NATIONAL REPORT—A study by The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance revealed that the hotel industry needs to reduce its carbon emissions by 66 percent per room by 2030. As the pressure grows on businesses to reduce their carbon emissions, there have been talks of how the accommodation industry can do its part. Worldwide organizations like The United Nations and International Tourism Partnership have committed to working with hoteliers and accommodation owners to reduce emissions. Whether it is reducing the use of single-use plastics in your hotel or investing in renewable energy sources, making sustainability a goal for your hotel can help the accommodation industry...

Two organizations—Sustainable Travel International (STI) and GSN Planet—just released their own versions of calculators with very similar missions. In the case of STI, its embeddable carbon footprint calculator is for calculating and offsetting travel emissions. It allows any company to power carbon offsetting directly from their own website. Once embedded, visitors can use the calculator to calculate their travel emissions and purchase carbon offsets from Sustainable Travel International. In addition to flights, users can offset other high emissions travel activities including cruises, vehicles, liveaboards, yachting, and private jet charters. Offsets purchased through the calculator will be channeled through Sustainable Travel...

SEATTLE—Sustainable Travel International released an embeddable carbon footprint calculator for calculating and offsetting travel emissions. Now, any company can power carbon offsetting directly from their own website. This new technology expands upon Sustainable Travel International’s suite of business climate solutions, providing a free and simple mechanism for companies to offer their customers high quality carbon offsets. Once embedded, visitors can use the calculator to calculate their travel emissions and purchase carbon offsets from Sustainable Travel International. In addition to flights, users can offset other high emissions travel activities including cruises, vehicles, liveaboards, yachting, and private jet charters. The new, embeddable calculator...

ELIZABETH ISLAND, BAHAMAS—Ushering in a new era for Caribbean vacation home communities, Silent Resorts and EcoIsland Development announce Club Ki’ama Bahamas, the world’s first equity club to offer ultra-sustainable solar residences and carbon neutral solar yachts. Club Ki’ama is located within the new Ki’ama Bahamas enclave on Elizabeth Island, minutes from Great Exuma. It represents a one-of-a-kind co-ownership opportunity that combines luxurious solar-powered, oceanfront homes with a fleet of solar-powered and crewed yachts, as well as electric day boats, a beach club, spa, and restaurant. Construction begins in May 2022, and, upon completion, Club Ki’ama will have the lowest environmental impact of any development in the...

CHICAGO—With more than 400 companies showcasing thousands of new products, programming from the industry’s top thought leaders, and more, the 2022 edition of NeoCon (June 13 to 15) will be jam-packed with innovation and opportunities to experience the future of commercial interior design firsthand. A hub for community and connecting within the industry, this year’s NeoCon will offer a wealth of engaging installations, as well as on-site activations and events that will provide invaluable moments to gather, learn from each other, and share ideas. “We are thrilled by all the excitement and buzz around NeoCon 2022,” says Lisa Simonian, Vice...

SINGAPORE—The Hotel Footprinting Tool is a free tool for calculating the carbon footprint of hotel stays and is now available online at www.hotelfootprints.org. Users can enter the location, star rating and number of nights in order to obtain an instant carbon footprint for their stay based on the average emissions of hotels in that market. The tool also allows users to estimate the carbon footprint of meetings which take place in hotels. The Hotel Footprinting Tool is powered by data from over 20,000 hotels around the world collected via the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index and using the Hotel Carbon Measurement...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with over 8,900 hotels across over 95 countries, released its 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report highlighting its dedication to operating in a socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible way. These commitments are underscored by recent accolades, including recognition by DiversityInc, which highlighted Wyndham as a company with leading diversity practices for 2022, and Forbes as one of The Best Employers for Diversity 2022. “The significance of our company’s vision—to be the world’s leading hotel company by delivering the best value to owners and guests—is more important than ever....

BANGKOK—With booming demand for adventurous and eco-conscious travel, northern Norway is one of the last frontiers for a self-sustainable, off-grid destination. The 94-room Six Senses Svart combines a futuristic design and technological innovation with earthy, organic materials that use the least embedded energy. The name Svart, which means black and blue in old Norse, is a reference to the natural heritage of the ancient Svartisen glacier, which lies just within the Arctic Circle, where summer days last forever and winter nights are lit by the breathtaking Northern Lights. To minimize the on-site impact, Six Senses Svart is poised on...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International announced it has signed an agreement with The Red Sea Development Co. to debut its distinguished Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand off the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Slated to debut in 2023, Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is expected to form part of the eagerly anticipated Red Sea destination and offer a highly personalized leisure experience that blends intuitive and heartfelt service with stunning natural beauty and indigenous design. Nujuma will be the first property from the brand in the Middle East and joins an exclusive collection of only five Ritz-Carlton Reserves worldwide. “We are thrilled to bring our...

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) Hotels—a holistic hospitality company founded on the values of wellness, social good and sustainability—announced it has partnered with EarthCheck, a leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, to provide scientific benchmarking and certification of its company-wide regenerative practices. EarthCheck helps businesses, communities, and governments to evaluate their environmental footprint, improve sustainability and enhance business performance. SCP Hotels’ certification is done in two phases including Benchmarking—the quantitative evaluation of a property’s environmental and social performance, and then Certification—the verification of those standards by an approved independent third party EarthCheck Auditor. While the full...