Climate change will impact all aspects of tourism, particularly lodging. From construction to operations, from changes in market mix and demand to risk mitigation, we must adapt to the new reality.
Prohibiting development will not necessarily achieve the desired results. Tourism is a force for good and can change lives through job creation and other benefits to the destination. The mitigation strategy that is missing is education.
The good news is that hotels can achieve decarbonisation more easily if compared with airline or shipping industry. At least looking at Scopes 1 and 2 of the GHG protocol, changes in energy sources can be achieved in relatively short time by making investments, as the technology, i.e.
Like many other sectors of the economy, the hospitality sector assumes that forecasts and strategies for the future can be derived from a look at past developments. In view of the transgression of planetary boundaries (including climate change and the loss of biodiversity), our world will undergo massive change.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) is proud to announce its newest higher education partnership with the University of South Carolina. Through this collaboration, the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management at the university will co-create research projects with the Alliance, aimed at advancing the vision of Net Positive Hospitality for the industry.
Yesterday, Hilton’s Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Global Head of Sustainability, Jean Garris Hand, testified on behalf of Hilton and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade and Export Promotion. The hearing, titled “Sustainable Tourism for a Thriving Economy,” explored how to build a sustainable travel and tourism sector while balancing the needs of businesses, visitors, and local communities.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and IncentiFind today announced a new partnership to help AHLA’s more than 30,000 members identify sustainability-related cost savings.
I believe the true definition of a meaningful guest experience is one that drives someone to say, "You just have to go there!" to their family, friends, or followers. In addition, aside from delighting guests, exceeding expectations, and creating "wow" moments, great meaningful experiences can also generate curiosity, open minds to possibility, and become a catalyst for positive behavioural change.
A meaningful guest experience entails genuine human connection(s) with local host(s) while being able to embrace and respect the sensitivities of natural ecosystems within a destination. Some of the most inspiring and memorable guest experiences I've had were those where I made friends, learned new skills, tested my own abilities, and challenged my thinking. Meaningful experiences also broaden my horizon on new ways of living and doing better business, for example, learning how to upcycle waste materials creatively in design and construction, or to innovate with local ingredients and materials.
Newport Hospitality Group (NHG), a leading hotel management company, is proud to announce its ongoing support for the Falcon Children’s Home Golf Tournament, a charitable initiative benefiting the Falcon Children’s Home.
As the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, we wholeheartedly agree that sustainability is critical in crafting meaningful guest experiences. To us, a meaningful guest experience goes beyond comfort and convenience. It is about engaging guests in a journey of learning and contributing to sustainability, making them feel part of a larger purpose. It could be as simple as educating guests about local culture and conservation efforts or as immersive as involving them in community projects.
Sustainability is critical in crafting meaningful guest experiences that go beyond comfort and convenience. It is about engaging guests in a journey of learning and contributing to sustainability, making them feel part of a larger purpose.
The way we look at sustainability is mostly driven by doing less harm than contributing positively to a better world. But we need to move on from a footprint approach to a handprint logic, which focuses more on how tourism can change attitudes and values if we really want to create change.
For me an experience is meaningful when it touches my essence as a human being and helps me to understand myself, others, and nature more profoundly. This summer I was a guest at the TCI Marina di Camerota Village (Italy). I went reluctantly to accompain my ageing parents.
When architect and developer Bruce Redman Becker envisioned the opportunity to create Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton which opened in May 2022, he set an ambitious goal to achieve something no one else in the U.S. had ever done—to create a hotel that operated fully on renewable energy, without any use of fossil fuels.
