Emerson (NYSE: EMR) today announced it has completed the purchase of Verdant, a leader in energy management solutions for the hotel and hospitality industries. The addition of Verdant broadens Emerson's growing energy management and optimization capabilities for residential and commercial applications.
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) recently partnered with international nonprofit organization It's a Penalty to support anti-human trafficking efforts leading up to the Big Game in Miami on Feb. 2. As one of the world's leading hotel companies, IHG condemns human trafficking in all forms and is committed to raising awareness and aiding prevention of the crime, recently highlighting companywide training efforts during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
PM Hotel Group announced today that it has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership. As of January 2020, PM Hotel Group is exclusively purchasing Green power to meet 100% of the electricity needs for their entire hotel portfolio. PM Hotel Group is the first Top-100 hotel management company in the U.S. to be recognized by the EPA and to take this portfolio-wide pledge.
Since 2018, Airbnb has proudly partnered with Polaris-a leading anti-trafficking organization and operator of the US Human Trafficking Hotline-to combine their world-renowned expertise with the innovation and scale of the sharing economy to take a modern approach to preventing modern slavery.
In a major step toward sustainability, USC Hotel has achieved certification from the nonprofit Green Seal organization, a national leader in setting environmental standards. To earn certification, the hotel underwent a full year of an in-depth audit of purchasing records, practices and on-site inspections to meet Green Seal's GS-33 green lodging standard.
Boone Center, Inc. (BCI) and Midas Hospitality recently joined forces to establish a Hospitality Housekeeping program at BCI Skills Center, a first-of-its-kind vocational training facility for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Today, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) led a national dialogue with hundreds of mayors around the country to advance solutions to stop human trafficking in hotels. President and CEO Chip Rogers hosted a panel of leading Mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayor's 88th Winter Meeting to explore the coordination between the hotel industry and mayors as they partner to deploy targeted strategies and take action to combat trafficking in cities across the country.
Omni Hotels & Resorts, the Official Hotel of the PGA TOUR, today announced its new partnership with PGA TOUR golfers Scott Stallings and Kevin Kisner. Both Stallings and Kisner hold three PGA TOUR victories each and Kisner is currently ranked 30th in the Official World Golf Rankings and finished ninth in the 2019 FedExCup final standings.As ambassadors for Omni, Stallings and Kisner will actively engage with the brand through social media and will attend various Omni-sponsored events during tournaments to share more about Omni Hotels & Resorts, as well as playing an integral role in the Birdies-or-Better campaign, Omni's charitable initiative with the TOUR.
Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox and a coalition of like-minded CEOs have collectively committed to the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge. Mr. Maddox added his name to the pledge which commits companies to prioritize diversity and inclusion as an imperative part of workplace culture.
According to the latest travelhorizons™ survey of U.S. adults conducted by MMGY Global, it is clear many travelers acknowledge their travel may negatively impact the environment. And, nearly four in ten of these travelers (37%) believe that tourism overcrowding is now a serious issue.
January is recognized as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the U.S. and IHG®, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has intensified its ongoing effort to fight human trafficking. The company has introduced new programs, tools and resources for colleagues to increase awareness and aid prevention of human trafficking, including a free training available to all IHG-branded hotels worldwide, including more than 4,200 properties in the Americas.
Lucky Shepherd announces the launch of its Shepherd Eco sustainable hospitality brand with a flagship location in Wynwood, Miami. The project, developed by Shepherd Atma and Hoar Program Management (HPM), with Touzet Studio as architect and Gensler as interior design, is slated to open late 2022.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has announced the creation of 700 new full-time work-from-home positions, significantly expanding its remote career program and flexible work opportunities across the United States.
Sustainability initiatives in the hospitality industry address an extensive variety of issues. Each year for the past 10 years, The Center for Hospitality Research at The School of Hotel Administration in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, has hosted a Sustainability Roundtable that focuses on issues in the hospitality industry. This year, participants representing the sectors of hotels, restaurants, non-profits and academic institutions, gathered to discuss the pressing issue of Excess Food or Food Rescue (formerly known as Food Waste). Session topics included engaging stakeholders in the process of managing excess food, reducing excess food in the service industry and creating a market for food rescue. These complex issues were examined from the perspectives of supply chain, tactical practices (such as food preparation and dealing with true waste), and food re-distribution.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is proud to reach the milestone of donating more than 1 million meals through its Feeding Forward program, which safely recovers unserved food from conventions, mini bars and warehouses to help feed those in Southern Nevada suffering from food insecurity. In addition, the company has donated over 500,000 meals through Restaurant Week and Backpacks for Kids, which are also part of Feeding Forward. The food donation portion of the program started in 2016 and works as a partnership with Three Square food bank.
Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, and Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) one of the world's largest hotel franchisors, launched the second year of their partnership with the debut of the "Choice Salutes" campaign. Kicking off today, the campaign will run throughout Veteran's Day weekend as the two organizations will be thanking military families for their service with family travel and reunion opportunities, and various regional events and celebrations. Additionally, travelers who book direct on ChoiceHotels.com/Salute between November 8 and November 11 will receive 15% off stays through December 30, and a portion of the proceeds from reservations made will go to Operation Homefront to help serve America's military families.
In celebration of America's service members, MGM Resorts International will host "A Salute to the Troops" honoring more than 80 wounded warriors and their guests over Veterans Day weekend. In its ninth year, the five-day program in collaboration with American Airlines and the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore (United Service Organizations), USO Camp Pendleton and USO Las Vegas will be an extended weekend of relaxation, entertainment and sightseeing for active duty service members traveling from the Washington, D.C., and southern California areas.
Native plants are not only beautiful, but they often serve valuable, practical functions in their ecosystem. Hoping to serve as an industry model, Hilton Waikoloa Village has transformed its landscaping to revitalize native ecosystems.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, a leading upper midscale hotel brand, and the USO, a nonprofit whose mission is to strengthen service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, are partnering on a program to reunite military families. With the Rewarding Those Who Serve campaign, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson is donating 12 million Radisson Rewards points to the USO to help several military families travel this holiday season and reunite with their loved ones. Additionally, from now through the end of January 2020, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson is donating $5 from each night's stay to the USO when guests book via ILoveThisCountry.com using the promo code CISUSO5 by January 12, 2020.
Hilton today announced that it has achieved its Operation: Opportunity target of hiring 30,000 veterans, military spouses and caregivers over the past six years across hotels, corporate offices and work-from-home positions in the United States. To celebrate the milestone and honor National Veterans and Military Families Month, Hilton has pledged to build on its reputation as a military-friendly company and expand its commitment to hire 25,000 additional veterans, military spouses and caregivers by 2025. Additionally, it will provide enhanced training and development opportunities and comprehensive benefits truly tailored for the veteran community. Hilton's hiring commitment remains the largest in the hospitality industry and one of the largest in the U.S. private sector.