NAPLES, FLA.—Lemon Tree Inn of Naples, Florida celebrated its new landscaping by releasing thousands of ladybugs on January 17. The boutique hotel has also sprouted a new “Pollination Package”, which offers a three-night stay with two tickets to the Naples Botanical Garden and a packet of flower seeds. Lemon Tree Inn, which has a butterfly garden in its courtyard garden, releases ladybugs as needed to rid the plants of pests. The hotel will release another group of ladybugs this June in celebration of National Pollinator Week.“The butterfly garden that Hunter Reno helped us create in 2010 was exquisite,” said...

DANA POINT, CALIF.—The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel has joined with marine life artist Wyland for “Whales, Wonders, and Wyland.” The collaboration includes an overnight experience, a display of more than 25 Wyland original paintings, limited editions, and sculptures throughout the resort, as well as an exclusive reception for guests to meet Wyland and enjoy a special multi-media retrospective of Wyland’s Whaling Wall public mural project. Wyland is also the Grand Marshal for the 2015 Festival of Whales, taking place in Dana Point the first two weekends in March.The Wonders of Wyland Reception will be held Friday, March 6, 2015. The...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced Meet with Purpose, a concept designed to make it easier for meeting professionals to reduce waste and incorporate health and wellness into meetings and events. Meet with Purpose provides meeting professionals with sustainable choices to incorporate into events that not only enhance the experiences of attendees, but also align with many customers’ corporate responsibility goals. Inspired by Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, Hilton gathered feedback from customers and sales Team Members to identify the most pressing sustainability issues for meetings and events. To meet these needs, Hilton created Meet with Purpose, supported by...

DALLAS—Guests of The Highland Dallas can now take advantage of the newly-available PURE guestrooms. Specially-treated to provide the highest purity in air quality, PURE rooms, with hypoallergenic elements, ensure ultimate comfort for health-conscious guests and their families.“Enhancing the guest experience at The Highland Dallas is a top priority and PURE rooms truly raise the bar in terms of comfort and peace of mind,” said General Manager David Lemmond. “Asthma and allergy-sensitive travelers will sleep soundly knowing the quality of the air has been improved for their comfort, and really any of our guests will awake feeling energized in our...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Geographic Society announced its newest foray in world-class travel experiences: National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, a collection of boutique hotels in extraordinary places around the world with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability, authenticity and excellence. Selected through a rigorous evaluation process, these lodges offer an outstanding guest experience while supporting the protection of cultural and natural heritage and embracing sustainable tourism practices. The initial collection—numbering 24 properties on six continents—further builds National Geographic’s travel portfolio, which includes National Geographic Expeditions, Traveler magazine, travel books, photography courses and the @NatGeoTravel digital and photography community.As part...

MCLEAN, VA.—From bushes applauding recyclers and street performers tipping their audience, to a revolving door offering compliments and an unexpected makeover at the DMV, everyday experiences can be made a bit better with an unexpected twist. Home2 Suites by Hilton, Hilton Worldwide’s award-winning mid-tier, all-suite hotel brand, is celebrating this mindset and inviting travelers to think about extended stay travel in a “fresh, new way” with the launch of a new surprise and delight campaign in conjunction with the brand’s 50th hotel opening.The “fresh, new way” campaign, filmed in Atlanta, includes four videos showcasing how challenging the status quo...

MURFREESBORO, TENN.—The Hilton Garden Inn Murfreesboro, a new hotel located 30 minutes outside Nashville, has added 10 hypoallergenic PURE Rooms to provide an allergy travel alternative for its guests. “PURE Rooms will offer a more comfortable stay to our guests with allergies,” said David Allison, General Manager at the Hilton Garden Inn Murfreesboro. “As a new hotel, we strive to meet the latest standards for health and wellness, which PURE Rooms help enable us to do.”The rooms were installed by PURE Solutions, a leading provider of allergy travel accommodations in the United States. PURE Rooms are treated according to...

Name: Harith WickremaTitle: Chief Visionary OfficerProperty: Eco Serendib Villa and SpaYears property open: Three Primary responsibilities: “One of my most important responsibilities as chief visionary officer is to ensure the villa stays true to the original concept.”   Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “Educating guests while using resources to give back to the St. John Community.”  Organization’s most significant sustainability-related challenge: “Recycling. On St. John we don’t have recycling. Garbage gets shipped to St. Thomas.”  ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—As Chief Visionary Officer and owner of the eight-suite Eco Serendib Villa and Spa on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Harith...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Provenance Hotels, with six locations in Washington and Oregon, is raising the bar on sustainable travel by partnering with the experts in car sharing services and electric vehicle technology—Zipcar and Tesla Motors—to make it even easier and more affordable for guests to use alternative transportation when visiting the eco-conscious cities of Portland, Seattle and Tacoma.Provenance Hotels’ art-filled hotels are conveniently located downtown within steps of each city’s light rail routes, making them the perfect getaways for those who want to go car free. When guests who are Zipcar members need or want to venture further, Zipcar, the world’s...

BANGKOK—Green tourism has become an important trend in recent years, with travelers and hospitality operators alike all doing their best to minimize the impact that tourism can have on the environment.Centara Grand Beach Resort &Villas Krabi, which is set directly on the beach in a small bay that can only be reached by boat or along a pathway through the national park that surrounds the resort is especially aware of its environmental responsibilities. Last year it was awarded EarthCheck Silver Certification for its environmental management programs.As part of the resort’s ongoing commitment towards environmental responsibilities, Centara Grand Krabi has...