
With 2024 nearing an end, it is time to reveal the 10 most viewed articles on the Green Lodging News website for the year. This list includes only articles posted in 2024. With such a robust archive of articles, Green Lodging News articles from previous years often make the actual top 10.
1. This article leads the top 10: Transgender Discrimination in Hotels: A Wake-Up Call for Hoteliers. The article includes mention of an EEOC lawsuit against Boxwood Hotels, LLC and its associated franchises. Not only did an operational manager break the law by discriminating against a transgender employee, but when it was brought forward, the hotel chain (and possibly the Human Resources department) failed to address it.
2. MGM Resorts Incentivizes Employees to Conserve Water at Home with $500,000 Grant. MGM Resorts International announced that it has partnered with the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to incentivize residential water conservation for its more than 50,000 employees in Southern Nevada. Through a $500,000 grant to the SNWA Water Efficiency Improvement Fund, MGM Resorts employees will earn additional rebates when they take advantage of existing SNWA water savings programs that target residential water conservation.
3. Alternatives to the Bathroom Towel Provide Lots of Savings. Cutting down on laundry volume has been the focus of our industry for decades now with the now standard towel/linen replacement opt-out programs. Only recently, however, has there been chatter about eliminating some towels entirely. In the past year I have run across several suppliers that are aiming to do just that.
4. Running Rock Eco Resort Breaks Ground: A Net Zero Resort is Coming to the Smoky Mountains. Running Rock Eco Resort, now under construction, will soon be a groundbreaking net-zero, eco-friendly, and nature-focused resort nestled in the Smoky Mountains. From its own mountaintop on a 260-acre property overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the resort offers more than a mile of mountaintop views, a mile long meandering stream, and a stunning 40-foot cascade. Opening in 2025, it promises an unmatched and sustainable experience of nature’s beauty tucked away among the best of the southern Appalachians.
5. Kalahari Resorts Announces Luxury Treehouse Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The Nelson family, owners and operators of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, have announced their development of a new distinctive resort experience in the Wisconsin Dells area called Dawn Manor in homage to the historical home previously located on the resort’s land. The lodging at the new resort, named “Kalahari Treehouse Collection at Dawn Manor”, will feature 21 partially supported luxury treehouses and 31 ground-supported houses, in addition to a 10,000-square-foot Wisconsin supper club, named Daylene’s Supper Club at Dawn Manor, all overlooking scenic Lake Delton.
6. Sheena Chin-Greene Keeps 20-Year-Old Florida Green Lodging Program Going Strong. With its Florida Green Lodging Program, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has one of the largest state-level hotel green designation programs in the United States. As of January 10, the Program had 319 designated Florida Green Lodging properties. The program is certainly one of the oldest as well, having launched in 2004.
7. Three Families Sue Branson Luxury Hotel After Pool Chemicals Cause Serious Injuries. Three Jefferson County, Missouri, families are suing Grand Plaza Hotel in Branson, claiming the luxury hotel negligently shocked the pool, a process where strong chemicals like chlorine are used to destroy contaminants, two times while kids and adults were swimming in it. The incident transpired over Mother’s Day weekend in May 2021 when a hotel employee used a commercial-grade pool cleaner with a warning on the label: “no one can be in the pool when chemicals are being added directly to the pool,” according to the complaint.
8. Wynn Resorts Releases 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance Report. Wynn Resorts has released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report and Corporate Responsibility Review outlining the company’s 2023 responsibility programs. The reports showcase ongoing initiatives including nationwide philanthropic efforts and impactful sustainability practices.
9. Westin Bora Bora Announces Two Appointments. The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa, situated at the base of Mount Otemanu in the heart of French Polynesia, announces the appointments of César Marques as General Manager and Thais Magri as Market Director of Sales and Marketing for French Polynesia, overseeing both The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa and The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort.
10. CiCLO Additive That Speeds Up Biodegradation of Synthetic Fibers Gains Traction in Hospitality. Earlier this year, Blue Ridge Hotel Textiles announced CiCLO® biodegradable polyester as its core down alternative fiber. Blue Ridge Hotel Textiles joins companies such as McDonald’s and Hanesbrands in utilizing the patented CiCLO® technology, which is owned, manufactured and distributed by Intrinsic Advanced Materials. Target is also selling numerous items—bathmats and sheet sets for example—that utilize fibers treated with CiCLO®.
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