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Once you have built a green program, how do you use it to your advantage to put heads in beds? Green Lodging News reports on the ways hoteliers are incorporating the environment into sales & marketing to build business. Does "green" appeal to a particular type of traveler or meeting planner? Got a great idea about how to turn green into gold? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Sales & Marketing

Home Sales & Marketing
Once you have built a green program, how do you use it to your advantage to put heads in beds? Green Lodging News reports on the ways hoteliers are incorporating the environment into sales & marketing to build business. Does "green" appeal to a particular type of traveler or meeting planner? Got a great idea about how to turn green into gold? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Globie’s a Green Star at Trump International Beach Resort

SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLA.—Put a Trump International Beach Resort hat on a walking planet and what have you got? Globie, the resort’s new mascot who is helping to lead the property’s Planet Kids and Planet Little Kids programs. Unlike some mascots who do not talk, Globie is a speaking mascot and helps educate the resort’s young visitors about environment-related issues ranging from recycling to pollution to non-native plants. Along with Planet Kids counselors, Globie participates in skits and there are plans to send the mascot to area schools, events and camps. Tom Card, director of recreation at the resort in...

Cozy Green Turning Old Towels, Linens Into Sellable Retail Products

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—A new company, Cozy Green, is providing new life to old hotel towels and linens. Cozy Green utilizes spent hotel pool towels, spa towels and linens to create logo recognized, contemporary retail products. Ideally, the company seeks towels with logos on them, and then “upcycles” them to new branded product for their hotel partners. Cozy Green specializes in totes, hooded sweatshirts, slippers, pillows and recently introduced pet beds. These products could replace the standard robe and slippers currently found in hotel rooms. “Our business model is to create a partnership with resorts which clearly meets their sustainability goals,” according...

Increasing Number of Suppliers Now Offering Green Key Cards

NATIONAL REPORT—If you have a top 10 list of “to do” items to green your property, there is a good chance key cards are not on that list. Traditional plastic (PVC) cards carry a high environmental price tag. PVC, of course, is an oil-based product and when incinerated releases harmful dioxins. In the environment, dioxins tend to accumulate in the food chain. The higher in the animal food chain one goes, the higher the concentration of dioxins. Left to rot in a landfill, PVC cards can take centuries to biodegrade. Fortunately, a number of suppliers have emerged in the...

EcoRooms & EcoSuites Unveils New Logo, Website

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—EcoRooms & EcoSuites, a leading certification and marketing resource for green hotels in the United States and abroad, has unveiled a newly-redesigned logo and website. The new look highlights the growing role of sustainability in the hospitality industry while also offering travelers a more user-friendly online experience, helping them more quickly and easily locate the greenest hotels on the planet. “We expect 2009 to be a huge year for EcoRooms & EcoSuites, and in the growth of consumer awareness regarding green lodging options,” says Ray Burger, president of Pineapple Hospitality and founder of EcoRooms & EcoSuites. “As consumers...

Go Green Planters Named Qualified Vendor by Choice Hotels

SAINT PETERSBURG, FLA.—Go Green Planters, Inc., Saint Petersburg, Fla., announced that it has been named a Qualified Vendor by Choice Hotels International, Inc., for the purpose of promoting its Green Room program to Choice franchisees. The program involves the installation of one or more lush tropical plants in each and every guestroom of a hotel. It creates a new profit center, a valuable new guest amenity, and other benefits for franchisees without any capital investment or any cost at all for maintenance. “What’s most appealing about this entrepreneurial concept is that Go Green Planters, Inc. assumes all capital and operating expenses...

Maine Innkeepers Assn. Launches ‘Hospitality for Habitat’ Program

FREEPORT, MAINE—Maine Innkeepers all over the state will cut their rates by 50 percent this spring to support “Hospitality for Habitat,” a program which raises funds for Habitat for Humanity projects in Maine, announced Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Assn. (MEIA). The sixth annual Hospitality for Habitat program will run from May 1 to May 22, with participating MEIA members offering half priced, discounted room rates to guests in exchange for a $35 donation check payable to Habitat for Humanity. “Hospitality for Habitat offers visitors to Maine an opportunity to give back to the community where...

EcoGreenHotel Contracted by INNovative Hotel Management for Sustainability Program

ROBBINSVILLE, N.J.—EcoGreenHotel has been contracted by the Hampton Inn in Easton, Pa., to establish a sustainability program. The Hampton Inn, managed by Lorrie Miller, has chosen to begin its green hotel initiative with EcoGreenHotel’s “Sustainability Support Program.” This program evaluates the sustainability of a property and then sets in motion the actions to further progress its eco-friendly standing. The green hotel program began earlier this month. The Hampton Inn Easton features 97 guestrooms, including suites and is connected to the Lotus Conference Center. The Lotus Conference Center provides more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is...

Milestone Internet Marketing Wins Award for Orchard Hotel Website

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—Milestone Internet Marketing, a full-service Internet marketing agency for hotels, announced that it won three awards for Search Marketing Strategy in the “Hotel—Individual Property” category in HSMAI’s recently concluded Adrian Awards Competition. Out of almost 1,300 sites submitted for the Adrian Awards this year, Milestone was honored for its creativity and best practices in Internet marketing for the hospitality and travel industries. The websites were judged using five criteria including marketing objectives, creativity, quality, content, and results. The highlight among the award winning websites is The Orchard hotel (www.theorchardhotel.com), which won the Silver Award. The website’s creative design...

Tourism Cares, HSMAI Partner to Honor Sustainability Initiatives in Travel

MCLEAN, VA.—The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and Tourism Cares have partnered to recognize sustainability initiatives in the travel industry with a new award. The first-ever Tourism Cares Sustainability Award will be presented at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala, January 26, 2009, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The Tourism Cares award is a new addition to HSMAI’s annual Adrian Awards, a competition that honors the “best of the best” in travel and hospitality marketing in the categories of advertising, public relations and web marketing. “Tourism Cares is pleased and proud to honor those who epitomize...

Meeting Strategies Worldwide Releases Meeting Industry Report

PORTLAND, ORE.—Meeting Strategies Worldwide announces the release of their industry report: “2009 State of the Sustainable Meeting Industry.” The paper gives an overview of trends and economic factors impacting the meetings industry for 2009 and addresses emerging ideas in policy, technology, and human interest for events. Click here to download the report for free. “We are proud to present our inaugural 2009 State of the Sustainable Meeting Industry report,” says Nancy J. Wilson, CMP, of Meeting Strategies Worldwide. “Trends and forecasts speak to continued economic challenges and increased demand for sustainable meetings. Both present a perfect storm of conditions to...