BOSTON—Upon receiving its recent LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Hostelling International Boston (HI-Boston) became the City of Boston’s first accommodation provider to achieve LEED certification. Since its opening in June 2012, this repurposed historic building at the cross section of Chinatown, Downtown Crossing, and the Theater District has since welcomed more than 200,000 travelers from more than 85 countries.“HI-Boston is raising the bar for the hospitality industry in Boston,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “The city is attracting more and more young people, and I’m thrilled that HI-USA is providing green accommodations for our...

LAS VEGAS—ARIA Resort & Casino, LEED Gold and Green Key certified, as well as a TripAdvisor GreenLeader at the Platinum level, will be the site of this fall’s second annual Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. The LODGING Magazine event, with the support of EcoGreen Energy Solutions, will take place October 28 to 30.“This year we anticipate doubling the size of our event in both attendance and exhibit area,” says LODGING magazine Publisher Bill Corsini, who will once again host this annual event. “While still relatively small in only our second year, the conference will...

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Xeros, the innovator of an ultra-low water laundry system, announced its rollout plan to the hospitality industry is on track and the majority of Xeros ecologically-sustainable laundry systems have been sold into the top five hotel groups in North America. According to MKG Group’s annual rankings reported by Skift, HOTELS’ 325 2013 report named IHG, Hilton Hotels, Marriott International, Wyndham Hotel Group and Choice International as the top five hotel groups in the world.In the United States, hotels use approximately 2.3 billion gallons of water per month to launder linens. The Xeros Laundry System can reduce water usage...

RENO, NEV.—The capital costs and the environmental impact of operating a large resort hotel almost always coincide. Heating, laundry, lighting, landscaping—they all have an impact on both a resort’s bottom line and the natural environment. Hotels have the opportunity to save money and save the environment at the same time, but launching conservation projects that significantly reduce a hotel’s environmental footprint and operating budget takes strategy, some innovative thinking and a commitment to capitalize conservation efforts. Here are five ways The Peppermill Resort, Spa, Casino saves millions of dollars each year while conserving water and energy and reducing the resort’s overall...

WAILEA, HAWAII—The AAA Four Diamond award-winning Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa located in the luxurious Wailea Resort destination has recently been recognized with the ‘Aipono “Excellence in Sustainability Award”. The reader’s choice award, presented by Maui Magazine, acknowledges the resort’s accomplishment as a top sustainability performer and recognizes its role in environmental leadership. “We are deeply honored with the ‘Aipono Award and applaud our associates for their exemplary environmental and resource conservation efforts,” said cluster General Manager John C. Tolbert of Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on Maui and Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on Hawaii...

ATLANTA—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced that IHG’s patented Green Engage program, the online sustainability program used by more than 2,700 IHG-branded hotels worldwide, is helping hotels address the drought conditions in California. IHG is targeting a reduction in water usage in water-stressed areas by 12 percent globally by 2017. To support this global effort on a local scale, IHG Green Engage Water Conservation Kits were sent to 230 IHG hotels in California, including Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn hotels.The resources in the Water Conservation Kits include details on how hotels can actively participate in conserving water, with...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.—More than two years after going “live” with their 756-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system—a structure based on 10 carports in the hotel’s parking area—the owners of the Wyndham Philadelphia-Mount Laurel are investing in additional systems to further reduce energy and water consumption and costs significantly. Investments involve a switch from heating oil to natural gas for air and water heating, an LED retrofit project, and an upgrade to ultra high efficiency toilets.Rishi Shah, Asset Manager of the hotel, says the current transition to natural gas for heating involves a significant mechanical system upgrade. “We are upgrading boilers...

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—The Fairmont San Jose, in partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), has initiated an extensive exchange program that will upgrade more than 600 toilets and urinals to high-efficiency (1.28 gallons per flush for the toilets and .5 gallons per flush for the urinals) models over the next several weeks.By partnering with the SCVWD, the toilet installation supports Fairmont’s focus on improvements in waste management, sustainability and energy and water conservation. By upgrading to the approved high-efficiency toilets, the hotel anticipates an annual water savings of 2,368,669 gallons beginning with the first flush.“Supporting the governor’s...

SAN DIEGO—Hilton San Diego Bayfront has been named the number one most sustainable Hilton hotel in the United States of America by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton San Diego Bayfront has recently received a number of green sustainability awards for the property’s multitude of recycling and energy conservation efforts. These notable recognitions come from a national and local level. In addition to being named the most sustainable Hilton property in the United States, City of San Diego has awarded the hotel with the 2014 Director’s Recycling Award, and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) recently recognized the hotel as the Energy...

HONG KONG—A prominent research consortium supported by the EarthCheck Research Institute (ERI), together with Ecolab (ECL) and Griffith University, recently released its second white paper on water, calling on the tourism industry—a heavy user of water—to act fast. The paper titled, “From Challenges to Solutions: Providing the Business Case,” shows that water and its combined effect with energy use could become the most contested resource of the future.Addressing more than 50 tourism industry professionals at a lecture at Eaton Hong Kong, Dr. Susanne Becken, a Professor of Sustainability from Australia’s Griffith University, said the tourism industry is at risk.“Tourism...