Two recent personnel announcements will have a significant impact on two companies heavily involved in green hotel/resort management. First, Raul Leal took over as CEO of SH Hotels and Resorts this past week. Starwood Capital Group is the parent company of SH Hotels and Resorts. Leal was previously CEO of Virgin Hotels for a decade until he stepped down in March. He will now oversee several brands underneath the SH umbrella, including 1 Hotels, Treehouse Hotels and Baccarat Hotels and Resorts.
1 Hotels launched in 2015 as a luxury brand with a strong focus on sustainability, including no paper or plastics in the guestrooms. Each 1 Hotel is uniquely green in its own respect. For example, 1 Hotel Toronto, which just opened within the past month, pays tribute to Toronto’s local environment and natural beauty using raw materials and textures sourced throughout Ontario. The hotel’s in-room dining menu allows guests to eat mindfully with a selection of dishes that celebrate Ontario-grown ingredients. 1 Hotels also has hotels operating in South Beach, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Haitang Bay, China. 1 Hotels has projects under development in London, Paris, San Francisco, Nashville, Kauai, Cabo San Lucas and Melbourne, Australia.
“I am honored and thrilled to be joining one of the great innovators in our industry, Barry Sternlicht and the talented SH team,” Leal said. “Barry has created a brand with a purpose which is near and dear to my heart and resonates with today’s consumers, team members and shareholders.”
Vail Resorts Appointment
Earlier this month, Vail Resorts, Inc., which operates in three separate segments—Mountain, Lodging, Real Estate Development—announced that Kirsten Lynch, the company’s chief marketing officer, will be appointed CEO and elected to the company’s board of directors, effective November 1, 2021. At that time, Rob Katz, the company’s current CEO, will be appointed executive chairperson of the board and remain fully active and engaged in Vail Resorts’ key strategic decisions and priorities.
Interestingly, Lynch grew up in Chicago, first skiing at the age of six at now Vail Resorts-owned Wilmot Mountain.
Under the leadership of Katz, Vail Resorts has launched numerous sustainability initiatives. It has a goal of having zero net operating footprint by 2030. In June 2020, the large-scale wind farm Vail Resorts invested in came online. Through a 12-year commitment to purchase 310,000 MWhs annually from the Plum Creek Wind project, Vail Resorts is bringing new clean energy to the power grid—and addressing more than 90 percent of the company’s current electricity use across its North American resorts. This virtual power purchase agreement is the first of its kind to be executed with a Colorado-based company as a buyer.
Additionally, in fall 2020 Vail Resorts signed onto the Elektron Solar Project in Utah. Vail Resorts, along with five other local partners in Utah, completed a two-year journey to finalize details on development of a new 80 MW solar project 60 miles west of Salt Lake City. Once complete in late 2022, Vail Resorts will purchase enough solar electricity annually to power Park City Mountain 100 percent. The wind and solar projects, along with participation in other local utility programs, sets a course to be 93 percent powered by renewable electricity enterprise wide by 2023.
“It is an honor to lead Vail Resorts as CEO and build upon Rob’s legacy of reimagining the mountain experience,” Lynch said. “I am passionate about this company, the leadership culture we have built and our 55,000 employees who make Vail Resorts the industry leader. Looking forward, I am excited about the incredible growth opportunities for Vail Resorts and committed to making our sport and our company more diverse, inclusive, and accessible. Together, we will grow our business, innovate and continue to work toward our mission of creating an Experience of a Lifetime for our guests and employees.”
One Final Note
It took me a long time to find out but Faith Taylor, former Senior VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, Chief Sustainability Officer, for Wyndham Worldwide, has been working as Global Environmental Social Governance Leader at Tesla since February. Congratulations to Faith.
Green Lodging News Adds Pure-Light to Product & Service Directory
A technology used on the International Space Station to purify and clean the air—Titanium Dioxide has been improved upon by Pure-Light Technologies, Inc., the newest addition to the Green Product & Service Directory. Patent pending, LED bulbs, produce super oxygen molecules that purify and deodorize the air of musty odors from mold, bacteria and breaks down toxic VOCs. The bulbs are coated with a formula of Titanium Dioxide. Various bulb types are available—dimmable or non-dimmable bulbs for table lamps, globe bulbs, candelabra bulbs, can bulbs, & 4-foot tube bulbs. The bulbs use 70 to 90 percent less energy compared to incandescent and last up to 10 years. Through a distributor relationship with Pure-Light Technologies, Green Lodging News is currently offering a 20% discount on orders made through the Green Lodging Pure-Light website. Enter SS21 as you order. Call (813) 510-3868 or e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 23,364 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2021?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2021. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2021 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 23,364. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
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As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
