Environmental

Critical to the energy efficiency of any building is the quality of the window itself – its ability to insulate from infrared heat, potentially harmful UV rays, visible light, and cold air. Joseph Harary, President and CEO, Director, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary for Research Frontiers, says 18 to 20 percent of a building’s energy footprint is from windows.

Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced that it’s expanding an initiative to replace tiny, single-use toiletry bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel in guestroom showers with larger, pump-topped bottles.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced a partnership with technology company Winnow to help its hotels automatically track, measure and reduce food waste for more sustainable and efficient restaurant and bar operations.

With 13 years of building to LEED standards under its belt, it is no surprise that The Duffie Companies’ first hotel project would be a LEED one. With the Home2 Suites by Hilton Silver Spring (Md.), however, The Duffie Companies has gone far beyond basic LEED certification; the hotel is on the way to becoming one of just seven LEED Platinum hotels or resorts in North America.

UK company Oomph has launched a plastic-free hotel keycard for the sustainable hotelier, made entirely from wood fibre. With similar performance to plastic, the FSC approved Pulper® paper key card works with leading door lock manufacturers using contactless RFID and magnetic stripe technology.

Legislation introduced by California Assembly Member Ash Kalra and coauthored by Assembly Member Mark Stone would eliminate the small, single-use plastic bottles used to provide amenities to California lodging guests by January 1, 2023.

The hotel industry was an early adopter in embracing energy conservation and other earth friendly practices. However, sizable capital investments like HVAC upgrades, energy generation, or smart materials in renovations exceeds the short-term revenue models for today’s hotel investor. As of now, what a hotel can do has been done – switch to LED light bulbs, key entry-driven lighting, and reduced turnover of towels and linens. Although these efforts generate cost savings and matter to the environment, the investments are limited compared to what is being committed in residential and in new construction particularly in office buildings.

With all the attention given to plastic straws, stirrer sticks and cutlery over the past year, not enough attention has been given to plastic water bottle alternatives. Green Lodging News has reported on water filtration systems and glass bottle delivery of that water within the hotel. That approach is a great idea but can make only a tiny dent in the overall plastic bottle waste problem.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru connected its first RoofSolar inverter, and in doing so turned on one of the Maldives' largest resort-based solar installations.

Partnering with Clean the World, Hilton’s participating brands will recycle soap and donate to communities in need around the world