Hilton Anaheim's multimillion-dollar renovation integrated LED lighting, smart controls, and bulk amenities, achieving emissions reductions equivalent to removing 1,700 cars from the road.
Hospitality industry leaders need to act now to support its workers during the government shutdown. This is especially important due to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits program disruption. This needs to be the top issue every leadership team in the hospitality industry team is focusing on today. Thousands of hospitality and food service workers are facing immediate food insecurity and missed meals. The hospitality industry depends on these workers to deliver America’s service experience, yet we have left them in a dangerous position during this crisis. Congress must ensure SNAP continuity to protect both the workers and the industries that rely on them but until that happens, industry must take charge.
In June 2024, on World Refugee Day, over 120 million people and counting have been forcibly displaced from their homes, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This number is higher than ever before, as global conflicts and humanitarian crises–including the climate crisis–continue to force people around the world to flee their homes. As families who have had their lives upended resettle in new communities across the US, finding employment is one of the most pivotal, challenging, and rewarding steps in being able to provide for their families and reestablish roots.
Before the application of AI and ML in hospitality facilities, operations could only be controlled manually, utilizing control mechanisms and pre-set schedules, which only promoted wastage. Waste management has become less efficient due to challenges in segregating waste and monitoring the waste stream, hence more landfills and less recycling. In addition, concepts related to sustainability and providing attentive and personalized guest care were less efficient. The hospitality industry is adopting a technological innovation that will transform sustainability for hotels and resorts.
Organizational structures and job titles grow and evolve the same as every other facet of running a business and adapting to the times. Two decades ago, we may have written about the dawn of online room sales and how hotels would be wise to carve out a ‘social media manager’ role which was quite novel at the time. Today it’s all but anathema to not have a team member solely devoted to this area or specific responsibilities assigned to the marketing director, depending on the size of the company.
U.S. Travel Association recently hosted its Future of Travel Mobility conference which brought together seasoned policymakers and influential industry and business leaders to explore the exciting new innovations that will shape travel’s future—and the policies that will help us get there.
When it comes to the issue of sustainability, the industry is reaching a critical inflection point—one that will have a lasting impact on the decades ahead.
The New York Marriott Marquis hotel overlooks all the excitement and electric energy of Times Square. Inside, we've overlooked nothing in making sure to include energy efficiency as part of the hotel's complete transformation in 2022, which includes newly designed guestrooms, restaurants, and public spaces, as well as meeting and event spaces.
Electric vehicles are taking over the road. More than 1 million battery powered electric vehicles have been sold in the U.S. since 2010, but they remain underserved with only 99,325 public charging ports available at 41,145 stations across the country. Very few businesses have the capability to fill this need the way hotels can. Today, every major carmaker already offers EVs or plans to introduce them and with electric cars forecasted to surge to 10% of the United States’ new car market by 2025, there is no better opportunity than right now for hotels to have a leg up on their competition. By providing EV charging, hotels can attract more guests, appeal to desirable customers who spend more, establish their brand as a sustainability leader and improve their bottom line.
This year has been a whirlwind for the travel industry. A year marked by a global pandemic and social activism has shifted the hospitality industry as we know it, and with it, consumer demands. As travelers slowly begin to get back on the road, they're prioritizing new places and experiences while putting a greater emphasis on brands that focus on things like sustainability.
In recent years we have seen modular hotel construction follow a similar trajectory as online shopping: At first each was viewed with quizzical amusement, followed shortly thereafter by a traditionalist's disdain for the new technologies and then, ultimately, an understanding and even appreciation.
"Americans crave foods that not only nourish them but also help sustain the planet."
This report presents a metric called FRESH (for Foodservice Impact Rating for Environmentally Sustainable Hospitality Events). FRESH can be used to evaluate the performance of any foodservice meal period or event in the hospitality sector with regards to its sustainability, based on seven measurements. These measures are: a (post-consumer) food-waste indicator, a no-show indicator (when unexpectedly few people show up), an over-show measure (when too many people show up), a planning indicator (measuring intentional overproduction), a portion-size indicator (measuring per-guest consumption against expectations), an economies of scale indicator, and a post-event indicator (which depends on disposal approaches). FRESH can help managers, authorities, and potential guests evaluate the sustainability of food production in any establishment.
Recent advancements in battery technology, rising electricity demand rates, and the advent of no/low-risk financing models have made energy storage systems a financially attractive option for hoteliers. However, critical questions remain for hotel managers and owners even after they have decided to invest in energy storage: What is the best way to finance the system and how can it generate the highest ROI?
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company embarked on a three year program centered on reducing energy consumption. The purpose of the program was not only to reduce the portfolio's energy consumption and cost, but also to raise the awareness of the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton as to their personal responsibilities pertaining to energy and the environment.
The Ritz-Carlton program was a resounding success by any measure. On a portfolio basis, energy consumption was reduced by over 13% from the baseline year which gave rise to a substantial decrease in energy spend.
The author explores the connections between wellness and sustainability and uses this frame of reference to explain current trends in both soft programming and the physical design of resort hotel properties. Wellness and sustainability have very different definitions, but are often tied together in hospitality industry literature. In a foundational survey on wellness and its definition, conducted by Canyon Ranch, respondents most frequently associated the words hope, joy, and energy with wellness. These are words that are often used to describe travel and vacation experiences, especially vacations taken at resort properties. The full range of body, mind and spirit-enhancing activities constitute various dimensions of wellness. For example, one of the most popular wellness activities noted in a 2011 Values Study of Baby Boomers was simply "laughing with friends".
