CRYSTAL CITY, VA.—Embassy Suites by Hilton Crystal City National Airport announced the completion of its guestroom renovation as part of a $10.7 million dollar investment. As part of the transformation, the all two-room suite hotel launched 12 new Pure Wellness suites. The Pure Wellness suites are nearly 99.9 percent allergen-free due to an in-room filtration system that removes air particles. Specially treated surfaces and hypoallergenic bedding, including mattresses and pillow covers, reduce allergens and resist molds, spores and dust mites. As part of the renovation, Embassy Suites by Hilton Crystal City National Airport increased the number of two double bed suites from 50 to 90. These rooms comfortably...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced the launch of Hyatt Wellbeing Ideation Labs, a new series designed to bring together industry experts to explore ways to better enhance the day-to-day wellbeing for guests, colleagues and customers. During the inaugural Wellbeing Ideation Lab, led by Hyatt’s Global Head of Wellbeing Mia Kyricos, the group identified new ways to evolve the meeting product for Hyatt’s customers, working with top Fortune 500 companies to improve their future meetings. “Wellbeing is a priority for many of Hyatt’s customers and we understand the importance of integrating wellness into meetings in...

CHARDON, OHIO—OpenClean Technologies introduced the world’s first hand sanitizing door handles that easily integrate with or replace existing restroom door handles to make hand sanitization easy, intuitive and accessible. Available in two versions—TurnClean and PullClean—OpenClean Technologies hand sanitization door handles allow patrons and staff members to leave restrooms safely and hygienically, ensuring clean, sanitized hands each time. The latest versions of both TurnClean and PullClean are now available for multiple markets, including restaurants, hotels, office buildings and bars, and can accommodate any restroom door. While clean hands can dramatically reduce the spread of germs and infections, one of the biggest obstacles is getting...

KRABEY ISLAND, CAMBODIA—Six Senses Krabey Island has flung open the (sustainably-built) doors of its 40 private pool villas to welcome its first guests as they step off the speedboat to this tropical island escape. The landscaped 30-acre (12-hectare) private island with dense tropical jungle and rocky coastline is located 3 miles (5 kilometers) off Ream National Park in southern Cambodia. From Sihanouk International Airport, it is a 10-minute drive to the resort’s mainland reception for the short 15-minute crossing to Krabey Island. Remote enough yet not cut off from a country offering...

Shelley Lotz The trend in spa vacations, wellness classes, and eco therapy is growing and continues to weave its way into business as usual. With our dependence on resources and mother nature, sustainability is front and center in the hospitality industry. Most guests expect certain standards and that includes a more restorative mindset in our business models. Are you up to speed with your initiatives? Here are some best practices to consider in your CSR plans for spas, wellness programs, and beyond.Evolving Your Brand Include your sustainability mission and vision in your culture, messaging and marketing. Make it visible and share...

NATIONAL REPORT—The 49th Earth Day, to be held on Monday, April 22, is prime time for green hotels around the planet to shine a light on their sustainability programs. The following hotels and one green organization have announced plans for activities and special promotions. If your property has activities planned for Earth Day, Earth Week or Earth Month, contact editor@greenlodgingnews.com. In honor of Earth Day, the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa in Monterey (Calif.) is offering the following promotions: The hotel will give out a “Plant Your Pencil” to the first 100 guests who check in on April 22. The pencils come in five...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Vios Spa Group to its Green Product & Service Directory in the Consultants/Spas/Wellness category. Vios Spa Group is a consulting group providing quality standards, education, and certification. Shelley Lotz, Principal of Vios Spa Group, has 30 years of experience in the spa/wellness industry as an owner, educator, and esthetician. She wrote Green Spas and Salons: How to Make Your Business Truly Sustainable and is a contributing author of the textbook Milady’s Standard Esthetics Fundamentals. She is also a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor. The Vios Certified Sustainable...

ATLANTA—Pure Wellness, a pioneer in hotel guestroom wellness solutions, has installed 28 Pure Rooms at two properties in the Windy City. Now, wellness-minded travelers visiting Silversmith Hotel Chicago Downtown, a Historic Hotels of America inductee, or the Sofitel Chicago can experience a Pure Room. “The leadership teams at The Silversmith Hotel Chicago and the Sofitel Chicago recognize the importance of serving the wellness-minder traveler—a very large and growing market segment,” says Larry Hall, CEO of Pure Wellness. “The wellness-minded traveler makes choices that lead to a state of holistic health, and a Pure Room satisfies their need for purified air,...

BELLEVUE, WASH.—As the average person checks their phone 110 times per day, it’s no surprise that there’s a need to recharge and go off the grid, and a likely reason why wellness tourism is on the rise. Combined with people’s increased awareness of the growing threats to our natural resources and interest in eco-friendly experiences, traveling to America’s great national parks has never been more appealing. Based on recent Expedia Group data, travel to America’s national parks is booming, indicating the various opportunities for hoteliers to capitalize on the interest in key national park markets, including Moab, Yellowstone, Yosemite and...

You do not have to look far to find examples of human rights violations by Saudi Arabia. Last year’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul is a recent prominent example. Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the war in Yemen is another example. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, 56,000 civilians and combatants were killed in Yemen between January 2016 and October 2018. Terrible for such a small nation. It is certainly challenging to lift Saudi Arabia up as a country to emulate but some recent news out of the country on...