VICTORIA, B.C.—When guests book a stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Victoria, they have the option of also reserving a Toyota Prius. The hotel has two of the white Toyotas decked out with green leaves and the name of the hotel property on the doors. Guests can book the vehicles through a separate website called http://mystaymycar.com/. What is truly unique about the hotel, however, is its pair of Solo electric vehicles. Made in nearby Vancouver, B.C., the one-person electric vehicles have two wheels in the front, one in the back and are painted just like the two...

SINGAPORE—Greenview has released its 106-page Green Lodging Trends Report 2018. The Report is the lodging industry’s annual exercise to assess and catalyze green innovation, best practices, and awareness regarding the state of sustainability across hotels worldwide. The Report highlights and summarizes responses to 115 survey questions in these categories: Energy Management, Waste Management, Water Conservation, Health & Wellness, Back of House, Communications, Staff Involvement, Community Involvement, and Climate Action & Certification. Greenview received data for 4,544 hotels across 61 countries. Of the overall data set, 2,202 properties were classified as City/Urban Hotels, 814 as Suburban Hotels, 607 as Resorts, 296...

LONDON—Following guest feedback, a vegan suite is now available for reservation at the design-led Hilton London Bankside. The suite, created in partnership with multi-sensory design experts Bompas & Parr and given the thumbs up by The Vegan Society, offers a vegan experience throughout, from a plant-based check-in desk and keycard to vegan-friendly bedding and eco-cotton carpet. Responding to evolving values, the whole suite has undergone a complete refurbishment. Reimagining the aesthetic associated with a contemporary vegan lifestyle, everything from the pillow options and toiletries to the in-room menu and minibar offerings have been redesigned to create a boutique, luxurious and...

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Pure Wellness announced that Chris Connar has joined the company as its new Vice President, Sales effective January 22, 2019. The wellness-minded traveler represents a very large, high-growth, and affluent market segment within the hospitality industry. Connar will lead the sales efforts to enable the industry to better serve this market segment, generate additional revenue, and achieve greater guest satisfaction through the company’s Pure Room program. Connar, with two decades of experience in global, high-growth hospitality operations and service-based organizations, brings deep experience to the position. He has a solid record of helping the industry identify and deploy the...

MINNEAPOLIS—Radisson Rewards, the global rewards program of Radisson Hotel Group, has introduced a new program with SOS Children’s Villages, allowing members to redeem Radisson Rewards points for monetary donations. SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest non-governmental organization dedicated to building loving, stable families for orphaned, abandoned, and other vulnerable children. Operating in 135 countries, including the United States, SOS Children’s Villages exemplifies Radisson Hotel Group’s commitment to caring for people and communities. “The points donated through Radisson Rewards will go toward furthering the SOS Children’s Villages mission of providing children with a stable and supportive family, a safe home...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International, in collaboration with R&R Partners and Resources+, received the “Organic Promotion, Corporate-Community” award for the “Spotlight on Hunger” video campaign during the 3rd Annual Shorty Social Good Awards. The Shorty Social Good Awards is an awards program created to raise global awareness around the positive impact brands, agencies and nonprofits can have on society. “Spotlight on Hunger” focused on building awareness around the company’s support of Three Square food bank, by demonstrating how MGM Resorts is an integral part of the fabric of the community it serves. In addition, MGM Resorts also earned a Silver Distinction...

TORONTO—Just over half a million captive wild animals globally are suffering to entertain tourists, including elephants, sloths, tigers and dolphins. Many animals are beaten, chained up, isolated and forced to perform tricks. These experiences often cause the animals pain and psychological trauma. Many tourists are animal lovers who don’t realize these attractions harm animals. Travel trade associations, for the most part, are looking the other way. World Animal Protection commissioned the University of Surrey to review 62 travel associations on whether they provide their members with animal welfare guidelines and require them to be met. The research shows only three...

LOS ANGELES—With indisputable evidence for demand of sustainable travel experiences, Kind Traveler, the world’s first socially conscious “Give + Get” hotel booking platform, and Steller, the world’s leading storytelling app and community co-founded by Richard Bangs, known as the father of modern adventure travel, have joined forces to inspire newly launched travel options that inspire travelers to vote with their dollars, benefiting local communities, the environment, and animals. The partnership kicks off just before the season of giving unfolds and shortly after the release of cutting-edge new research studies about consumer desire for sustainable travel. Compelling recent findings propelling the...

KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA—Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu has launched new immersive guest experiences within its 64-acre Rasa Ria Reserve to showcase the unique Borneo rainforest, home to numerous plants and animals found only on the island. Located in the 130-million-year-old jungles of Malaysian Borneo, the Rasa Ria Reserve’s enhancements focus on local nature conservation and education through scenic walking trails, hiking to the Ria Lookout, a Discovery Centre, Canopy Walkway, Waterfall Garden Area, and an Adventure Point with a climbing wall and playground. Through these new facilities and programs, guests can explore some of the world’s...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Rooms for Change, an online booking site, is gradually building a following thanks to its inclusion of only smaller, locally owned independent hotels and its commitment to donate a portion of profits to several charities. One of the site’s aims is to also be an advocate for sustainable tourism. Green Lodging News recently interviewed Gabriela Sijer, Co-founder of the site, to learn more about the site’s history and its owners’ ambitions for it. The following are the questions and answers from that e-mail interview. Please give me a brief history of the site, when it was launched, who launched...