New York to roll out small shampoo bottle ban at hotels
New York state will be mandating hotels to forgo small bottles containing "hospitality care" products such as shampoo and lotions.
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A global conference, a divisive challenge: Hospitality student faces the fallout of “unaligned values” during group project
Imagine a room full of college seniors all passionate about the same field and each recognized for academic excellence. One would think such individuals, specifically chosen for their demonstrated commitment to their future careers, would produce the ideal small groups to work together on a unique project. Turns out, it’s not that simple.
Climate Change Is Making Travel That Much Harder
In June, Amtrak’s Albany, N.Y, to Montreal train route was cancelled due to excessive heat. Service was suspended because a 47-mile stretch of the trip took four hours after the train was forced to slow to 10 miles per hour. The speed restriction was imposed because temperatures above 86°F (30°C) can make the rails misalign and cause derailment. In July, rail service between Albany and New York City was suspended after heavy rains completely washed out the tracks near the city of Poughkeepsie.
The Hotel Industry’s Carbon Lie
Behold the hotel of the future: It’s plastic bottle-free, anti-fossil fuel, and powered entirely by renewable energy. A renovation project, it gives new life to existing structures of concrete and steel, and reuses door frames, light fixtures, and even tile. All of its guest rooms are decorated with locally made furnishings upholstered in sustainably sourced fabrics. It’s LEED Platinum—one of just about a dozen hotels in the US to claim the organization’s highest rank. And it’s the first US hotel to receive Passive House designation, granted to buildings that meet stringent net-zero energy requirements.
Can the Hotel Industry Reach a Carbon Positive Future?
The environmental impact of new construction is both dire and intensifying. Not only do buildings account for nearly 40 percent of greenhouse emissions in the United States, but the world builds the square footage of New York City every 35 days. Seeking to circumvent this trend, real estate developer Urban Villages is envisioning a first-of-its-kind hotel opening in Denver next year. Designed by Studio Gang, the 265-room Populus will become the country’s first carbon positive hotel thanks to sustainable construction and a substantial ecological effort offsite that involves planting trees across 5,000 acres of forest.
Hawaii Is Rethinking Tourism. Here’s What That Means for You
John De Fries still recalls fishing the waters off Waikiki Beach in Oahu as a kid in the 1960s. “Growing up, my family fishing grounds were a source of food first and recreation second,” he says. “Today they’re a playground surrounded by hotels.”
This revived architectural landmark could be the first net-zero hotel in the US
Bruce Becker has spent nearly his entire adult life designing buildings -- 33 years to be exact.For the 62-year-old architect and developer, one building in particular has consumed his time for the past few years. In 2019, Becker's firm, Becker + Becker, bought a local landmark and registered Historic Place in New Haven, Connecticut, for $1.2 million to realize his vision of a net-zero hotel -- believed to be the first of its kind in the US."You have to reuse, recycle and reinvent existing buildings to be truly sustainable," Becker says.
United Airlines invests in carbon-capture project to be 100% green by 2050
United Airlines said on Thursday it had committed to a multimillion-dollar investment in a project to remove carbon dioxide from the air through air direct-capture technology as part of a plan to be 100% "green" by 2050.
Travel’s Green Revolution Remains a Work in Progress
Overtourism, flight shaming, climate strikes, and global warming are each major issues with serious ramifications for the global travel sector. Until recently, though, industry leaders haven't had much to say about their efforts to change the status quo.
California Bill Moves To Ban Mini Hotel Toiletry Bottles
Do you use those tiny toiletry bottles in hotels? Maybe you take them home and stockpile them. But have you thought about how much plastic that is? Legislators in California have. In April, members of the state assembly voted to replace small plastic bottles with dispensers or bottles larger than 12 ounces. If approved, as expected, by the governor, the bill would go into effect in 2023 — banning little shampoo, conditioner and body wash bottles in hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts and vacation rentals.
The Arctic Circle is getting a hotel that produces more energy than it uses
With the Arctic Circle opening up more and more to tourism, maintaining the delicate eco-system is a concern for sustainable travellers. Now a concept for an "energy positive" hotel may help that.
