably as they recover from the pandemic,” said HRS CEO Tobias Ragge. “Dozens of...

MCLEAN, VA.—There is no doubt that the pandemic modified travel—but that’s just part of the story. Hilton released a global trends report unpacking how the pandemic changed people. “The 2022 Traveler: Emerging Trends and the Redefined Traveler, a Report from Hilton” dives into an important truth: in two years, people’s lives were dramatically altered and that radically changed people. As a company that has welcomed 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, Hilton showcases within the report how it is evolving alongside the changing traveler, tackling areas of expertise such as: Fitness: How app workouts and new fitness routines have changed...

SAN FRANCISCO—The InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco, in collaboration with Porsche, announces a new extravagant amenity for their guests—Porsche electric vehicle charging stations. Located in the valet area of the hotel’s parking deck, the AC chargers are meant to top off the batteries of electric vehicles while their drivers enjoy a cocktail at Top of the Mark, the hotel’s iconic penthouse level lounge; take in a meal at farm-to-table restaurant Nob Hill Club; or settle in for an overnight stay in one of the hotel’s luxurious suites. “Like the Porsche brand, The InterContinental Mark Hopkins delivers a luxury experience at the highest level,” states Michael...

MINNETONKA, MINN.—Radisson Hotel Group will make all meetings and events across 400+ hotels in its EMEA portfolio carbon negative. For every event taking place at its participating hotels, Radisson Hotel Group will offset double the carbon footprint, to ensure that every meeting has a positive impact on the environment. The program applies for meetings booked between October 18, 2021, and January 31, 2022 and taking place before March 31, 2022. Planet Positive will set a new sustainability standard in the global hospitality industry. The program allows clients to host meetings in a sustainable way by offsetting double the CO2 emissions...

OTTAWA, ONT.—By numbers, the Green Key Eco-Rating Program has long been among the planet’s leading certification programs—especially in the United States and Canada where the bulk of its certified hotel properties operate—but the program is about to take a giant leap forward with the coming on board of a large hotel chain the first quarter of next year. Rebecca Bartlett-Jones, Manager, Business Development for Green Key Global, was not at liberty to disclose the name of the chain but said the number of Green Key Eco-Rated properties is expected to double in size by the third quarter of next year....

ORLANDO, FLA.—This past June AAA announced that it had enhanced its housekeeping evaluation to include objective, scientific validation of the cleanliness of common surfaces throughout hotels. Hotels that meet AAA’s standards for cleanliness, condition and this new surface cleanliness testing will be recognized as Inspected Clean and then assigned a Diamond designation. Scott Hammerle, Director of the AAA Diamond Program, told Green Lodging News that AAA is hoping for a late 2021 Q4 or early 2022 Q1 rollout of the Inspected Clean recognition program. According to AAA research, 76 percent of consumers surveyed would be disappointed if a third-party inspection...

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.—Quench, a leading provider of filtered water solutions for businesses and dealer partners across the United States and Canada, announced that it has acquired Vero Water. Vero Water is a leading brand of eco-friendly, luxury, still and sparkling water to the hospitality industry. Vero water is served to more than 75 million guests per year in acclaimed restaurants, hotels, and cruise lines in the United States and 14 countries around the world. Vero’s proprietary technology enables clients to filter, chill, fill and serve Vero still and sparkling water on-premises and on-demand, in reusable luxury glass bottles,...

NEW YORK—1 Hotel West Hollywood and the newly opened 1 Hotel Toronto have been accepted into Virtuoso’s exclusive portfolio of luxury travel partners, comprising more than 2,000 preferred suppliers in 100 countries. Additionally, the soon-to-open flagship property 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has been accepted as a Virtuoso Preview Hotel. According to Milton Sgarbi, VP of Operations, 1 Hotel South Beach, inclusion in Virtuoso presents new sales and marketing opportunities to the network’s luxury travel advisors and their highly desirable clientele. Virtuoso agencies worldwide sell an average of $25 billion to $30 billion annually, making the network the most significant player in luxury travel. “Virtuoso’s...

It was a big news week this past week with numerous announcements of interest. First, according to Bloomberg, beginning on September 22, Google began labeling hotels as “Eco-Certified” in its global search results, with a leaf-shaped icon next to the hotel’s name. “Clicking on the ‘About’ tab will detail the property’s specific sustainability practices, such as having water use audited by an independent organization or using energy from carbon-free sources,” Bloomberg says. “The new feature relies on 29 certification programs to do the hard work of establishing a hotel’s green credibility; the property must have an array of sustainability measures...

NEW YORK—Leading digital travel platform Booking.com released new research revealing that more than half (61 percent) of LGBTQ+ travelers have experienced some form of discrimination when traveling. Conducted with 3,052 LGBTQ+ travelers across three continents, the new study shines a light on attitudes, concerns and travel preferences, as well as past stay experiences, current realities and hopes for a more inclusive travel future. LGBTQ+ Travel Today According to the research, 70 percent say they have to consider their safety and wellbeing as an LGBTQ+ traveler when picking a destination and over half (60 percent) believe that traveling as part of the...