LEURA, AUSTRALIA—Dr. Jerry Schwartz’s Leura Gardens Resort in the NSW Blue Mountains will be the first hotel in Australia to launch digital wallet key technology, allowing guests seamless access to the hotel’s rooms and facilities with a tap of their phone. This pioneering system provides guests with a convenient alternative to physical key cards, while still offering traditional options for those who prefer them. Dr. Schwartz has been trialing keyless technology for a number of years and will utilize cutting-edge door lock and software solutions developed by Vingcard—a leading innovator of advanced technologies tailored to the needs of the hospitality...

My family and I traveled to the Miami area this past weekend. We were there for the fan fest to watch Argentina’s World Cup match against Cabo Verde. It was great fun, of course; I am biased toward Argentina given my wife was born there. We stayed at a dual-branded Tru by Hilton/Home2 Suites by Hilton in Fort Lauderdale. I really like the designs of both brands. While I have stayed at other Tru by Hiltons in the last couple of years, I had not stayed at a Home2 Suites since 2013 when I was on a press trip to...

CHICAGO—Winnow, the AI food waste technology company trusted by leading hospitality brands including Hilton, Marriott, and Accor, announced the formation of a new Advisory Board with the appointment of two seasoned hospitality executives: Paul Whetsell, CEO of CapStar Hotel Company, and Gregory Maliassas, CEO of Driftwood Hospitality Management. The Advisory Board has been established to bring deep operational and strategic expertise to bear on Winnow’s product development and go-to-market strategy, as the company scales its technology across the global hospitality sector. Paul Whetsell brings more than 45 years of hospitality industry experience. He founded the original CapStar Hotel Company in 1987...

I have reported on quite a few “Trash to Treasure” stories over the years—the most recent being Poly-Wood, LLC because of its use of high-density polyethylene in its furniture. High-density polyethylene is an extremely durable type of plastic you’ll find all around your home: milk jugs, detergent containers, shampoo bottles, lotion bottles, cleaner spray bottles, etc. The most recent trash to treasure example that caught my eye is South Africa’s Stephen Pikus Design. Stephen is the founder, owner and creative director of his company that transforms truck and auto industry-related products such as truck waste oil filters and truck cooling...

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS.—Watts Water Technologies, Inc.—through its subsidiaries, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and providers of plumbing, heating and water quality products and solutions—announced the release of its 2025 Sustainability report, which highlights the company’s dedication to environmental, social and governance practices and continued commitment to creating high-performance solutions that promote sustainability and efficiency. “Since setting our first-generation environmental goals in 2018, we have significantly reduced our water use, emissions and hazardous waste while continuing to grow as a company. That progress gives us confidence as we pursue our next generation of goals and continue challenging ourselves to make...

As highlighted in my May 22 column and in the article just posted this past week, the Austin Convention Center is one of the most fascinating current green building projects in the United States. I interviewed Riley Triggs about the project. Triggs is Lead Project Manager, City of Austin Capital Delivery Services. The mission of Austin Capital Deliver Services: “Optimize delivery of quality capital projects through partnerships to create an equitable and sustainable community.” You will find a lot of information in my article about the new Center that will open in 2029 but here are some highlights that really...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—The Austin Convention Center Department (ACCD) is celebrating a milestone in the redevelopment and expansion project, known as UnconventionalATX, having officially entered the first phase of construction. The new $1.6 billion Austin Convention Center will significantly increase the rentable square footage of the existing facility, growing from 365,000 square feet to 620,000 square feet of rentable space. The redeveloped Convention Center will be one of the most sustainable public projects in Austin’s history. The projected $1.6 billion investment is fully funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenues, Convention Center revenues, and the state’s Project Financing Zone—not property taxes. The project has...

LONDON—Six Senses has joined Recipe of Change, a global initiative convened by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and UN Tourism to unite the tourism sector in a shared commitment to halve food waste by 2030. A living expression of the brand’s sustainable ethos and Eat With Six Senses philosophy, the engagement sees Six Senses share its long-learned operational and behavioral solutions through open conversations with guests and industry peers alike to address the near one-third of all food produced globally that is never eaten. A Tool, Not a Trend For Six Senses, sustainability has been driven by collective action since its founding in the...

MONHEIM AM RHEIN, GERMANY—Hey Lou Hotels is making hotel access as simple as possible. Guests receive their room key directly in their smartphone wallet, with no additional hotel app and no loyalty account required. Together with its hotel and technology partner 9dots, as well as technology providers Mews and Vingcard, an ASSA ABLOY company, Hey Lou has implemented wallet-based room keys as a standard across all its properties, making it one of the first hotel groups in Europe to do so at scale. The solution is already fully deployed and live across all seven Hey Lou hotels in Germany, covering more than 1,000 rooms. Seamless Access—No...

SOLON, OHIO—From ancient etchings to contemporary icons, human beings have always had an enduring instinct to communicate through marks and symbols. Now, Tarkett is bringing that instinct to the floor. The global flooring leader has launched Transcribe, its premier carpet tile and luxury vinyl tile collection of the year, translating the visual language of human expression into textured, dynamic patterns. Ideal for workplace settings, the collection gives every space a sense of identity and connection. “The Transcribe collection is inspired by layered forms that carry meaning across time. Humanity’s form of expression has always evolved; yet, its purpose remains connection,” said...