BONAIRE, DUTCH ANTILLES—Already a leader in efforts to ensure that Bonaire’s vibrant coral reef system continues to thrive, Harbour Village Beach Club has installed an innovative underwater video and data monitoring system. The equipment will let students on the island and throughout the world gain field research experience, along with a deeper understanding of how important coral reefs are to healthy coastal ecosystems and the underwater creatures inhabiting them. Harbour Village will work with the Teens 4 Oceans network and the group View Into the Blue to give students everywhere a way to view the fascinating marine life just...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Global hospitality association Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) is adding to its successful community giving efforts with HFTP Helps. The first portion of the program, HITEC Helps, first held this year in Austin, Texas to support the United Way for Greater Austin during the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) raised over $15,000 in support of the Austin area’s Memorial Day flood victims. Building on the enormous outreach from HFTP members and HITEC participants, HFTP has decided to create HFTP Helps, which will identify and serve a need in a community near the location of their...

LOS ANGELES—The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, one of the world’s leading foundations working to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people throughout the world, announced a $2 million commitment to launch The Hilton Prize Coalition. This new grant will formalize the unique coalition comprised of many of the first 19 Hilton Humanitarian Prize-winning organizations and kick-start the implementation of two new signature initiatives: the Hilton Prize Laureates Fellowship Program, designed to inspire a new generation of humanitarian leaders, and the Disaster Resiliency and Response Program, created to help Prize laureates combine forces to leverage their work partnerships, and...

HONG KONG—Burba Hotel Network, Horwath HTL, and Stiles Capital Events, co-hosts and organizers of the annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), announced the winners for the HICAP 2015 Sustainable Hotel Awards. The 26th annual HICAP will be held October 14 to 16, 2015 at the InterContinental Hong Kong.In the category of Sustainable Project Design, the winner is the Element Suzhou Science and Technology Town, China. This newly opened 188-key long stay hotel was built with eco-friendly and healthy materials, wherever possible. Numerous components and actions have been incorporated into its sustainable design including: being designed in a symbolic...

ITHACA, N.Y.—In the wake of the settlement for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a new report from the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) at Cornell University chronicles the communication factors that led to canceled travel plans and poor regard for BP as a corporation. The report, “How the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Damaged the Environment, the Travel Industry, and Corporate Reputations,” by Alex Susskind, Mark Bonn, and Benjamin Lawrence, is available at no charge from the CHR. Susskind is an associate professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (SHA); Bonn is a professor...

EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA—Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort continues to expand its green initiatives with its new LEED Silver certification. Known as the Caribbean property with the most sustainability certifications, Bucuti’s new LEED designation is from the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the world’s foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), January through July 2015 was the warmest seven months in recordkeeping history and 2015 is...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International employees have pledged more than $6 million this year to The MGM Resorts Foundation to support 1,400 nonprofit organizations and programs serving the resort company’s host communities in Nevada, Michigan and Mississippi, as well as other regional and national nonprofit organizations.“Every year our employees inspire us with their community spirit, and this year they have far exceeded our expectations,” said Phyllis A. James, Executive Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer of MGM Resorts International. “We are extremely proud of the model of compassion and giving our employees represent, and of the improvements their generous donations...

CHENGDU—China’s Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain is going the extra mile with conservation and environmental responsibility. The resort, which opened August 1, incorporates all the Six Senses sustainability benchmarks for which the group is recognized and has now taken a step further with the introduction of a Tesla Model S electric vehicle for airport transfers.As the first hotel in Chengdu to offer such a sustainable experience, it is a testament to the eco-friendly initiatives that drive Six Senses. The vehicle, which accommodates three to four passengers and offers generous luggage capacity, travels up to 310 miles (500 kilometers) on...

QUITO, ECUADOR—There is natural beauty everywhere at Mashpi Lodge near Quito, Ecuador. But there is more—much more—including scientific research and findings of interest not only to guests but also to the scientific community. A recent discovery at the 3,200-acre Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve surrounding the Mashpi Lodge has everybody hopping. It is a new species of treefrog: Mashpi Torrenteer (Hyloscirtus mashpi). Carlos Morochz, Research Director at Mashpi, first saw Mashpi Torrenteer in 2011: “I sensed it was something different, so I went to Luis Coloma of Centro Jambau who suggested the frog required more detailed study.”Led by Morochz,...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International has been recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for its innovative sustainability initiatives and commitment to alternative energy sources. The company has been named a finalist for Best Environmental Stewardship Program in the 2015 Corporate Citizenship Awards.“MGM Resorts International’s sustainability initiatives create a lasting positive impact for the environment while strengthening the company,” said Marc DeCourcey, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center. “The scale of what MGM accomplished is truly impressive.”In 2014, MGM Resorts reached a major milestone in its commitment to environmental best practices. The company...