MORGAN HILL, CALIF.—Enteligent Inc., developer of solar power optimization and electric vehicle (EV) solar charging technologies that delivers more of the clean solar energy you generate and dramatically reduces cost, is unveiling the world’s first DC-to-DC solar hybrid bi-directional EV charger this week at Intersolar NA 2023 in Booth 2460. Powered directly from the sun, Enteligent’s solar EV charger can supply 25 kW of fast DC charging—three times faster than AC Level 2 EV chargers—while also supporting vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) home energy resilience and providing significant energy savings. Currently, EV owners plug their cars into home chargers which...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the urgency for companies and individuals to act to protect the wellbeing of the planet, their communities, their employees, and in the case of hotels, their guests. As such, environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives have accelerated. The hotel industry’s commitment to ESG initiatives, while somewhat nascent, is increasing. Rising energy costs, which have increased electricity costs by 10 percent since May 2021, are likely to accelerate the industry’s focus on sustainability, particularly given the shift in traveler preferences toward more sustainable tourism and green accommodations and the growing demand for disclosure around climate risk....

HALLANDALE, FLA.—Reducing the impact on the environment is a strong challenge hospitality players must face. As a leading international amenities provider, Groupe GM continuously strives to become the most environmentally aware it can be. In 2018 the Group developed a complete eco-responsible program, Care About Earth, to help hoteliers answer these challenges while welcoming their guests. Bathrooms should be a clean and safe space for guests as should be the soap dispensers provided for guest use. When opening dispensers and filling them, germs, bacteria and even viruses can enter and settle on top of the product. The bacteria can also...

BETHESDA, MD.—In just three months since launching the MDO (myDigitalOffice) Sustainability Calculator and Certification, 15 hotel management companies comprising more than 1,500 hotels have qualified, and their collective efforts are saving 743 trees and 134 cubic feet of landfill waste annually. The MDO Sustainability Certification was launched in November 2022 as a way to shine the spotlight on hotel owners and operators dedicated to reducing their environmental footprint, and its rapid adoption demonstrates the industry’s accelerated action around ESG efforts. Companies such as Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Commonwealth Hotels, Remington Hotels, McNeill Hotel Company, and Apple REIT have received certification....

Our industry has a lot of all stars who come up with great ideas. I spoke with one of them this past week. His name is Floris Licht, and he is the full-time General Manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station. He has an impressive side gig: He is Chief Planting Officer for Hotels for Trees, a nonprofit that has planted more than 105,000 trees since the program launched in July 2021. That is quite a patch of trees. What Hotels for Trees offers is an alternative for those hotels that incentivize guests to opt out of housekeeping...

AMSTELVEEN, THE NETHERLANDS—For quite a few years now, many hotels have incentivized guests to skip housekeeping in exchange for a financial reward of some type. Covid-19 certainly increased the number of hotels that don’t offer daily housekeeping—primarily due to staffing challenges—but many hotels around the world still offer it. For hotels that do that, Floris Licht, Chief Planting Officer for Hotels for Trees has a program that not only helps hotel owners but the environment as well. The Hotels for Trees concept is simple: One new tree is planted each time a guest chooses to skip daily room cleaning. The...

BETHESDA, MD.—RLJ Lodging Trust announced the release of its inaugural Corporate Sustainability Report, building upon the company’s longstanding commitment to upholding sustainability, social responsibility, and governance. With the publication of this report, the company is further demonstrating its commitment to providing robust Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) disclosures. Additionally, this report discloses historical environmental performance data to track progress towards the company’s pledge to lower its carbon footprint. “Corporate Responsibility is integral to our overall business strategy and commitment to driving long-term value for all stakeholders. We believe that by maintaining an inclusive corporate culture and investing in underserved communities,...

SAINT-GENIS-LES-OLLIERES, FRANCE—The philosophy behind Huttopia, a company that operates camping sites all over the world remains the same as when it was founded 23 years ago: there is no substitute to being in nature with friends and family in a comfortable way. Out of their love of camping, Céline and Philippe Bossanne, a French husband and wife team, created Huttopia as an environmental project. In its early years, the company grew in Europe and recently made its debut in North America with sites in Quebec, New Hampshire, Maine, the Adirondacks and most recently Southern California. There are now 60 sites...

SWORDS, IRELAND—FORTUNE magazine has named Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, to its World’s Most Admired Companies list for the eleventh consecutive year. The annual list, developed by FORTUNE and Korn Ferry, is widely considered to be the ultimate report card on corporate reputation. The companies on the list are the best-regarded in their industry and rated on nine criteria, ranging from investment value and quality of management and products to social responsibility and ability to attract talent. “It’s an honor to be recognized by FORTUNE, and I’m extremely proud of our global team for challenging what’s possible to create a more sustainable...

WINDSOR, ENGLAND—IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has opened its new global headquarters in Windsor, U.K. Having started life as an FTSE-listed company in Windsor in 2003, IHG returns to the historic town for its next chapter after being based for the past 15 years in Denham, Buckinghamshire. The building represents not only the company’s global headquarters, but also the head of its Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa region, helping serve an international business that has more than 6,000 hotels across more than 100 countries around the world. The Windsor One office on Arthur Road...