Executive Summary: This tool accompanies the CHR Report, "Hotel Sustainability Tool 2015: Energy, Water, and Carbon." As explained in the accompanying report, the tool consists of two outputs: full data tables, and a searchable index. Twelve full data tables are provided, each on a separate tab containing the benchmarks for a single measure. Each data table contains the list of geographies and the benchmarks per segment. The data tables can be used for research and calculation purposes for multiple properties and regions. Using the tool, a hotel could view the statistical range of the location and segment's data for the metrics of carbon footprint per room, per occupied room, and per area unit (either square foot or square meter); hotel energy use per occupied room or per area unit; and water use per occupied room or per area unit. A benchmark for HCMI carbon footprint for rooms and meeting space is also included. The benchmarks are for calendar year 2013, the most recent year with complete available data.
With the powerful travel influence of the millennial generation as well as the ever-growing needs of today's geo-traveler, the popularity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly important in the arena of hospitality. While various luxury brands and independent resorts have, over the last few years, implemented their own elementary degree of CSR programs (in which employees can partake or even the guest), today we are witnessing hospitality assets implementing interesting programs to further elevate their CSR practices into services or amenities. Hotels and brands need not spend considerable investments to implement wellness and sustainable practices into everyday operations.Like any business, hotels must hear their customers and listen to their desires and needs. Whether passions lean toward corporate citizenship, healthy living or supporting those who need assistance, it is in our human nature to do good for others. Shared here are brief examples of how hotels are elevating their corporate social responsibility initiatives to new heights while educating us on the distinction between "wellness" and "sustainability."In terms of the hospitality industry, wellness can be defined as any amenity or service that allows the guest to be in a state of good physical and mental health; sustainability can be defined as any initiative that uses water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.According to Kathy Conroy, MAI, CEO and Director/Partner of the Florida offices of HVS - one of the world's leading hospitality consulting and services firms - wellness and sustainability trends can be further broken down into three pillars: the Environment, the Economy, and the Community.To clarify, if one is to build a concept, service or product, it is necessary to initially assess the entire life cycle of what is being created, beyond the product itself. For example, when looking at the life cycle of a product, it is crucial to see where it is sourced from, how it is disposed when finished, and how it in actuality impacts the environment, economy, and community. Important questions to ask are:- Will this affect the environment? - Can I make a profit by finding ways to build this product in a sustainable manner? - Will the creation of the iPhone lead to more jobs, which will in turn help local economies and /or the overall workforce?When applied, the responses to these questions can help guide towards more reasonable, sustainable practices while remaining affordable and even profitable for the hotel or brand. In 2011, Starwood Hotels & Resorts became the first corporate partner of Clean the World, Soap Saves Lives. The Orlando, Florida-based social enterprise and global recycler collects and recycles soaps and bottled amenities. The soaps and cleaning products are sanitized, re-packaged and distributed within 60 days to children and families in the United States, Canada and more than 40 countries. (Clean the World has teamed up with more than 1,300 hospitality groups. In just three years after it was initiated, Clean the World has recycled and distributed nearly 10 million bars of soap.) By simply recycling and sanitizing soaps, shampoos and conditioners, thousands of children around the world can be protected from deadly illnesses each day; this is at no cost to the hotel or the hotel guest. It's as simple as this: Soap Saves Lives.Another company that has taken CSR practices to the next level is the Illinois based third-party management company, Spire Hospitality, which in September 2014 also partnered with Clean the World. In its more recent CSR endeavor, Spire Hospitality is working with Thrive Farmers International LLC to implement a new coffee program into its Atlanta-based Crowne Plaza Hotel that has taken the concept of farm-to-table to an entirely new level.
Executive Summary: Certain sustainability practices could be considered nearly universal in the lodging industry, based on a study of 100 resorts in the United States. Among the common green practices are water conserving fixtures and linen-reuse programs. A separate survey of 120,000 hotel customers finds that guests are generally willing to participate in sustainability programs, but the presence of green operations still do not override considerations of price and convenience in selecting a hotel. Additionally, the study finds an increased willingness to participate when hotels offer incentives, such as loyalty program points, for participating in environmental programs. Although the link between environmentally sustainable programs and improved customer satisfaction is weak compared to standard drivers like facilities, room, and food and beverage quality, hotels are increasingly expected to maintain sustainability programs as a regular feature of their business. At the same time, the study did find that environmental sustainability programs do not diminish guest satisfaction. Consequently, the decision regarding which programs to implement should rest on cost-benefit analysis and other operating considerations.
The health and wellness travel segment is growing immensely, creating a market for hotels that cater to the health-conscious guest. The EVEN and Element hotel brands are pushing the envelope, with wellness built into their very design. Health and wellness has become more than a trend or a New Year's resolution. Companies embrace it because it makes their workforces more efficient. Cruise lines and resorts offer impressive gyms and five-star fitness workshops for guests. As more and more people look to improve their lives through a healthy routine, hotel industry innovators are working to make sure that routine isn't broken when people travel.