MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton announced that its corporate offices, owned and managed hotels, and franchisees have hired 10,000 veterans, spouses and dependents in the United States since 2013. It has reached this milestone two years ahead of schedule as part of its Operation: Opportunity program, which provides wide-ranging support to U.S. military veterans and their families. Hilton has also donated millions of Hilton HHonors Points that veterans can redeem for free hotel stays while seeking jobs, trainings or certifications with Hilton or in any other industry. Hilton partnered with Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Avendra, a leading procurement services provider serving the hospitality industry, announced it has been named a recipient of the SDCE Green Supply Chain Award for 2016. The award is presented by Supply & Demand Chain Executive, the executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation. The Green Supply Chain Award recognizes companies that are making sustainability a core part of their supply chain strategy, and are working to achieve measurable sustainability goals within their own operations and supply chains. The award also recognizes providers of supply chain solutions and services assisting their customers in achieving measurable sustainability goals. “Our...

A number of companies in our industry issued press releases this past week highlighting their being recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as one of the “Best Places to Work for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality.” Each company touted the fact that it had earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). I saw releases from Wyndham Worldwide, IHG, Hilton, Caesars Entertainment, Marriott, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, and Expedia. Other companies may have issued press releases that I just did not see. How does a company earn a...

KELOWNA, B.C.—Stemming from a mission to help businesses profitably tackle climate change, sustainability consulting firm GreenStep Solutions has created an innovative program, ecobase Certified, that has helped award winning green hotelier, Greg Salloum, achieve his dream of installing a solar PV array at the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel and Suites. “We strive to go above and beyond with our green initiatives,” says Salloum, proprietor of the Best Western Plus Kelowna. “We started with a solar thermal system in 2002 and we’ve done almost everything else we can to reduce our impacts, including our recent LEED Silver Certified environmental wing and...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton recently joined other leading American companies as a founding member of the White House’s First Job Compact. The initiative represents President Obama’s call-to-action for communities and businesses to help connect out-of-school, out-of-work opportunity youth ages 16 to 24 to their first jobs. Hilton has a long history of creating opportunities for young people. In 2014, the company announced a formal commitment to impact at least one million young people around the globe by 2019. The initiative includes preparing young people for success through mentorships, apprenticeships and an innovative career awareness program (Careers@HiltonLive), as well as by employing them directly across all parts of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The 15 finalists of the National Geographic World Legacy Awards were unveiled. The World Legacy Awards, a partnership between National Geographic and ITB Berlin, showcase the leading travel and tourism companies, organizations and destinations—ranging from entire countries to small islands and from urban hotels to jungle retreats—driving the sustainable tourism transformation of the global travel industry. This year’s World Legacy Awards entries spanned the planet, representing 45 countries and six continents, showcasing how sustainable tourism has no boundaries. Finalists in five award categories were selected by an international team of more than 20 judges. A multi-step judging process also...

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND—Over the last few years, hotel companies have made a determined effort to deal with the impact their business activities have on the environment and communities. Both international hospitality chains and small hotel businesses recognize the tangible benefits in being proactive in mitigating environmental and societal impacts, including real efficiency gains and an enhanced corporate reputation. And in the hospitality industry, as in all industries, a good reputation cannot be bought, it must be earned. In June 2017, The Hotel Yearbook will address these issues by publishing its first special edition focused on sustainable hospitality. Along the same lines as previous editions...

Green Lodging News is in the process of compiling links to hotel and management company green pages. The purpose of the page is to make it easier for companies to benchmark against one another. The page will also make it easier for those others conducting research on sustainable practices in the lodging industry—students and others in academia. Listed adjacent to the company name, where possible, is the name of the company's green or sustainability program. If your company has a landing page for its sustainable (green) practices and it is not listed here, contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp. has been identified as a global leader for its actions and strategies in response to climate change, and has been awarded a position for a third time on the Climate A List by CDP, the international not-for-profit that drives sustainable economies. A total of 193 “A Listers” appear on the list, which has been produced at the request of 827 investors with assets of $100 trillion. Thousands of companies submit annual climate disclosures to CDP for independent assessment against its scoring methodology. LVS is among 9 percent of corporations participating in CDP’s climate change program...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Sealed Air Corp. announced the publishing of its annual Sustainability Report. This year’s report chronicles the company’s journey to achieve its 2020 Sustainability Goals, and provides data showing progress in the year 2015. Sealed Air’s 2020 Sustainability Goals, announced last June, outline the company’s commitment to reduce the overall impact of its operations, including waste, water, energy, and greenhouse gas intensity reduction goals. In addition, Sealed Air committed to products and solutions goals which include an ethical supply chain standard, responsible materials standards, and product development processes which will ensure new products are vetted for both sustainability improvements and...