But even more substantial is its affinity to sustainability: the spa resort garnered EarthCheck Silver Certification, which recognizes the hotel’s outstanding sustainability initiatives.

EarthCheck is a program used by travel and tourism institutions around the world to validate and illustrate carbon claims and environmental programs, and is the largest environmental benchmarking, certification and management system in the industry.

Raising environmnental awareness

The 144-room and bungalows resort is also home to the Moorea Dolphin Center, which donates a substantial portion of its proceeds to marine wildlife research and research grants; and the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, serving as a hospital to ill and injured turtles from surrounding islands.

The clinic is managed by the non-profit foundation, Te Mana o Te Moana, for which Richard H. Bailey, the resort’s owner, is a founding member.

The resort is also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN), as well as the international “Reef Check” program, a voluntary-based research organization which observes local marine growth and educates the public for a better understanding of coral biology.

Appreciation for natural beauty

The overwater bungalows, majestically floating over the ocean, enjoy hugely improved direct access to the water with the creation of a sea-level platform and ladder, as well as an outdoor shower.

The bungalow terrace extensions are shaded by a thatched gazebo furnished with a table and chairs for outside entertainment and also feature a solarium area with lounge chairs for sun bathing.  Each of the 17 Garden Bungalows features private Infinity plunge pools, and a flight of steps and a beachside outdoor shower have been added for convenient beach access.

The heart of the hotel has been transformed with the creation of two new Infinity pools between the newly landscaped restaurant terrace and the main beach. Overlooking the picturesque blue waters of the South Pacific, the new resort pool is located at the top of the main beach, measures 3,875 square feet and boasts spectacular views of the lagoon and ocean as water cascades down from a smaller Infinity pool built above.

In addition to a swim-up bar where guests can enjoy a tropical cocktail, a landscaped outdoor terrace has been created as an extension of the Fare Hana restaurant where guests can dine on exquisite cuisine overlooking one of the most picturesque settings in the world.

For more information, visit www.moorea.intercontinental.com.

“This data confirms something we’ve long suspected,” says Alison Presley, manager of Travelocity’s Travel for Good® program. “Our eco-friendly hotels care deeply about the entire experience they provide and that attention to detail translates into an awesome stay overall.”

Happy customers

Online, customers can rate its hotels on a scale of 1-5 smiley faces. When the company studied the reviews for green hotels, a fascinating trend emerged. Consumers gave 83 percent of non-green hotels three smiley faces or more–but they gave a whopping 94 percent of green hotels three smiley faces or more.

Travelocity currently lists over 2,000 hotels in its Green Hotel Directory, and is currently the only major online travel company that flags green hotels site-wide with an eco-friendly tag. In an effort to prevent “greenwashing”, they do not accept “self-certified” hotels into the directory – instead the company works with an elite group of certification programs to ensure that each hotel in its program is making significant strides in sustainability.

For the It’s Good to Be Green sale, travelers can save up to 30 percent on more than 160 eco-friendly hotels around the world that have an average rating of 3.5 smiley faces or higher.

Ongoing green

Travelocity doesn’t just promote eco-friendly products–the company is also working hard to reduce its own footprint and to promote sustainability within the travel industry. The company’s sustainability efforts start at home with its LEED-certified Silver headquarters. And to date, Travelocity and its customers have helped The Conservation Fund plant more than 24,000 trees across five national wildlife refuges that will trap an estimated 25,400 metric tons of CO2 over the life of those forests.

The company is also a founding member of the Tourism Sustainability Council, which is working toward a more sustainable future for the industry.

Unique in many ways, h2hotel is located within 10 miles of 100 wineries and just a little more than an hour’s drive from San Francisco.

From old to new

From the very beginning, the project’s developers had sustainability in mind. The hotel was built on the site of a former Chevron station.

Circe Sher, marketing director for h2hotel, says some of the soil had to be removed from the site.

The new building features an undulating living roof that takes up about 75 percent of the rooftop area.

“It has an aesthetic quality, filters water, and provides insulation,” said Sher.

The roof adds green space to the property, minimizes the heat island effect and also provides a habitat for local birds, bees and butterflies. Water captured from the roof is stored in cisterns in the basement. That water is then used for a “Spoonfall” water sculpture located in the entry courtyard.

