Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) is known among outdoors enthusiasts as the operator of some of the finest mountain resort areas in the United States, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe on the California and Nevada border. But resort-goers should also be aware of Vail’s strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
Before the economic recession began dominating media coverage in late 2008, consumers and businesses were keenly focused on promoting environmental sustainability in consumer products, energy, automobiles, buildings and the hospitality sector. The government responded with targeted financial incentives to promote these initiatives. Since existing buildings contribute almost 80% of the carbon emissions in some cities through their energy use, a major focus of these efforts has been on sustainable construction. While the recession may dampen economic growth, it has not reduced the number of federal, states and local incentives for developers willing to build sustainably.
Onity today announced that Energy Products, LLC, an Authorized Onity Dealer, together with Tekplan Solutions Texas LLC, a Houston-based facility systems contractor, has completed the successful installation of Onity’s SensorStat® Wireless DDC energy management system (EMS) in 500 student residences at the North College campus housing facility at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
A worldwide first for a hospitality brand, the program comes after piloting a charging station at Starwood-owned Element Lexington which proved to be a hit with guests and locals alike. Element Hotels is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s (NYSE: HOT) new eco-chic brand.
The Customer Contact Call Center for Outrigger Enterprises Group has become truly green. Back in December 2004 I initiated a project to investigate all of the new and exciting hosted call center software applications that was available in the market. It took me approximately one and half years to analyze over a half a dozen companies. These companies were offering many different ways of being able to connect with our guests using VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol, technology. They also had many different ways of tracking the total business environment including consumer telephone call, email, fax, Internet live chat, Internet call back routing and wholesale rooming list routing which would allow wholesale to become paperless.
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.
For the second consecutive year, INNCOM International Inc., the global leader in Integrated Room Automation Systems and Energy Management applications and products for the lodging industry, has made the Connecticut Technology Council UHY LLP “Tech Top 40.” This honor is a celebration of the 40 fastest growing Connecticut-based companies in the categories of Software, IT Services, Life Sciences, New Media/Internet/Telecom, Advanced Manufacturing, and Energy Environmental Technologies.
Two years after installing one of the cleanest power generating technologies available on its roof high above Avenue of the Americas, one New York hotel is now dissolving food waste with microorganisms to reduce garbage volume. Hilton New York’s innovative approach to eco-stewardship is apparent as it marks its second year using revolutionary UTC Power fuel cell technology by introducing three new initiatives to reduce waste throughout the hotel.
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) President/CEO Joe McInerney is issuing a challenge to the industry. If the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) meets its 2009 Annual Giving goal of $115,000, Joe will work a full day at The Carlyle Suites, in Washington, D.C., as a doorman, front desk clerk, housekeeping attendant – whatever capacity they choose. Approximately $22,000 more needs to be raised to meet the goal; you can track donations here.
Choice Hotels International answers the call to service, doubling its philanthropic contributions in 2009. Heading into the busiest fundraising time of year, nonprofits are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn. Charitable giving fell last year by the largest percentage in five decades, according to a study by the Giving USA Foundation. The Foundation Center expects foundation giving to decrease 8 – 13 percent this year.
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.”
Softscribe Inc., a 10-year-old technology Internet public relations firm that drives sales for companies targeting the green tourism and hospitality, green government and related markets, today announced the Ilan Lael Foundation retained its services to develop and execute a brand strategy to build global visibility. Internationally known artist, James Hubbell, created the 501(c) (3) non-profit foundation 22 years ago with his wife, Anne. Its mission is to integrate arts, nature and beauty into the lives of individuals and communities. The Foundation maintains the Ilan-Lael property in Santa Ysabel, CA as a place for artists and the community to make the vital connection between people, art, and nature in order to create a more sustainable and harmonious world.
For the discerning and philanthropic female traveler, Hotel Derek created Lady Pink rooms. Five luxurious guest rooms featuring special amenities designed to appeal to the female traveler while at the same time helping to raise funds for the Houston chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Ten percent of the proceeds from each guest stay in a Lady Pink guest room will be donated.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announces the opening of its first hotel in Colorado and fifth Element hotel globally – Element Denver Park Meadows. And later this week, Starwood’s green trailblazer will open its sixth hotel – Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North.
Seattle, the so-called "Emerald City," is one of the greenest cities in the United States. Since launching a wide-ranging energy conservation initiative in 1977, the City of Seattle has established environmental responsibility as a fundamental element of its culture. This article looks at the growth of sustainable development in the city, including the recent opening of Seattle's first LEED-certified hotel, the Hyatt at Olive 8.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the largest national and state park concessioner in the United States. Their operations span the country from the wilderness of Ohio's state parks to the stark desert of Death Valley. The company’s legacy in the hospitality industry extends more than a century, back to when the Fred Harvey Company began providing quality hotels and restaurants for weary travelers making their way West. Since its inception, the company has held environmental sustainability as a core value, which runs from the boardroom, to each and every one of the guestrooms and dining rooms that they manage across the nation.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announces the debut of the Aloft® brand’s first adaptive re-use project in the heart of downtown Dallas. Offering jet-setting style at a steal, Aloft Dallas Downtown opens in a historic railroad freight depot, now transformed into the city’s newest destination sensation complete with 193 spacious, loft-like rooms, accessible technology and a hip, social atmosphere.
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee today offered a preview of the enhanced NBTA CSR Toolkit, created to help companies launch and effectively execute travel-related corporate social responsibility initiatives. The reformatted toolkit, designed as an interactive resource guide rather than a printed publication, offers corporations added insights into emerging CSR concepts.
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced that the company’s first LEED-certified hotel in Canada hosted its groundbreaking ceremony on May 26, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. It was attended by local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Saint-Hyacinthe, Claude Bernier, who spoke about the positive economical impact the new property will have on the city.
Cypress Bath, Bed & Spa, the leading designer and manufacturer of luxury bathrobes, towels, slippers, and sheets for the global hospitality and spa industries, has announced that Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa has chosen their environmentally-friendly Green Earth towel for property-wide use. A recently completed six-month pilot program by Gaia demonstrated credible and successful results to prove Cypress’ claim that the Green Earth towel provided energy savings, detergent use reductions and lowered water usage.