LONDON—An estimated 11,700 people live in modern slavery in the United Kingdom, and Prime Minster Theresa May has labelled it “the great human rights issue of our time”. From goods produced by forced labor to hotels being used for sexual exploitation, modern slavery is a very real concern for the hotel and hospitality industry. Yet the scale and nature of the problem in the hotel industry is often undetected or underreported. Victims may be unaware that their treatment is illegal. If they are aware, they may be unable to report their situation for risk of deportation. In addition, multi-tier recruitment systems can...

Name: Pranav Jampani Title: Director of Sustainability Company: Las Vegas Sands Corp. Years with company: Three years Primary responsibilities: “I oversee the sustainability program for our Las Vegas operations. We have some of the world’s largest green buildings with over 9,000 employees. I manage development, management and implementation of policies and programs.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “It’s difficult to pick one. Last year Las Vegas Sands was ranked as one of the greenest large companies in the world in the 2016 Newsweek Green Rankings. Las Vegas Sands was the highest ranked hospitality company in the world. In addition, in Las Vegas, we have...

NATIONAL REPORT—When William Roam sells soap, shampoo and conditioner to its customers, one percent of all sales are pledged to environmental organizations as part of the company’s 1% for the Planet commitment. Through its Roam Foundation it awards scholarships to college students studying hotel and restaurant management. Through its partnership with the Julian Center, an Indianapolis-based organization that provides safe haven to victims of domestic abuse, William Roam team members volunteer their time and also supply amenities to the center’s residents. William Roam, like other amenity suppliers in the lodging industry, shares its success with the local community and those...

DENVER—Water For People believes every person around the world deserves lasting access to safe water, and to help realize this vision it has received a three-year, $3 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in support of its work in the rural Kamwenge District of Uganda. With this grant, Water For People and its local partners will now be able to accelerate and scale their efforts significantly and deliver high-quality water services to over 100,000 people. This partnership puts a strong emphasis on the Forever aspect of Water For People’s Everyone Forever impact model, which increases demand for...

CANCUN, MEXICO—The thirteenth annual Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, COP 13, was held in Cancun, Mexico December 2 to 17. The objectives of the meeting, which took place in Mexico, were to find new and better solutions to protect local biodiversity, valuing its economic and social importance, as well as to find sustainable forms of interaction between the people and other species living in a given environment. Focusing on four sectors considered key to conserving the environment (agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism), it was also the setting for the launch of Mexico Tourism Board’s new...

MACAO—Las Vegas Sands Corp. recently completed its worldwide volunteer effort to build 100,000 hygiene kits this year for social enterprise Clean the World to help improve the health and well-being of populations in need. Kits assembled by Sands China Ltd. and community volunteers at The Venetian Macao will benefit Children’s International, who will deliver the 35,000 kits to families in need in the Philippines. Sands China’s volunteer event is one of a series of hygiene kit builds at LVS’ properties in Macao, Singapore, Bethlehem and Las Vegas between July and December in 2016. The effort is part of LVS’s global...

BENGALURU, INDIA—The inaugural Hotel Industry Sustainability & Development Convention organized by GreenOtels in Bengaluru recently demanded disruptive changes in the mindset of hotel owners, architects, PMCs, hotel operators, etc., to address issues of sustainable development in the industry. Held at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru, the conference was supported by Department of Tourism, Karnataka, and was attended by an array of experts associated with hotel development, including architects, hotel owners, hotel consultants, etc. Setting the tone for the conference, Minakshi Agarwal, Founder and CEO, GreenOtels said that while nature has been creating a zero waste lifestyle for 3.8 billion years, we also...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. was named by Great Place to Work and Fortune to the 2016 50 Best Workplaces for Parents, ranking No. 31 on the list. The ranking is based on anonymous employee feedback from more than 120,000 working parents at U.S. companies across a range of industries, as well as on the benefits the companies offer that help parents participate fully in their organizations. This is the inaugural ranking of Best Workplaces for Parents by Great Place to Work. Working parents and their colleagues answered 58 questions about the reality of their day-to-day workplace experience including organization-wide support...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Each year, the National Restaurant Association surveys nearly 1,300 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—to explore food and beverage trends at restaurants in the coming year. The annual “What’s Hot” list gives a peak into which food, beverages and culinary themes will be the new items on restaurant menus that everyone is talking about in 2017. According to the survey, menu trends that will be heating up in 2017 include poke, house-made charcuterie, street food, food halls and ramen. Trends that are cooling down include quinoa, black rice, and vegetarian and vegan cuisines. Top 20 Food Trends  New...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton announced that through its Global Month of Service program, Team Members from 93 countries had contributed more than 291,000 volunteer hours to 4,166 community projects around the world. As part of Hilton’s Travel with Purpose corporate responsibility program, Global Month of Service is a celebration of the community engagement efforts throughout the entire year. “A core part of Hilton’s mission is to have a lasting, positive impact on the thousands of communities where we live, work and travel, and that is the inspiration for our annual Global Month of Service,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, President and CEO of...