MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYA—JW Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of 30 hotel brands, announced the opening of JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, marking the company’s highly anticipated debut in the luxury safari segment. Sitting within the Masai Mara National Reserve in Southwestern Kenya, one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife and wilderness conservation regions, the lodge is a sophisticated sanctuary from which to discover animals and vistas in harmony. Guided game drives offer guests the opportunity to observe the “Big Five” that Masai Mara is home to, including lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros, and elephants. Between June and September,...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—Schneider Electric, a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and sustainability, has been chosen by Choice Hotels International, one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world, to provide AI-assisted technology to help more than 6,000 franchisees in the United States autonomously track and manage energy consumption and sustainability data. Schneider Electric will equip the company with EcoStruxure Resource Advisor, Schneider Electric’s AI-assisted, cloud-based solution for managing enterprise-wide energy and sustainability data. The platform will deliver preconfigured dashboards that enable hotels to automatically track their energy and water consumption while calculating their emissions....

LONDON—The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Hospitality and Tourism Task Force announced its founding members and new partnerships, which includes 14 global hospitality companies and three leading sustainability and inter-governmental development organizations. The Task Force will drive more sustainable actions in the sector. Founding members include: Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and Co-chair of Sustainable Markets Initiative Hospitality and Tourism Task Force; Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Co-founding Partner of the Considerate Group and Co-chair of Sustainable Markets Initiative Hospitality and Tourism; Keith Barr, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts; Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor; Jorg Bockler, CEO of Dorint Hotels...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Travel Association launched a first-of-its-kind initiative, JourneyToClean.com, to share the collective story of the U.S. travel industry’s bold vision for achieving greater sustainability. The initiative consists of more than 100 examples of sustainable travel practices from a diverse cross-section of more than 50 travel businesses. “The travel industry embraces sustainability initiatives and business practices because it is good for the planet and it’s good for business,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. “Travelers and businesses alike are demanding more sustainable options, and our industry is evolving to meet the needs of travelers now and for...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Electrolux Group has reduced its absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect in operations) by 82 percent compared to 2015—going beyond its 2025 target of 80 percent. Scope 3 emissions (when products are in use) also decreased by over 25 percent compared to 2015, which is in line with the company’s 25 percent reduction target by 2025. This means the company has reached its 2025 science-based target three years ahead of plan. “We were among the first 100 companies to set a global ambitious climate target—and now we are among the very first companies to...

NATIONAL REPORT—In this article, CBRE’s Alan Jutte provides insights on a study of hotel operating statements from CBRE’s Trends in the Hotel Industry which showed that new properties with energy-efficient features resulted in substantial energy savings compared to older or less efficient properties. The study concluded that while sustainability efforts can lead to reduced costs, the extent of these savings may depend on various factors such as room size, building size, amenities, building materials, etc. Sustainability is an increasingly crucial component across almost all industries. Embracing new and more efficient business models and technologies is expensive, and often developers and operators...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Dubai, U.A.E.-based Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, has launched its Green Collection, bringing under one umbrella nearly 200 hotels, resorts and palaces operated by GHA hotel brands that are demonstrating their commitment to protecting people and the planet. Every Green Collection property has attained at least one certification from a globally recognized environmental organization, with EarthCheck, Green Growth 2050, Green Key and Green Globe among the 15 leading certification bodies represented, and each requiring hotels to meet the highest international standards for sustainability initiatives and performance, with regular third-party audits conducted to...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance), which brings together the industry to create a prosperous and responsible global hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes out, has released its latest Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality v2.0 at ITB Berlin. First launched in March 2022, this updated version of the Pathway provides a more holistic and practical four-stage roadmap to accelerate hospitality towards a sustainable and contributory future. It harnesses the power of the four pillars of people, planet, place, and prosperity combined with the industry’s transformative power, innovation, and resources. It aligns with leading...

If your company has set goals—even ambitious goals—for greenhouse gas emission cuts in the next decade and you are satisfied with those goals, it is time to reevaluate. That is the message from a very important UN report released last week from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In a nutshell, the report said we are all not doing enough to keep temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Temperatures have already risen to 1.1°C above those levels, a consequence of more than a century of burning fossil fuels, as well as unequal and unsustainable energy and land use. Said the...

SINGAPORE—Marina Bay Sands has been certified to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Industry Criteria for Hotels and Accommodations, becoming the largest hotel in Singapore to earn the accolade. It also sees Marina Bay Sands join a leading group of hotels globally to achieve this certification. The conferment of the certification bears testament to the integrated resort’s continued efforts in implementing innovative sustainable solutions that effectively marry world-class hospitality with sustainability. The GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels aims to promote the best sustainable tourism practices around four main themes: effective sustainability management, minimizing environmental impact, maximizing social and economic benefits for the local...