LONDON—American Express Global Business Travel announced the release of its inaugural corporate social responsibility (CSR) report, GBT’s Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility 2014. The report outlines the company’s commitment to responsible, sustainable and ethical processes and practices in five key areas of focus: governance and ethics, employees, customers, community and environment. The 2014 report also includes plans to improve and expand GBT’s efforts in future.“In 2014 American Express Global Business Travel became a standalone company, focused exclusively on corporate travel and related services and backed by 100 years of experience in the industry,” said Bill Glenn, President and CEO,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The third annual industry study of sustainability performance benchmarking of energy, water, and carbon emissions is now open for participation. Hotel owners and operators of all sizes are invited to participate in this innovative industrywide collaboration. Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) 2016 is an initiative of the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), Greenview, and an industry advisory group. Eleven hotel companies—including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, and Wyndham—supported the previous study with more than 4,750 hotels globally. This year’s study will expand its global locations and segments, add hotel types to the benchmarking results, and...

EDENTON, N.C.— LEE Industries, a manufacturer of upholstered furniture in North Carolina, has been awarded Gold Exemplary Recognition by the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) for its deep environmental commitment and exemplary implementation of a range of best practices for sustainability. The company completed the rigorous process of demonstrating compliance with SFC’s Exemplary Manufacturer Requirements, submitting audited evidence of achievements in operations, in production, and in outreach to attain recognition at the Gold level. LEE is the only Gold Exemplary upholstery company among the organization’s nearly 400 member companies.Bondi Coley, speaking for the company said, “We are thrilled to be...

EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA—After giving Aruba decades of great change, the island nation has gifted its sustainable tourism pioneer with something permanent. The government of Aruba honored Ewald Biemans, founder of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts and one of the Caribbean’s most prominent environmentalists, by naming a street after him. A stretch of L. G. Smith Boulevard, conveniently located near the namesake’s resort on the world-famous Eagle Beach, is now officially known as Caya Ewald Biemans.The “caya,” meaning “street” in Papiamento, Aruba’s official language, is a tribute to Biemans for his significant contributions to the island’s tourism industry and recognizes...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International employee volunteers build a house from the ground up, and hand over the keys to an elated single mother and her children. Tens of millions of dollars are spent conducting business with minority- and women-owned enterprises, supporting the company's strategic objectives and commitment to diversity. MGM Resorts and NRG Renew partner to install one of the nation’s largest rooftop solar arrays at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, stretching a massive 20 acres.These are just a few of the powerful displays of corporate citizenship chronicled in MGM Resorts’ 2014 Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Themed “Inspiration...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and Interstate Hotels & Resorts announce the recent launch of AHLEI’s human trafficking awareness training into Interstate’s mandatory training curriculum for front-line associates and managers at more than 300 hotels in the United States. “The Role of Hospitality in Preventing and Reacting to Child Trafficking” is an online program developed in partnership with ECPAT-USA that provides hotel staff and managers with the information they need to identify and respond to crimes of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC).“The safety of our guests and associates is always top...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International joined the American Business Act on Climate Change Pledge by pledging to reduce energy consumption 20 percent by 2020, during the National Clean Energy Summit held at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center, sponsored by U.S. Senator Harry Reid, and with closing keynote comments by President Barack Obama.“MGM Resorts is committed to being a leading corporate citizen in all it does,” said Jim Murren, Chairman & CEO of MGM Resorts International. “Climate change and consumption of traditional energy sources are among the most critical issues of our day.”“Innovating our resorts to operate more efficiently while...

NEW YORK—The Bodhi Tree Foundation (TBTF) announces the launch of its Power of 10 initiative, an expansion of its S.A.F.E. campaign created to “Safeguard a Future for African Elephants.” With 10 percent of Africa’s elephant population lost each year, the next 10 years will decide the species’ fate. And in Asia, disappearing habitats due to logging and urbanization have driven once wild elephants to the cities or tourist camps where they face a debilitating lifestyle.To counter forces that are aligned against the elephant, the Power of 10 supports 10 elephant conservation projects in 10 critical landscapes that can make...

LONDON—In the Silver Jubilee year of World Water Week (August 23 to 28), multiple global hotel companies are meeting the challenge “to think innovatively—together—about new development pathways” and are developing a methodology and calculation tool to enable hotel companies and individual properties to measure and report on water consumption in a consistent way.Following the success of the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative, now used by over 21,500 hotels around the world, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) is developing the equivalent tool for water consumption. As World Water Week demonstrates, water scarcity is a recognized global problem, with demand for water...

STAMFORD, CONN.—With more than half of its current and future properties in areas facing critical water issues, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. shared its holistic water story detailing the company’s efforts to tackle this important matter. As part of the company’s overall strategy on water issues, including scarcity, flooding, and quality, Starwood has set a system-wide water reduction goal, introduced new technology and dedicated on-property actions, offered conservation-focused guest programs and joined with community partners.“Some say water is the new oil and, as we execute a global growth strategy, water is not only an environmental consideration, but also...