BANGKOK—When the Diriyah Company announced a unique giga-project with distinctive cultural, historical, and tourism landmarks, it invited international partners to come together and construct a new legacy for Saudi Arabia. Six Senses will help bring this to life through a new hotel in Wadi Safar, which lies just west of Diriyah and northwest of Riyadh. “As the Kingdom evolves and opens to tourism, it is garnering strong interest among international visitors to explore its heritage sites and outstanding natural beauty,” said CEO of Six Senses Neil Jacobs. “We are excited to be working closely with Diriyah Company as we align...

NATIONAL REPORT—Choosing the right brand of toilet paper may not top your list when it comes to greening up your supply chain but maybe it should. Just ask suppliers of toilet paper made from bamboo or sugar cane. They say that by switching to their alternatives to traditional toilet paper, you can say no to cutting down trees, no to harmful chemicals and bleaches, and no to plastic. According to HeyBambu, a supplier of toilet paper made from bamboo, “Traditional toilet paper is made using hardwood and softwood trees that are cut down, stripped off their bark, and pulverized into...

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. At this past fall’s Boutique Design New York, Magic Stone introduced its antibacterial bathmat made from natural stone that goes from wet to dry in seconds. According to the company, it can reduce annual expenditure on traditional floor towel bathmats by over 80 percent annually. The bathmats can...

SAUDI ARABIA—St. Regis Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of The St. Regis Red Sea Resort in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The captivating new address is the first private island to open in The Red Sea, one of the Kingdom’s luxury regenerative tourism destinations on the west coast of the country. Situated on the pristine Ummahat Island in the Al Wajh Lagoon, the resort is a destination-defining oasis with its avant-garde architecture, sustainable design details and bespoke service. “One of the world’s unexplored treasures, The Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to become a coveted leisure destination,” said...

BANGKOK—Six Senses, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts luxury and lifestyle portfolio, has signed a hotel management agreement with Activos Turisticos de Mexico (ACTUR) for the development of Six Senses Xala, which is scheduled to open in 2026. Flanked by five miles of curving white-sand beach, the 3,000-acre terrain, located in the Costalegre or “Cheerful Coast” region of Jalisco, will offer both a sanctuary and a vibrant community among fragrant mango fields, coconut palms, pristine ocean, and the serene estuary waters of the Xola-Paramán. Secluded within this verdant landscape, yet just 10 minutes from the new Chalacatepec International Airport, Six...

“Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy.” Sounds very complicated but that is the name of a new article published by the National Academy of Science. It details the results of a study of the amount of nanoplastics—particles of plastic—in bottled water. Yes, the bottled water you drink and make available to your guests. The study found that the concentration of nanoplastics in bottled water is “orders of magnitude more than the microplastic abundance reported previously in bottled water.” “We estimate that the exposure to the micro-nano plastics from regular bottled water was at the level of 105 particles...

NATIONAL REPORT—Cold and flu season is here, which means facility managers face the dual challenge of helping promote a healthy environment for facility occupants while maintaining sustainable efforts. Although flu season occurs in the fall and winter seasons, its peak activity is now until February. As a facility manager, you play an important role in helping ensure your facility stays clean and occupants stay healthy during this time. Here are several sustainable considerations you can incorporate in your facility’s cleaning routine to help your occupants stay healthy. Focus Your Cleaning Routine During this period, many facilities see an uptick in foot traffic...

CHIANG RAI, THAILAND—The community-focused Visama Mae Chan luxury tented camp in the hill country of Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, opened December 1. The new project, with 10 luxuriously appointed tents, aims to deliver a holistic and immersive holiday experience combining cultural and nature activities, high end northern Thai culinary fare, much of it organic and sourced on an adjacent farm, and fully appointed luxury tents in four categories. Each accommodation category has a hill tribe name such as “Akha”, “Yao”, “Lahu”, and “Lisu”. The sumptuous tents, on raised platforms in a peaceful hill country setting, range in size from 48 to...

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Canyon Ranch, a pioneer and innovator in destination wellness, recently announced the appointment of Mark Rivers as its new CEO. Canyon Ranch is looking to Rivers’ leadership as they grow their emerging ecosystem of properties in Texas and beyond. In follow up from the July announcement with VICI Properties, Inc. to expand the Canyon Ranch brand, Rivers played a pivotal role in executing this partnership, which encompasses the debut of its first Canyon Ranch Wellness Club in Fort Worth later this year, a second Wellness Club to open in Houston in 2024, and a new resort and residential community under development in the Austin market, with a planned...

Many people look forward to dreamy hotel pools and spas to destress and relax while on vacation. In the winter, hot tubs and spas can be a great attractor for guests looking for a chilly weather escape; however, they can also be a risk to visitors and pool and spa managers if not properly handled. These much-beloved amenities can be breeding grounds for bacteria like E. coli, giardia, and algae, making using pool and spa chemicals, including salt, imperative. If these chemicals are mishandled, they can cause respiratory problems, chemical burns, and eye irritation. Managers of these amenities must be...