NASHVILLE, TENN.—The Hilton Garden Inn Nashville/Franklin Cool Springs, a full-service hotel located 14 miles outside of Nashville, has recently upgraded 10 of its guestrooms to make them more comfortable for people with asthma and allergies. The rooms were installed by PURE Solutions, which provides allergy travel accommodations at nearly 300 hotels nationwide.PURE Rooms are treated according to a patented seven-step process that kills and protects against 98 to 100 percent of viruses, bacteria and other harmful irritants. PURE technology creates a room that is more accommodating of asthma and allergy sufferers and also provides a more refreshing and rejuvenating...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Health-conscious travelers now make up more than 40 percent of the U.S. travel marketplace and that number is trending upward. Already a $439 billion market, the wellness travel industry is expected to grow another 50 percent through 2017, according to the Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC). Meanwhile, hotels and resorts are spending billions of dollars on new facilities and upgrading existing properties to meet the demand of travelers looking for the best possible healthy destination experience.To help legitimize the business of healthy travel destinations, a new, first of its kind nonprofit has been formed called the Institute for...

ORLANDO—Orlando has become the first destination to produce a comprehensive sustainability report focused on the visitor experience. The goal of the report is to tell the sustainability journey of Orlando, allowing it to chronicle progress toward the goal of becoming one of the world’s leading sustainable destinations. The Orlando Destination Sustainability Report is a pillar program of Green Destination Orlando (GDO), and a co-production between GDO, Greenview and the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, along with community volunteers.The report shares Orlando’s vision where visitors have a total sustainable experience, beginning the moment they plan their...

LAS VEGAS—ARIA Resort & Casino, LEED Gold and Green Key certified, as well as a TripAdvisor GreenLeader at the Platinum level, will be the site of this fall’s second annual Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. The LODGING Magazine event, with the support of EcoGreen Energy Solutions, will take place October 28 to 30.“This year we anticipate doubling the size of our event in both attendance and exhibit area,” says LODGING magazine Publisher Bill Corsini, who will once again host this annual event. “While still relatively small in only our second year, the conference will...

NEW YORK—Fifty-five percent of global online consumers across 60 countries say they are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact, according to a new study by Nielsen. The propensity to buy socially responsible brands is strongest in Asia-Pacific (64 percent), Latin America (63 percent) and Middle East/Africa (63 percent). The numbers for North America and Europe are 42 and 40 percent, respectively.“Consumers around the world are saying loud and clear that a brand’s social purpose is among the factors that influence purchase decisions,” said Amy Fenton,...

PHOENIX—The Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Airport North, a contemporary hotel with convenient access to the Phoenix metropolitan area, will add 10 allergy-friendly guestrooms by PURE Solutions to its list of offerings. PURE Rooms are treated according to a patented seven-step process that kills and protects against 98 to 100 percent of viruses, bacteria and other harmful irritants. PURE technology creates a room that is more comfortable for people with asthma and allergies and also provides a more refreshing and rejuvenating experience for all hotel guests.PURE technicians will begin installing the allergy-friendly rooms on June 27, making them available to...

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS—Though many travellers want to minimize the environmental impact of their trips, it can be tough to find an eco-conscious hotel, and it can be even tougher to separate the truly sustainable hotels from those that just claim to be. BookDifferent, an Amsterdam-based nonprofit, is the first hotel booking site to bring together lodgings certified by the world’s most reliable sustainability programs. After adding more than 4,500 new spots over the last year, BookDifferent now has 6,980 certified hotels, resorts and campgrounds, making it the largest eco-focused booking site on the web. BookDifferent makes it simple to...

BOSTON—Warm weather is finally upon us, which means more people than ever will once again be using bike-share programs across the country, including those who travel frequently. This spring/summer, Massachusetts-based brand Bern Unlimited is partnering with the Boston Lenox Hotel—the same hotel that Bern named one of their popular helmets after—to offer guests complimentary biking helmets. This is the first partnership of its kind for both organizations.When guests receive a Bern helmet to use, they’ll also be given a bike map that details where popular bike-share locations and rental companies can be found in Boston. An exclusive insert featuring...

NATIONAL REPORT—Earlier this year Green Lodging News updated its readers on the many state level green lodging certification and recognition programs. That article followed a series of articles in 2013 on national certification programs. This article focuses on local or regional green certification programs in which lodging establishments can participate. By our count there are six—in Annapolis, Md.; Los Angeles; McAllen, Texas; New York’s Catskill region; Ohio’s Hocking Hills region; and San Francisco.In Annapolis, properties can participate in the Annapolis Environmental Stewardship Certification Program. The Annapolis Environmental Stewardship Certification Program is a part of the Department of Neighborhood and...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp. announced that two of its properties in Asia have become the first integrated resorts in the region to receive a prestigious sustainability certification.  Marina Bay Sands and the Venetian Macao, Las Vegas Sands’ integrated resorts in Singapore and Macao, have both earned the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System certification. ISO 20121 is developed by International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards. The standard provides meeting venues and event planners a framework of policies, procedures and processes that have been designed to address the management of environmental, economic...