PHOENIX—The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) recently launched the state’s first Electric Vehicle Travel Guide. As ownership of fully electric vehicles (EV) gains speed and the infrastructure to support EVs continues to grow throughout the state, Arizona is poised to be a destination for EV drivers looking to travel with zero tailpipe emissions.“We want to take the guess work out of traveling Arizona with an electric vehicle and show EV drivers how they can enjoy our great state,” said Sherry Henry, AOT director.AOT’s Electric Vehicle Travel Guide is tailored specifically for all-electric vehicle travelers and filled with valuable, downloadable...

MINNEAPOLIS—The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), the largest convention center in the Upper Midwest, has achieved Level One certification to the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences. The international sustainability venue standard is one of nine standards introduced by the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and events industry in 2012 to provide event planners and suppliers with specifications for producing events in a more sustainable manner.“We are proud and excited to attain the ASTM Venue certification,” said Jeff Johnson, Executive Director, Minneapolis Convention Center. “Certification to the industry’s global...

SHELTON, CONN.—Continuing efforts to build its iCompli sustainability assurance services, BPA Worldwide has named Joel Charron as Vice President, Sustainability Assurance. He will be based in Houston. In his new position, Charron will have direct responsibility for marketing and business development for iCompli’s suite of sustainability assurance services related to reporting in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. “Joel’s wide-ranging experience and industry knowledge in regards to sustainability reporting will be a great benefit to BPA,” noted Glenn Hansen, BPA President and CEO. “Given his previous efforts relating to reporting frameworks (including GRI 3.1 and G4), corporate social responsibility...

MINNEAPOLIS—The Hilton Minneapolis has doubled its inventory of hypoallergenic rooms by PURE Solutions to create an allergy-friendly floor inside the hotel. 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 airborne particles. PURE technology creates a room that is more comfortable for asthma and allergy-sufferers.The Hilton Minneapolis installed an initial phase of PURE Rooms in May 2012. The rooms have proven so popular with guests that the hotel has added a second phase that brings the total number of rooms to 42 and designates...

SINGAPORE—Agoda.com, one of Asia’s leading hotel booking sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group, announced the results of their Global Earth Day Hotels Survey, which shows that while most travelers like environmentally friendly hotels, they don’t want to pay much more to stay in them.The survey, conducted online in March, 2014, asked 57,000 Agoda.com customers how they felt about environmental efforts by hotels. While 58 percent of all travelers said they preferred hotels that claimed to be environmentally friendly, only 39 percent said they would pay an extra $10 or more per night to stay in one.Travelers from the...

NEWTON, MASS.—TripAdvisor announced the 10 highest-rated TripAdvisor GreenLeaders hotels in the United States and the results of its eco-travel survey of more than 2,100 U.S. respondents. According to the survey, 23 percent of respondents have consciously made an eco-friendly travel choice in the past year, and 85 percent said doing so made them feel more positive about their trip.The top five most common ways U.S. respondents travel green: 1. Ensured the lights were turned off when not in hotel room—96 percent; 2. Participated in hotel’s linen/towel reuse program—90 percent; 3. Used recycling in the hotel—81 percent; 4. Ensured the...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Provenance Hotels announced a partnership with Bee Local that will bring local artisan honey, a uniquely Portland culinary experience, to guests of the company’s three properties in the city—Hotel Lucia, Hotel deluxe and Sentinel—and help ensure its sustainability for years to come. This month, the hyper-local Portland honey producer will install beehives on the roofs of Hotel Lucia, Hotel deLuxe and Sentinel and make its honey available in honor bars at all three downtown hotels. When the hotel hives are harvested, the honey they produce will be featured on the menus at Imperial at Hotel Lucia and the...

HONG KONG—Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will replace approximately two million complimentary print newspapers distributed annually to guests with environmentally-friendly digital versions. The switch went into effect on March 29, 2014. The Hong Kong-based luxury hotel group has partnered with PressReader, a digital newspaper and magazine service, to replace the print newspapers. Guests and restaurant patrons will have unlimited, complimentary access to more than 2,000 local, regional and international publications from 100 countries in 60 languages.“We know how important it is for our guests to stay connected, which is why Shangri-La was the first international luxury hotel group to offer...

NATIONAL REPORT—Lodging establishments around the United States are ramping up their planning for Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22. It has now been 44 years since the first Earth Day was held in 1970. During the first Earth Day, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. In just a few weeks, Earth Day activities at hotels will range from cleanup events to photo contests to dining, cocktail and spa specials.Aqua Hospitality will celebrate Earth Day by supporting ocean preservation through both a volunteer cleanup and donation...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) announced the winners of the AH&LA Achievement Awards, part of the annual Stars of the Industry Awards. These awards, presented annually since 1966, distinguish individual hotels that have developed outstanding programs, events, and campaigns. Winners were chosen in the categories of Good Earthkeeping, Community Service, Special Events, Guest Relations, and Technology Innovation.The winner of the Good Earthkeeping award in the small property category is The Huntington Hotel in San Francisco, for successfully implementing a hotel-wide trash training program that reduced the trash output by almost 70 percent, saving $12,000 a year....