ATLANTA—Pure Wellness, a pioneer in hotel guestroom wellness solutions, has installed 28 Pure Rooms at two properties in the Windy City. Now, wellness-minded travelers visiting Silversmith Hotel Chicago Downtown, a Historic Hotels of America inductee, or the Sofitel Chicago can experience a Pure Room. “The leadership teams at The Silversmith Hotel Chicago and the Sofitel Chicago recognize the importance of serving the wellness-minder traveler—a very large and growing market segment,” says Larry Hall, CEO of Pure Wellness. “The wellness-minded traveler makes choices that lead to a state of holistic health, and a Pure Room satisfies their need for purified air,...

BELLEVUE, WASH.—As the average person checks their phone 110 times per day, it’s no surprise that there’s a need to recharge and go off the grid, and a likely reason why wellness tourism is on the rise. Combined with people’s increased awareness of the growing threats to our natural resources and interest in eco-friendly experiences, traveling to America’s great national parks has never been more appealing. Based on recent Expedia Group data, travel to America’s national parks is booming, indicating the various opportunities for hoteliers to capitalize on the interest in key national park markets, including Moab, Yellowstone, Yosemite and...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Vapur to the “Water Bottles/Reusable” section of its Green Product & Service Directory. Vapur started in 2009 with a mission to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles by creating the most portable reusable water bottle on the planet. Ten years later the mission is still the same and Vapur has won the hearts of millions with dozens of styles of collapsible, reusable BPA-FREE and freezable anti-bottles. Vapur has partnered with Elkay to launch the Vapur Refill Program, offering discounts on bottles and refill stations to national parks, hotels, schools and more....

LOS ANGELES—The lodging industry has a new player in the certification realm—the nonprofit, Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Environmental Media Assn. (EMA). EMA announced last week that it has launched a Green Seal program for hospitality. EMA has had a Green Seal for TV and film production for years. In addition to expanding to hospitality, they have confirmed they will also be venturing into the fitness and fashion categories soon. More than a thousand TV and film productions have earned the Green Seal. Participating lodging establishments can earn either a Green Seal for Hospitality or Gold Seal for Hospitality through the points-based...

SHANGHAI—Travelzoo, a global publisher of exclusive offers and experiences for members, has seen a highly positive reaction from its members in China to the company’s #GreenAmbassador initiative. The #GreenAmbassador is the first in a series of initiatives to be launched by Travelzoo as part of its new Global Sustainability Campaign to champion sustainable travel solutions for the world. China is now the fastest-growing market for new-energy vehicles in the world. In 2014, only 74,763 new-energy vehicles were sold in China; by 2017, that number had increased by over 1,000 percent to 777,000 (source: South China Morning Post, April 2018). Recognizing...

AMSTERDAM—In its nearly 100-year history, Hilton hotels have served guests and communities across the world and acted as the setting for some of the most iconic cultural moments of the past century. One such moment, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In for Peace, took place in Room 702 of the Hilton Amsterdam beginning March 25, 1969—exactly 50 years ago this week. The Bed-In was covered by global media as Lennon and Ono turned their honeymoon into a weeklong promotion of peace. In celebration of the anniversary and the role Hilton has played in fostering understanding around the world, the company...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released the results of a comprehensive Lodging Survey, a detailed assessment of advancements in amenities, guest services, sustainability and technology, in addition to other industry trends. This recent survey underscores how hotels advance, accommodate and innovate the guest experience. Consumers can expect seamless transitions between their everyday lives and their lives on the road thanks to increased mobile compatibility, flexible dining options and welcoming accommodations. This comprehensive survey is conducted every two years by industry data provider and AHLA partner STR, renowned for providing premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Earth Day Network announced the release of its Earth Day 2019 poster. In one stunning image, the poster visually conveys the meaning and importance of its 2019 Protect Our Species campaign. It features Brad Wilson’s photograph of a giraffe, part of his series AFFINITY that depicts threatened, endangered and other species. Giraffe populations have declined from 155,000 in 1985 to under 100,000 in 2018. No international treaties protect giraffes, and the United States is the number one importer of giraffe trophies and parts. Habitat loss, civil unrest, illegal poaching and hunting, and climate change collectively contribute to the decline...

NEW DELHI—MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company has successfully supported plantation of one million trees through MakeMyTrip Foundation in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand and Udaipur districts as part of its efforts to support responsible travel. The drive has been carried out in partnership with Seva Mandir, a leading nonprofit organization that works with local communities on development projects, especially focusing on sustainability. MakeMyTrip’s GoGreen initiative is a 360-degree drive that aims to promote responsible travel and environmental sustainability by involving all stakeholders including customers, employees and local communities. The tree plantation effort covering 2,350 hectares of land has been carried out with...

MONTEREY, CALIF.—Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey’s first U.S. Green Building Council LEED Certified Hotel, is offering meeting and event planners the opportunity to create sustainable and eco-friendly meetings with the addition of new Reduced Waste Conferences. Located on the Monterey Peninsula and surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern California, Portola Hotel & Spa has always taken pride in the environment, making a conscious effort to support the green initiatives of the community in addition to implementing eco-friendly initiatives at the hotel. “Reduced waste conferences are a great way to communicate to meeting attendees the importance to conserve natural resources,” says...