The sculpture is made from thousands of espresso spoons.

The façade of the building features local Forest Stewardship Council certified redwood slat screens, which function as shading devices, and Corten steel railings on private balconies. Bike racks are also made from Corten steel. The steel rusts easily, providing a weathered look.

At the rear of the property is an outdoor swimming pool that is heated using a solar thermal system. Photovoltaic panels on the roof supply a portion of the hotel’s electricity. The hotel is located adjacent to Foss Creek where a 3,000-square-foot meadow is located.

Hotel personnel are working to help to restore the creek by planting native plants with the assistance of Riverkeepers and Trout Unlimited. The proceeds from the sale of stainless steel water bottles at the hotel benefit creek restoration efforts.

Sustainable from the inside, out

Inside h2hotel, as much reclaimed and sustainable materials and products as possible were used.

“A lot of our furniture is made from reclaimed wood,” Sher says.

Bed frames and cabinetry are made from reclaimed woods such as American elm, acacia, and black walnut. Guestrooms feature bamboo flooring. Concrete flooring is used in public areas on the first floor. It includes fly ash as an ingredient.

The meeting room floor consists of reclaimed gym floor from a gym in Portland, Ore. All textiles, including chemical-free, fair trade Peace Industry wool felt rugs and 100 percent organic cotton linens, are loomed from all-natural fibers. All paints used have no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Custom made water (h2O) bars serving purified sparkling and still water are located on each floor for guests to fill glass water carafes offered in the rooms. Plastic water bottles are not offered to guests.

Low-flow, dual flush toilets help conserve water and a key card-based guestroom energy management system and variable refrigerant volume air-conditioning system help to reduce energy costs. Natural bath amenities are offered to guests and green cleaners are used by housekeepers. In the hotel’s Spoonbar restaurant, local items are emphasized. The restaurant even has a “farm to glass” cocktail program.

In addition to the Spoonfall sculpture mentioned earlier, other art is prevalent throughout the property. “All of the art has an environmental emphasis,” Sher says. Curated by Svea Lin Vezzone of Oakland, California-based Swarm Gallery, h2hotel’s art program highlights original art from Bay Area artists. The hotel’s fireplace is made of bound copper Steinway piano wires illuminated by flame. Oakland art fabricator Leonidas Kyriakopoulos created it. A photographic study of a California live oak printed on glass by Sonoma State University professor Stephen Galloway unfolds into 8-foot sections, one on each floor.

Getting around

The moderately priced hotel is bicyclist friendly. King beds in guestrooms split into two twin beds. “Part of the reason we opted for the two beds is for the number of bike groups that we have coming through Healdsburg and they often request two beds in a room,” Sher says. “At h2hotel we have loaner bikes designed by Rob Forbes and we also have a bike room with secure bike storage where you can also tune your bike.”

The bright, open lobby features an all-in-one “Receptobar” where guests check in, receive concierge services, and enjoy daytime coffee bar and evening wine bar. The Receptobar is also a mini-bar stocking station and entertainment counter with complimentary DVDs, games and outdoor supplies available to all guests.

For more, visit h2hotel online.

Dedicated Hyatt meeting planners can help source products with 100 percent recycled content where possible, find local suppliers, and maximize efforts to reduce waste to create a meeting experience that exceeds expectations and helps the environment at the same time.

For new meetings booked by December 30, 2010, and held by March 31, 2011 at full-service Hyatt hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada, groups participating in the Meet and Be Green program will be eligible for a 3 percent rebate on qualifying charges on the master bill.

Power of people

Meet and Be Green is one of the latest additions to Great Happens, Hyatt’s ongoing campaign to emphasize the power and importance of in-person meetings.

“We created Meet and Be Green as a way to reward businesses for helping reduce the environmental impact that can result from meetings,” said Jack Horne, vice president of sales for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts—North America. “By seeing how simple it can be to plan and participate in a green meeting, we are hoping to make green meetings a must-have for all businesses preparing and planning meetings.”

