NEW YORK—The Network of Executive Women in Hospitality, Inc. (NEWH), a nonprofit network providing scholarships, education, and leadership opportunities for individuals in the hospitality industry, recently gathered leaders from across the hospitality industry to discuss and debate the top trends in green and sustainable design in its second leadership forum. The Sustainable Hospitality Leadership Forum was designed to spark creative ideas and strategies for how hospitality and design experts can incorporate environmentally-sensitive practices, while maintaining a luxury experience for guests. Moderated by Jeanne Varney, vice president, Host Hotels and Resorts, forum participants included some of the hospitality industry’s biggest...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Willard InterContinental Hotel here has released its first Sustainability Report. The report examines the Willard’s environmental and social performance, with comparisons of the progress of its sustainable development initiatives, started in 2005 as “Willard InterContinental, The Next 100 Years”. Based on its Triple Bottom Line strategy of Economic Prosperity, Social Responsibility and Environmental Protection, the report highlights the hotel’s strategy as well as its results. The report adheres to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an internationally recognized standard for sustainability reporting. Encouraged by the direction of InterContinental’s commitment to corporate responsibility, the Willard sought out Washington, D.C.-based...

MIAMI—Blue Leaf Hospitality announced its participation in the Hospitality Design (“HD”) Boutique from September 17 to 18 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Miami-based contract furniture company is putting its “green” foot forward at the event with a new product line born of recycled materials, an Art Deco vintage collection and a contemporary cabana concept. “We pride ourselves in catering to our clients, which means we create everything from a single sample to several thousand upon demand,” said Stan Shockley, president of Blue Leaf Hospitality. “Because we are constantly evolving, HD Boutique provides us with a platform...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Offering a detailed road map for sustainable operations, a new Green Hotel Industry White Paper from Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research details the comprehensive program implemented by the Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel. The report, “Sustainable Hospitality: Sustainable Development in the Hotel Industry,” is written by Hervé Houdré, general manager of the Willard, and is available for download at no charge from the center’s website. In addition to explaining the Willard’s sustainable eco-friendly hotel development program, the Cornell Industry Perspectives paper outlines environmental efforts by several of the industry’s major companies—including InterContinental, Marriott, and Taj—all of which are partners...

HANCOCK, MASS.—After the price of electricity jumped 50 percent during the 2005-2006 ski season at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, management knew it had to do something significant. It could not just keep passing along rising costs to its customers; it would lose market share. According to Jim Van Dyke, vice president of sustainability at the Hancock, Mass.-based property, the resort had already installed compact fluorescent bulbs and taken other simple steps to reduce costs. “We had exhausted the low-hanging fruit,” he says. The resort was already using more than 2 million kilowatt-hours less of power annually thanks to its...

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—Emirates Hotels & Resorts has announced the start of a major habitat regeneration project at its first luxury Australian conservation resort, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa. The first step in the long-term conservation program commenced with the planting of more than 1,000 indigenous trees. The reforestation project aims to regenerate ecologically sensitive areas within Emirates’ Wolgan Valley Reserve and is part of Emirates Hotels and Resorts’ carbon offsetting initiative and its commitment to the protection of biodiversity. The first resort to be developed by Emirates Hotels & Resorts outside the United Arab Emirates, Wolgan Valley includes an extensive conservation...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Save Your World L.L.C., the first company in the United States to launch a personal care product line infused with organic yerba maté and organic aloe vera, has announced a hotel partnership program that makes it easy for hotels and their guests to do something for the environment every day. By offering guests Save Your World personal care products in hotel rooms, the hotel and hotel guest will be helping to preserve one of the most precious resources on the planet—our rainforests. “Every guest that stays in a hotel room for just one night, and uses the...

GALLOWAY, N.J.—Seaview, a Dolce Resort, a resort in New Jersey, is taking environmentally friendly actions to become a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and help preserve the Diamondback Terrapins. As part of a recent mandate program whereby 34 managed golf properties throughout North America and the Caribbean will become Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries by the end of 2008, Seaview, a Dolce Resort, is doing its part to help preserve the environment by protecting a species of special concern in the State of New Jersey. Each year, Seaview, a Dolce Resort’s famed Bay Course is inhabited by nesting Diamondback Terrapins, a...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—RockResorts, a luxury hotel company with a long-standing tradition of embracing the natural settings of its resort locations, has recently launched Appetite For Life, a brand-wide program showcasing cuisine created with local/regional organic and sustainable ingredients. The program is being rolled out across all its resort properties. The RockResorts collection of eight luxury hotels has implemented the Appetite for Life program in all food and beverage operations. The program involves a variety of sustainable food elements including: offering Horizon Organic dairy products; implementing the use of sustainable seafood and fish; eliminating all artificial trans fats; using Coleman...

BOULDER, COLO.—The National Tour Association (NTA) Board of Directors has officially endorsed Sustainable Travel International’s (STI) Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (STEP). Through this strategic agreement, NTA is furthering its core values and goals to embrace sustainable travel and educate its members on best practices. “NTA’s endorsement of STI and our Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program is noteworthy as it speaks to the organization’s commitment to sustainable tourism and the future of the travel industry,” said Brian T. Mullis, president of Sustainable Travel International. “Our programs will help NTA members to proactively integrate responsible business practices into their operations, improve the health...