FREEMONT, CALIF.—WaterGuru, the market leader in empowering residential swimming pool owners, property and resort management companies, country clubs and pool service firms with the ability to automate consistent resort-quality swimming water, announced the business impact results of its first lodging customer—Venture Resorts, of Gatlinburg, Tenn. By integrating AI into its overall water management program Venture Resorts, which is part of TowneBank’s 2,500-property portfolio, saved over $65,000 in operational costs self-managing 32 pools over the course of a single year. “The SENSE water monitoring system automates the daily testing for us more accurately, continually reports on water temperature, in addition to saving money and serves...

CAGLIARI, SARDINIA—Forte Village in Sardinia, Italy announced they have recently been awarded the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certification. The honor certifies that the resort complies with the highest social and environmental standards available, including the areas of restaurant, management of wellness, pool, and tennis areas. The notable achievement is a demonstration of the sustainability efforts and initiatives Forte Village has put in place over the last few years. Forte Village prioritizes environmental preservation and sustainable practices, focusing on a philosophy that revolves around living in harmony with nature, supporting the local economy and culture, and maximizing economic and social benefits. To ensure sustainable development, they...

Name: Emma Jacobs Title: Social Purpose and Sustainability Manager Company: Legacy Vacation Resorts Years in Current Position: Two years Primary Responsibility: “Leading our Social Purpose initiatives, getting our teams involved, volunteering, doing cleanups, fostering a healthy ecosystem. We have a heavy focus on electrifying and transitioning to renewable energy.” Organization’s most significant accomplishment in social purpose and sustainability: “We are ever-focused on the future with ambitious goals including getting to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030, reducing water usage per check-in (UPC) 25 percent and energy UPC 10 percent by 2025, and achieving 100 percent renewable energy company-wide by 2030. We are well...

VISTA, CALIF.—A new report from Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered in Wilmington, Delaware, predicts that the waterless urinal market will expand by nearly six percent in the next eight years. The report estimates that the market is currently valued at $128 million. “It is expected to grow steadily…reaching a value of $205 million by the end of 2031,” the report says. The report cites the following factors as the main drivers of this growth: Global population growth has increased the demand for public restroom facilities. No-water urinals will be more widely adopted in these facilities due to...

MÉRIDA, MEXICO—WAYAM Mundo Imperial may only have 52 suites but its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint surpass green-focused properties much greater in size. The property in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico just earned LEED Gold certification—the first one in Mérida with LEED certification and an ideal partner for Yucatan´s LEED Platinum International Congress Center. Fernando Zepeda, General Manager of the 72-employee WAYAM Mundo Imperial, says the hotel’s owners embarked on the path toward LEED certification about five years ago, though their commitment to sustainable development goes back decades. The property opened in the summer of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic....

One of the impacts of the pandemic was of course a reduction in housekeeping. It was for safety reasons and ultimately due to a shortage of housekeepers. According to Gary Leff of “View from the Wing,” at least one brand is going back to the old days of housekeeping—Hilton, and at least with some of its brands. According to an internal Hilton communication reviewed by View From The Wing, “Daily housekeeping will be a brand standard at all full-service hotels, and every other day at limited-service properties though in both cases either more or less housekeeping will be at the...

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII—Officially open to guests last month, Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort is privileged to call the sacred land of Kaʻūpūlehu home. An inspired reimagination of the original Kona Village Resort, which first opened in the 1960s and subsequently shuttered in 2011, a familiar silhouette has returned to the island’s horizon. Real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson took a light-on-the-land approach to reconstructing the resort and has partnered with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts to build on that foundation, prioritizing environmental responsibility and care for local culture in the guest experience. Spanning 81 acres of stunning geologic landscape, Kona Village pulls inspiration from Kaʻūpūlehu’s...

NEW YORK—WINT Water Intelligence, a leader in cutting-edge water management and leak-prevention solutions for construction, commercial, residential and industrial applications, has completed a $35 million Series C funding round to drive continued growth and innovation in AI- and IoT-based solutions for managing water and mitigating water damage throughout a building’s lifecycle. The round was co-led by Inven Capital, a leading European climate tech fund, and global software investor Insight Partners, which also led WINT’s B round. The round was joined by Taronga Ventures, one of the world’s leading real asset technology investors, and other prop-tech and construction-tech investors, providing WINT strategic access to new markets. “As a climate tech investor, we were greatly impressed by WINT’s vision to...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR), the highest scoring Certified B Corp hotel company in North America, has just debuted their latest eco-friendly renovation project at the company’s signature Lake Buena Vista property. The multi-million-dollar redevelopment includes enhancements to the resort across the design, guest experience, and sustainability programs. Encompassing 28 three-bedroom villas, the project showcases a seamless integration of the brand persona and core values towards a more regenerative approach to tourism thanks to a variety of elements that lower the overall carbon footprint of the business. Highlights include a new solar panel array, elimination of single-use...

ITHACA, N.Y.—The CHSB Index 2023 was released during the eCornell keynote Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: How Data Is Making an Impact webinar on June 7, 2023. The hotel industry’s largest and longstanding annual data collection of energy, water, and carbon performance, CHSB is the primary reference tool for hoteliers to benchmark their performance, and for various stakeholders including governments and business travelers seeking to calculate the environmental impact of a hotel stay. It incorporates the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) methodologies to provide standardized, industry-backed data to end users. CHSB 2023 is the...