Tourism In Antarctica Funds Scientific Expeditions | tourism-review.com
There are two things that are increasing in the Antarctic Peninsula: temperature and tourism.
An unprecedented temperature of 17.5°C was recorded by the World Meteorological Organization at Base Esperanza, in Argentina in March 2015.Various experts blame the growing amounts of visitors for the higher temperatures and call for regulated tourism.
As of July 2017, there are 63 vessels registered in the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, including some big names in the cruise industry such as Hurtigruten, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Silversea and Celebrity Cruises.
New York Hotels Make a Green Pledge | NYtimes.com
Seventeen notable New York City hotels have committed to getting greener.
Marquee properties like the Waldorf Astoria New York, Grand Hyatt New York, Loews Regency New York and the Peninsula New York recently joined the NYC Carbon Challenge, a program Michael R. Bloomberg started as mayor in 2007 with the city’s universities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals, commercial office buildings and multifamily residences were eventually added, and in late December, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the initiative would expand to include hotels.
Which hotel chain has the smallest carbon footprint? | latimes.com
If you want to shrink your carbon footprint when you check into a hotel, you may be better off staying at a mid-range or budget chain hotel. That's the conclusion from a report released last week by Vermont-based Brighter Planet, the eco-minded tech firm that creates digital apps and other technology to measure environmental impacts. The report said the nation’s hotels use 4% of all commercial building energy per year and generate 34.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Cornell Roundtable Discussion Focuses on Opportunities and Challenges of Sustainability
Hotel and restaurant operators are making large steps toward sustainable operations and the industry discussions have evolved significantly over the past few years. But the industry faces numerous issues in determining what strategies work best, especially since sustainability involves so many diverse aspects and stakeholders of hospitality operations. Participants in the Cornell Hospitality Sustainability Roundtable, held November 16 in New York City, examined the key issues in sustainability—including customer demand, cost effectiveness, supplier and stakeholder engagement, global trends, and system-wide implementation. The roundtable was opened by Professor Rohit Verma, executive director of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, and chaired by Associate Professor Alex Susskind.
For Hotels, Eco-Friendly Ideas Await a Friendlier Economy | nytimes.com
Hotels eager to satisfy the growing desire of business travelers for eco-friendly lodging are finding that their environmental ambitions have run headlong into the harsh realities of the recession. When the economy was thriving, developers were promoting environmental flourishes like roof gardens, floors of reclaimed wood, and solar panels. When the Orchard Garden Hotel opened in San Francisco in 2006, it featured furniture made from sustainably grown wood.
Hotel chains try to out-green each other | chron.com
U.S. hotel companies are competing to out-green each other nowadays. The proof? In the past two weeks, two major chains have announced ambitious environmental goals. Last Wednesday, Marriott International announced that it had retooled its 31-year-old Bethesda, Md., headquarters to win LEED Gold status — the second-highest environmental rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council — and pledged that within five years, 300 of the chain's 3,300 hotels worldwide would receive LEED certification. At the moment, 40 of the company's hotels are either registered to receive LEED certification or already have it.
Kimpton Hotels championing greener hospitality | greenrightnow.com
Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants realized early on that green grows like that. The hospitality chain, with roots in San Francisco, has a history of putting eco-friendly ideas in place. Even before green hotel or green restaurant designations were developed, Kimpton was experimenting with eco-friendly practices at its San Francisco properties, such as the Hotel Triton, where motion sensors turn off lights and 60 percent of the waste gets recycled.
Getting the Guests to Sort (at Starwood's Element hotels) | nytimes.com
While some hotels sort and recycle guests’ trash after it leaves the room, hospitality executives say starting an in-room recycling program is a lot more complicated than simply placing blue bins under the desks. “It’s challenging,” said Brian McGuinness, a senior vice president at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which offers in-room recycling at its Element hotels and plans to introduce similar programs at other brands by the end of 2010. “These initiatives sound easy in theory, but in practice it’s quite a different story.”
Technology Advances, Price Retreats Spur New Solar Ventures | nytimes.com
Technology advances and falling prices for solar technology have opened the gates for solar installations by businesses with no background in electricity generation. Real estate managers, developers, hotels, supermarkets and others are tapping solar power alongside electric utilities and getting paid for it.