HORSHAM, PA.—Carlson Hotels, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has selected the Green Key Eco-Rating program as its preferred green lodging certification program. Green Key, which ranks, certifies and inspects hotels based on their commitment to sustainable operations and practices, will be a part of the latest installment of Carlson Hotel’s Responsible Business initiative to be rolled out in the third quarter of 2010. The initiative includes Carlson Hotels’ Radisson, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Park Inn and Park Plaza brands in The Americas. The company’s managed hotels will join the program immediately. The Radisson brand is planning...

BELLEVUE, WASH.—Expedia.com, a leading online travel agency, announced that a first wave of 300-plus properties using LightStay within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of hotel brands will be added to the Expedia.com Green Hotel Program. LightStay is Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary sustainability measurement system, on par with many of the best-in-class systems globally. With the addition of these hotels, the Expedia.com Green Hotel program now includes more than 2,000 hotels, giving Expedia.com one of the most comprehensive selections of eco-friendly travel options among all online travel agencies. “Expedia.com is committed to helping travelers find the broadest range of ‘green’ properties in the...

RIPON, WIS.—UniMac, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty industrial commercial laundry equipment, has just launched its new website. The site, www.unimac.com, was developed to provide new tools and resources for the company’s customers. The new UniMac site is intuitive and easy to navigate. It makes it simple for a non-laundry expert to research and make determinations about products and services. The site features different areas for specialty sectors such as hotels, firehouses, long-term care and athletic facilities. Each section includes information about why laundry is important to that industry and how UniMac solves each industry’s specific laundry issues. “This website is the...

Does your hotel offer meeting and/or conference space? Have you noticed a trend in the RFPs you receive from groups, asking about your green or sustainable initiatives? All signs are pointing in the direction of a widespread increase in this trend. Even with the current recession, business meetings in the United States alone constitute an amazing $175 billion industry, and Americans make more than 400 million long-distance business trips each year. Don’t let your hotel miss an opportunity to garner its share of group business. Despite a global recession, investment levels in energy efficiency have remained strong, according to the Energy...

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.—Guest awareness of property-initiated “green” programs has increased slightly in 2010, with 68 percent of guests stating that they are aware of their hotel’s conservation efforts, compared with 66 percent in 2009. Among these guests, 73 percent say they participated in their hotel’s conservation programs. The vast majority of hotel guests—87 percent—indicate they prefer a smoke-free environment. These are some of the findings in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. As the hotel industry begins to recover from the economic downturn, overall satisfaction among hotel guests has improved considerably from 2009,...

ITHACA, N.Y.—Restaurateurs need to inform customers of their sustainable restaurant practices both to strengthen menu prices and encourage patronage. Based on a study of 393 residents of Taiwan, research findings published in the August 2010 issue of Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ) indicate that a substantial percentage of respondents would be willing to pay more for menu items that are produced using sustainable restaurant practices. The article, “The Dynamics of Green Restaurant Patronage,” by Hsin-Hui “Sunny” Hu, H.G. Parsa, and John Self, is available in a free download as the featured article in the August CQ issue. The researchers found a...

LITTLE ROCK, ARK.—The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism has launched www.greentravelarkansas.com. The new website contains sections featuring Arkansas green lodging, dining, and attractions including a list of LEED certified buildings. Targeted toward the individual traveler, a section offering ideas to help the tourist find wellness options such as yoga studios and running trails is also included. The Department has even added a tool to help travelers keep a little green in their wallets. Special promotions offering green discounts and packages are available by clicking on the Arkansas Green Deals and Packages tab. “We added this to our website offerings...

LONDON—Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN), a dedicated division within Expedia Inc. focused on co-branded and private label partnerships, recently launched a new website and charity program, TravelRelief.org, where at least 8 percent of the hotel booking price will be donated to participating charitable organizations. If a customer books a hotel at the total price of $300, there is a $24 donation per transaction on TravelRelief.org to a customer selected charity. The TravelRelief program is co-branded with Hotels.com, a subsidiary of Expedia Inc. “TravelRelief was designed to provide nonprofits with a way to convert moral support into funds that can help make...

VERO BEACH, FLA.—Kimpton’s oceanfront Vero Beach Hotel & Spa announced its receipt of the Environmental Certification-Silver by Green Seal (GS-33), a nonprofit organization that uses science-based standards to measure sustainability. Located on South Florida’s Treasure Coast, the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa is the first of only two hotel properties in Florida to be certified Silver by Green Seal. An endeavor that required an extensive time commitment and many operational changes on behalf of the hotel, the Silver level certification is the second among three levels of environmental achievement recognized by the GS-33 standard and signifies that a property...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—The Bed & Breakfast Association of Kentucky has become the first lodging organization in Kentucky and one of the first in the nation to introduce a Green Lodging Certification Program. Launched in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2010, BBAK’s Green Lodging Certification Program (GLCP) is being run in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (KDEP) that reviews, designates and recognizes lodging facilities that make a commitment to conserve and protect Kentucky’s natural resources. The program’s environmental guidelines allow lodging facilities to evaluate their operations, set goals and take specific actions...