Purpose & Food: the easiest and most effective ways for impact reduction
Considering the scale, scope and pressing nature of the major sustainability challenges at hand:
View by Jerome Pagnier, Co-Founder, WiseFins
Sustainability
Expert Views (14)
Natasha Montesalvo, Director of Research and Policy and Principal Consultant – Destinations, Strategy and Insights, EarthCheck
For me, it is not a case of which, it is about marrying the two. When it comes to radical changes or incremental shifts, action was required decades ago, the greatest risk of all is not doing anything. Therefore, the pathway to sustainability requires a thoughtful blend of continuous improvement and radical change.
Johanna Wagner, CEO of Agence HoPe | Sustainability Guest Lecturer, ESSEC IMHI
In the hospitality industry - just like in the business world in general - a paradigm shift is necessary , which calls for radical changes. I see 3 priorities that are implementable by key hospitality stakeholders if they decide to work together (which can be a radical change for some of them already…): Hotel operators and their suppliers: Zero plastic Hotel investors and franchisors: Zero land take All: choose and aim for new KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for the industry, before and above financial results, which would inspire hospitality leaders in their mission.
Malu Boerwinkel, MSc, Lecturer- Researcher Sustainability, Hotel Management School Maastricht
The challenges facing decoupling and green growth in the hospitality industry are evident, with current mainstream practices yielding insufficient progress. However, a departure from the prevalent notion that decoupling and tourism growth can happen simultaneously, coupled with a redirection towards an alternative paradigm of value creation in the form of regenerative hospitality, shows a more promising futureproof path for our industry.
Green Key Global and BWH Hotels Announce Partnership to Drive Environmental Sustainability Across Properties in U.S. and Canada
Green Key Global, the leading sustainability certification organization for the hotel and lodging industry in North America, is proud to announce its partnership with BWH Hotels as a preferred supplier of certification for hotel operations' environmental sustainability practices in the United States and Canada.
Measuring Climate Risk to Improve Tourism Resilience
Should we stop building hotels in risk areas? That's a loaded question and depends on how risks are assessed. Has the assessment included all "natural" hazards like earthquakes, floods, GLOFs, hurricanes, landslides, heat waves and drought? What about anthropogenic hazards like industrial accidents and terrorism? More importantly, does the assessment include the impacts of climate change over time? It has to.
View by Trevor Girard, Director of Standards, Hotel Resilient
On a path toward responsible asset management
Coming from a hotel asset management perspective and based on my empirical observations these last years, it seems to me that hotel values (both of existing properties and of development projects) dangerously ignore climate risks.
View by Johanna Wagner, CEO of Agence HoPe | Sustainability Guest Lecturer, ESSEC IMHI
Transforming Hospitality: Sustainable Approaches in Hotel Development and Climate-Adapted Living
As hotel asset valuations are increasingly linked to sustainability features and environmental risk exposure, do you foresee this trend changing the overall approach to hotel development and, if so, how?
View by Marloes Knippenberg, CEO, Kerten Hospitality
Developing Hotels in The Face of Climate Change
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.
View by Jonathon Day, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue
Expert Views (15)
Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Responsible Hospitality | Marketing & Training | sarahhabsburg.com, sarahhabsburg
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.
Swantje Lehners, Managing Director of Projects and Cooperations, Futouris e.V.
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.
Frauke Fischer, Founder, Agentur Auf!
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 University of South Carolina Partners with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance to Drive Net Positive Hospitality
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.
Hilton’s Vice President of ESG and Global Head of Sustainability Represents AHLA, Highlights ‘Responsible Stay’ in Senate
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.
AHLA partners with IncentiFind to identify sustainability-related savings for owners, operators
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.
Meaningful Guest Experiences as a Catalyst for Change
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.
View by Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, Responsible Hospitality | Marketing & Training | sarahhabsburg.com, sarahhabsburg
Meaningful guest experiences - best practices from Sri Lanka
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.
View by Chalana Perera, Founder – RETRACE™ Hospitality, RETRACE™ Hospitality
Newport Hospitality Group Continues Annual Support for Falcon Children’s Home Golf Tournament
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.
Beyond Comfort: Crafting Transformative Guest Experiences through Sustainable Hospitality
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.
View by Glenn Mandziuk, President & CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
Expert Views (13)
Glenn Mandziuk, President & CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
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.
Andreas Koch, Managing Director, blueContec GmbH
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.
Elena Cavagnaro, Professor of Sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism, Stenden (CHN)
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.
Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton Becomes First Certified Passive House Hotel in US
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.
Free Food Map identifies resources for those in need
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
Hilton Supports Maui Wildfire Relief Efforts with Nearly $500,000 Contributed to Local Organizations
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.
The Conservatory Introduces a Hospitality Collective of Nature-based Stays and Experiences
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.