MIAMI—Grupo Piñero announces the opening of Cayo Levantado Resort, an exclusive complex located in one of the most enigmatic destinations in the Dominican Republic. The opening of Cayo Levantado Resort marks Grupo Piñero’s venture into the luxury segment of the hotel industry, redefined through a commitment to sustainable innovation and sophistication. Situated just five kilometers from the Samaná Peninsula, Cayo Levantado Resort officially opened its doors in the presence of Isabel García Lorca, President and Founder of Grupo Piñero, and Encarna Piñero, Executive Vice President, and CEO. This unique resort, nestled on a captivating island, features 218 rooms spread across 10...

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND—Real estate investor and developer Lamington Group is adding to its pioneering eco hometel brand with the opening of room2 Belfast, the fourth outpost, and first property outside England, set to open later this summer. With the opening just months away, the team are giving a first look at the hometel, which is set to become a hub for the community in the heart of the bustling city, moments away from Belfast’s most popular attractions. The new property will consist of 175 rooms across nine floors as well as a vibrant café, beautifully designed tearoom, meeting and event spaces, a gym,...

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.—The founders of The KOPU Water Co.—Justin and Mindy Mahy—are taking a different path, a circular one if you will, to the business of providing a high-quality water to the luxury/upscale end of the hotel market. Their water, available as spring water or sparkling water, is sourced from an artesian spring thousands of feet below the dormant volcanoes of Oregon’s Cascade Range. The water is naturally alkaline at 8.0 pH and is filled with minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It also includes silica, known for its hair, nail and skin enhancing properties. Available in resealable, recyclable aluminum...

HORSHAM, PENN.—Sofidel, a leading global provider of paper for hygienic and domestic use, announced that its Nicky brand, well-known across Europe, is now available to consumers in the United States. Nicky Elite is the first-ever household paper product range produced in the United States to be made with sustainable, paper packaging. “Nicky Elite is the only household paper brand made in the U.S. that uses packaging that is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable,” said Mark Greenberry, Senior Marketing & Sales Director, Sofidel America. “The innovative paper packaging enables consumers to conveniently recycle the packaging using their local curbside recycling scheme. This innovative...

HONG KONG—Driven by a sense of purpose to build a future where people and place enrich one another, Rosewood Hotel Group has announced Rosewood Impacts, a groupwide roadmap for delivering positive impact on all its communities and the planet we call home. With deeper commitments to empowering people across the brand’s entire ecosystem and a sustainability approach that puts circular hospitality at the core of business operations, Rosewood Impacts is both a recognition of the group’s ongoing programs and a strategic roadmap for future efforts. With tangible goals in the fields of sustainability, employment, partnerships and more, the comprehensive...

If you are looking for more good reasons to eliminate plastic beverage bottles, be sure to read Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle. It reveals the health, environmental, and climate threats caused throughout the lifecycle of plastic beverage bottles (made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET)—from the hazardous air emissions released in the petrochemical manufacturing process to the cancer-causing toxic chemicals leaked in the consumption and final waste stages. Making PET requires hundreds of chemicals, including ethylene oxide (EtO), the most potent cancer-causing chemical emitted by chemical manufacturers, and antimony. Antimony is one of at least 150 chemicals that can escape from...

NATIONAL REPORT—They are in your vending machines. They are sold elsewhere on your property—possibly at the front desk or a retail store. Plastic beverage bottles. What is their true impact on the environment? On human health? Defend our Health and the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign recently released a new report, Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle, unmasking the hazards posed by the plastic bottle. This report reveals the health, environmental, and climate threats caused throughout the lifecycle of common plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate or PET—from the hazardous air emissions released in the petrochemical manufacturing process to the cancer-causing toxic chemicals leaked...

At last month’s HD Expo in Las Vegas, there were many companies that caught my attention. One was Vancouver, B.C.-based ChopValue. The company is diverting millions of wooden chopsticks from landfills by converting them into high-performance composite material. The material is manufactured using proprietary technology that compresses recycled bamboo chopsticks along with a water-based resin, making it harder than maple, stronger than oak, and as durable as teak. Tables, wall décor, coasters, cutting boards, and many other items can be made with the material. The chopsticks are picked up from local businesses and converted to useable products in micro...

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA—Sandals Resorts International (SRI), parent company of the Caribbean’s leading luxury all-inclusive resort brands Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts, is bridging the gap between healthy oceans and its Caribbean communities through a series of ongoing environmental initiatives. In honor of World Oceans Day, for every booking made on June 8, a donation of $100 will be made on guests’ behalf to the Sandals Foundation, the not-for-profit organization established in 2009 to make positive change throughout the Caribbean. “In the Caribbean, a ‘home’ is not merely a house or a room. Home is in the sands, in the breeze, and...

LAS VEGAS—ChopValue-Las Vegas, a leading manufacturer of sustainable products utilizing the circular economy model, announced it has collected and recycled more than 7.5 million chopsticks from the Las Vegas area during its first eight months of operation. ChopValue-Las Vegas launched the first U.S. microfactory of its kind last summer, with a goal of giving single-use chopsticks a second life; diverting what was once “wooded waste,” into sustainable products and custom solutions for the home and office. All the while, keeping tons of waste out of the Las Vegas landfills. “Alongside our 100 Asian restaurant partners in Las Vegas, we are doing...