The Penn State School of Hospitality Management’s Food Decisions Research Laboratory (FDRL), directed by Amit Sharma, Edward Friedman and Stuart Mann Professor of Hospitality Management and associate director of the School of Hospitality Management, has launched a project that helps addresses food insecurity in Centre County, Pennsylvania. The FDRL Free Food Map identifies locations throughout Centre County and others across the state that offer free food to those in need. The project, produced in collaboration with the YMCA of Centre County, is particularly timely, as September is Hunger Action Month in Centre County. This proclamation by the Centre County Board of Commissioners is intended to draw attention to and provide support for the county’s nearly 8% of residents that experience food insecurity. Using the FDRL Free Food Map, community members can identify free food distribution sites in their vicinity. After selecting a site on the map, they can obtain further information, including the site’s name or affiliate organization, address and distribution days or hours. Map users can also learn more about the site’s food-distribution-eligibility requirements and find contact information. Beyond addressing community need, Sharma explained that the project provides a unique opportunity for students. “The Free Food Map project engages students in conducting active research projects that are highly relevant to the community. Also, importantly, the project emphasizes the school’s commitment to approaching our activities with a focus on sustainable development,” he said. Sharma further detailed that the project aligns with one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, goals which Penn State uses as a guiding framework for its broader sustainability efforts. “Sustainable Goal No. 2 emphasizes our need for a hunger-free world — zero hunger,” Sharma said. “It is therefore relevant for us to look at the needs of our communities when it comes to those areas of our expertise. Michael Matthews, a senior majoring in hospitality management at Penn State, worked on the Free Food Map project as a part of his studies. “The Free Food Map Project will do so much good to combat food insecurity and the stigma surrounding the processes to acquire food," said Matthews. "I believe this project has personally become one of several ways in which professionals of my industry can define ‘service.’” The Free Food Map is an ongoing project, and the FDRL aims to expand the map’s coverage to include all of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and beyond. Those with comments or feedback on the project are invited to send their inquiries to Kimberly Impellitteri, research and teaching labs coordinator in the School of Hospitality Management, at [email protected]. About the School of Hospitality Management Established in 1937, Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected schools of hospitality management. Its top-ranked undergraduate and doctoral programs prepare global leaders with a rigorous, diverse curriculum focused, since its inception, on engaged scholarship, featuring partnerships with Penn State's Hospitality Services, Housing and Food Services, and top global hospitality brands. It is also home to the oldest Penn State alumni program group, the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society. For more information about the school, contact Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Endowed Director of the school, at [email protected] or 814-865-0081. LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
The wildfires raging through Maui have been nothing short of devastating, destroying more than 2,500 acres of land and claiming the lives of more than 100 residents. While nothing can take away the pain the people of Maui are experiencing, Hilton, which has operated in Hawaii for more than 60 years, has been doing its part to help by contributing nearly $500,000 to local relief efforts, in addition to providing emergency housing and critical supplies to the community.
Today, Collective Retreats, a pioneer in experiential outdoor hospitality, has announced The Conservatory, a community of design-forward hotels for nature enthusiasts. A first of its kind, The Conservatory presents a portfolio of nature-based, artfully designed properties that expand upon their locations' culture, environment, and history.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association, in partnership with the Hawai‘i Hotel Alliance, is working with the State of Hawai‘i to support relief efforts in West Maui following devastating wildfires fueled by Hurricane Dora.
The most effective strategies for securing green finance would seem to focus on evidence of financial stability and ability to repay financing in a timely manner and the opportunity for lending institutions to apply an organization's documented environmental, social and governance value (ESG) efforts to their corporate reporting. Investment Business Daily recently noted that "Investors want stocks to align with ESG values". An article in Hotel Tech Report in February of 2023 details the ESG process for the hotel industry. https://hoteltechreport.com/news/hotel-sustainability-statistics
Green finance is still emerging and defining itself. As such, it currently raises more questions than it provides answers for hospitality professionals, especially among family or small businesses and independent operators who cannot dedicate their limited resources to stay up to date with such specific and technical trends. As a result green investment is very often considered as an extra cost with no short-term benefits and uncertain long-term benefits.
As an alliance our role is to unify the hospitality industry towards a more sustainable future. We aim to propel the sector towards a state of Net Positive, where the industry not only thrives but enriches our destinations, by giving back more than it takes, across people, planet, and place (the destination). We exist to convene the industry, collate knowledge and best practice and create an industry movement.
The most effective strategy - start with talking to your financier.....they are the experts and will know the options that are available and how your business aligns with requirements. They will also be able to unpack and present the best solutions for how green financing options suit your needs, strategies and sustainability journey.
"There is sufficient global capital to close the global investment gaps but there are barriers to redirect capital to climate action." (IPCC Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023, p. 80). The hospitality industry is increasingly turning to green finance to fund projects that seek to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability.
Our role as an alliance is to unify the hospitality industry and propel it towards a state of Net Positive, where the industry thrives and enriches destinations. Today I am confident the sustainability movement is underway and we are seeing a subtle shift to a "pre-competitive" mindset where hotels share best practice, including information about financing sustainable initiatives.
AHLA Foundation has awarded $500,000 in inaugural No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Survivor Fund grants to four community-based organizations that serve human trafficking survivors.