ROSWELL, GA.—Kimberly-Clark Professional has received the 2011 Sustainability Award from Marriott International and is the first product supplier to receive the prestigious award, which recognizes organizations that help Marriott reach its environmental sustainability goals worldwide. “We are proud to partner with suppliers that share the same values as we do, particularly those like Kimberly-Clark Professional that support our more than 20-year commitment to conservation and preservation,” said John Adams, senior vice president—Global Operations Services, Marriott International. “With the increase in global travel, we have a responsibility to ease our business impact on our natural environment. Working in partnership with our...

ITHACA, N.Y.—With energy representing the single fastest-growing operating cost in the hospitality industry—some 3 to 6 percent of total facility costs—hotel operators can no longer ignore the need to implement strategic energy-efficient management systems. Guests, corporate clients, employees, and investors have demonstrated increasing interest in understanding a business’s approach to key environmental, social, and governance topics that widen the scope of performance. The Cornell School of Hotel Administration is addressing these needs with a new Certification in Hotel Properties Management and Sustainability. This certification focuses on sustainability in hospitality management by interweaving the key topics such as financial management...

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO.—Its tracking mechanism may not be the most sophisticated in the industry—it consists of a master spreadsheet file—but there may be no better company in the world at tracking its environmental impact than Xanterra Parks & Resorts. For almost 11 years now Xanterra has been tracking everything from its carbon emissions to the percentage of solid waste diverted. Xanterra calls its tracking system “Ecometrix.” It falls under the company’s larger “Ecologix” program. Introduced in the company’s most recent sustainability report is yet another term—“Ecometabolism”—which is defined as “a measure of resource usage normalized by annual dollars of...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Sustainable Travel International (STI) announced that its STEP eco-certification standard has been officially recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). To achieve this recognition, STEP underwent a rigorous review and authorization procedure. As a result, STEP is now considered equivalent to the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, the worldwide minimum sustainability requirements for tourism businesses of all sizes. “We’re very excited that STEP is among the first global standards to be recognized by the GSTC,” said Bobby Chappell, STI’s director of Standards and Certification. “As we continue to build the case for sustainability in the travel and tourism industry,...

HONG KONG—Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced its Sustainable Seafood Policy which includes the commitment to cease serving shark fin in all of its operated restaurants as well as accepting new orders for shark fin products in banqueting with immediate effect. At the same time, Shangri-La announced that it will phase out Bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass in all its operated restaurants within the year. In December 2010 the company initiated the process with the removal of shark fin products from its restaurant menus. The new policy is a continuation of Shangri-La’s journey towards sustainability.The company launched its first...

NEW YORK—The Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium announced that JLF/lone meadow (aka JL Furnishings), a leader in sustainable hospitality furniture design and manufacturing, has joined the Consortium as a Contributing Member. JLF/lone meadow specializes in the design, manufacture and marketing of furnishings to the contract market. Its membership in the Consortium moves further toward establishing the new Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI) as the industry resource for sustainable purchasing. With more than 4.5 million hotel rooms in the United States, guestroom furniture is a major investment for all hotels, brands and owners—and as a central element of design it has a...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—This past October was a landmark month for the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC). It was then that the nonprofit turned five years old. SFC is a nonprofit coalition of materials suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and designers committed to promoting sustainable practices in the home furnishings industry. While focused on home furnishings, different elements of SFC cross over into hospitality—e.g., suppliers, designers, and the criteria by which furnishings are deemed sustainable.“Many of our manufacturer, supplier and designer members also work in commercial,” says Susan Inglis, executive director and founding member of SFC. “All of our members are companies that...

LAS VEGAS—Crystals Retail & Entertainment District at CityCenter has earned Gold sustainable design awards from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the global trade association of the shopping center industry. The awards were earned in ICSC’s annual U.S. Design and Development Awards competition. “Crystals is an integral part of CityCenter and was created with a vision to bring a new level of environmental consciousness to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International that co-developed CityCenter with Infinity World Development Corp. “As one of the world’s largest sustainable developments, CityCenter’s environmental responsibility...

LONDON—Premier Inn, the United Kingdom’s largest budget hotel chain, is celebrating a hat-trick of breakthroughs in its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from its business operations and provide its customers with more sustainable choices. In 2010 Whitbread, the owners of Premier Inn, committed to a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2020 (relative to a 2009 baseline). Premier Inn is announcing three significant achievements in its drive to reduce CO2 emissions and raise standards of sustainability across its 46,000 bedrooms. These are: 1. Achieving an “excellent” sustainability rating for its Burgess Hill Premier Inn and Beefeater...

PARIS—Accor recently decided to assess its environmental impact 15 years after it took a stand and started taking concrete action to embrace sustainable development. The company began working on gauging its environmental footprint at the end of 2010. The study stretches beyond measuring greenhouse-gas emissions to encompass energy and water consumption, water pollution and waste generation throughout lifecycles in the Group. “Four thousand and two hundred hotels in 90 countries, 145,000 employees, 56 million breakfasts a year and almost 545 million liters of water a year all add up to the environmental impact that we are now in a position...