ITHACA, N.Y.—An analysis of sales and rates for 9,000 hotels has demonstrated a net neutral effect for the hotel industry’s efforts to implement sustainability. The analysis was made possible by a massive database maintained by Sabre Holdings, including Travelocity. The Cornell study concluded that the hotel industry’s fears of losing business due to implementing “green” operations is unfounded. However, on average, hotels also don’t see a revenue boost from going green.The study, “Hotel Sustainability: Financial Analysis Shines a Cautious Green Light,” by Howard G. Chong and Rohit Verma, was published by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) and...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) announced and launched a new campaign called Ask For It! in support of the APEX/ASTM standards that were completed and published in full this year.The campaign is targeted at planners, encouraging them to ask suppliers for sustainable practices. The easiest way to do this is by using the APEX/ASTM standards as a guide and resource. Once the conversation is started, the next step is to register their events and certify them at whatever level they find achievable to comply with the standards. It also is a call to action for suppliers to...

PHOENIX—Food has always had a powerful way of bringing families together, and now families visiting Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix can enjoy a memorable private dining experience with the resort’s executive chef at his urban garden.The urban garden at Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort has been a labor of love for the resort’s Executive Chef Kenneth Arneson for more than two years. Today, the garden is ripe with a diverse array of vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, mung beans and Swiss chard and a robust mix of herbs from dill to lavender. With a personal passion for...

LONDON—Marriott International has launched a limited edition tote bag with an exclusive print by British luxury accessories brand, Lily and Lionel. The print is featured on a SleepingBags tote bag made in England from 100 percent recycled bed linen provided by U.K. Marriott hotels. This first of its kind bag is available to purchase with Marriott donating a portion from the sale of every bag to The Prince’s Trust.Marriott is the first major hotel company to partner with pioneering British social enterprise, SleepingBags, to transform retired hotel bed linen into items that can be put back into hotels as...

WASHINGON, D.C.—Greenview and Twirl Management recently launched the first annual Green Venue Survey and Report, a collaborative effort, supported by Freeman, to collect information and generate a freely available industry report that captures the state of convention center greening and acts as an informed talking piece to stimulate constructive discussion. The report, slated for publication in early 2014, will objectively bring venue sustainability challenges, solutions and success stories to the forefront. In addition to sharing findings related to venue infrastructure, practices and performance, the report is being created with the aim to spur adoption of industry best practices. “We...

INWOOD, N.Y.—Laundrylux has launched its new website. The site has been redesigned with a fresh, clean look and user-friendly navigation. The site includes information on the new Electrolux Professional Line 5000 and Wascomat Generation 7 equipment lineup. It also includes details on PLUS—Professional Laundry Utility Service by Laundrylux. With PLUS, hotels, nursing homes and other On Premise Laundry customers can receive new Electrolux professional laundry equipment delivered and installed for free with zero capital investment and no long-term lease or contract. PLUS is a revolution in OPL which operates like Zipcar and other “only pay for what you use”...

LOS ANGELES—Wellness Tourism Worldwide, a leading wellness travel business, announced a signed partner agreement with the World Food Travel Assn., the world’s largest organization for the food tourism industry, with 18,000 members in 135 countries. Both organizations are joining together to develop, educate and promote food, culinary and agritourism as an important part of wellness travel experiences. Both food and wellness travel are hot trends that are changing the way leisure travelers experience vacations. More than one of the hottest trends, wellness tourism is a growing and lucrative niche. Wellness vacations are used to jump-start a health regimen, detox from unhealthy...

NEW YORK—The International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS)  has announced a partnership with Clean the World to produce a One Project building event during the 98th IHMRS, November 10 to 12, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The objective is to assemble 10,000 One Project hygiene kits over three days with the assistance of IHMRS visitors.Clean the World collects, recycles and distributes soap and shampoo products discarded by the hospitality industry. Most hotels discard slightly used soap and bottled amenities, which often end up in already overcrowded landfills. By shipping discarded amenities to...

TETIAROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA—The Brando, a unique resort and model of sustainable technology, located on the private island of Tetiaroa in French Polynesia, and a product of the late Marlon Brando’s vision, announces the launch of its official website.The website debut is the latest advancement for The Brando, the one-of-a-kind resort located on Tetiaroa, an atoll composed of 12 islets surrounded by the blue expanse of the South Pacific, 30 miles northeast of the island of Tahiti. Tetiaroa has always been a privileged retreat—first for the Tahitian royalty as recorded by Bougainville, Cook, Bligh, and others, and more recently for...

NEW YORK—MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and Delos, a real estate developer, have decided to expand Stay Well, their wellness hotel room concept. After a positive guest response and growing demand since launching in October 2012, Stay Well at MGM Grand is quadrupling its Stay Well room count from 42 to 171 rooms and suites, encompassing the entire 14th floor of the hotel’s main tower.“The success of the Stay Well rooms exemplifies the large consumer demand and appetite for a healthier, wellness-oriented travel experience,” said Delos founder Paul Scialla. “We are thrilled to expand the Stay...