Planners and meeting attendees pledge to take these 10 steps to “go green” during their meeting:

• Recycle during the meeting;
• Use products with 100 percent recycled content;
• Print materials locally;
• Minimize shipping;
• Rather than setting materials at every seat, place meeting materials, such as handouts, notepads, pens, etc., in a central location so attendees can take as needed;
• Maintain room temperatures at an appropriate level;
• Eliminate disposable water bottles;
• Minimize use of other disposable products such as plates, cups, napkins, and utensils;
• Select locally grown seasonal foods when planning the menu; and
• Plan ahead for the meeting to make it easier and more economical to keep the meeting green.

Meet and Be Green is one part of Hyatt’s larger pledge to conserve energy, minimize waste and create responsible, sustainable corporate practices to care for the Earth and guests. By empowering guests to do the same, Hyatt and its planners can help minimize the environmental impact of meetings.

Full details of the program and promotion are available at www.hyattmeetings.com.

In addition to the launch of Meet and Be Green, Hyatt recently announced the rollout of new seasonal banquet menus. These menu selections are updated quarterly and provide food and beverage enhancements for meetings and events that feature items from local and regional farmers, fishermen and cheese makers.

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are the WTTC’s highest-profile global accolade, recognizing best practices in sustainable tourism development, conservation and biodiversity protection.

Within the Emirates Group, the Emirates Hotels & Resorts (EH&R) portfolio encompasses three major conservation projects spread across three continents: Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai; Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in Australia; and the forthcoming Cap Ternay Resort & Spa in the Seychelles.

“Emirates has taken environmental commitments seriously, and our resorts and their conservation work form a central focus of our corporate environmental policy,” said Hans Haensel, divisional senior vice president, Emirates Destination and Leisure Management. “Our philosophy centers on the two most critical global environmental issues: biodiversity extinction rates and carbon emissions reduction, in which we are continuing to search for ways to improve environmental performance across the whole organization—on the ground and in the air.”

“The Conservation Award is one of four award categories, and is presented to hotels and tourism organizations which have demonstrated developments and operations which have directly contributed to conservation of natural habitats, biodiversity, and wildlife protection,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president & CEO of WTTC. “Emirates Hotels and Resorts is a pioneer in this space, clearly demonstrated through their commitment to sustainable development practices which is directly linked to the economic well-being of local people and support of cultural heritage across all properties.”

Emirates receives this award in recognition of more than 10 years of valuable work resulting in its first resort, Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai, designed and built following the principles of environmentally sustainable development. The experience and the technology advances contributed to even greater efficiency, which has continued at the recently opened Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in Australia, the first hotel in the world to be certified carbon neutral by an internationally accredited organization.

Around these global issues, the resorts have implemented large-scale projects aimed at biodiversity protection; through habitat rehabilitation, wildlife protection, and reintroduction of threatened species into protected reserves. Ongoing collaborative research is also in place at each destination, efforts which have been acknowledged by such organizations as UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and the World Heritage Committee.

Through guided experiences guests are completely exposed to the history, habitat, wildlife, and natural heritage of each destination, as well as Emirates’ own conservation work, in a meaningful, well documented, manner.

“This award recognizes the increasing awareness of environmental sustainability in tourism, where it is no longer an option, but a basic expectation,” added Hans Haensel. “It is only with a commitment to protect our naturally beautiful locations across the world, such as Al Maha and Wolgan Valley, that our industry can continue to grow and thrive.”

For more, visit Emirates Hotels & Resorts online.

Through a partnership with with EC3 Global — a certifier of sustainable travel and tourism organizations — Travelocity is now offering shoppers access to a wide range of “green” properties throughout Asia-Pacific.

No self certification

To date, Travelocity has flagged more than 1,900 hotels site-wide with the eco-friendly leaf and the company works with an elite group of certification programs. To have its hotels included in the Green Hotel Directory, a certification program must have a checklist that closely aligns with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.

The criteria was developed by the Tourism Sustainability Council, a global coalition of U.N. bodies, research and academic institutions, social and environmental NGOs, certification programs, and it offers a comprehensive picture of what it means to be sustainable.

“It’s important that our eco-friendly leaf icon in the hotel shopping path is a symbol consumers can trust,” says Alison Presley, manager of Travelocity’s Travel for Good program. “There is no way to verify that a self-certified hotel is truly sustainable. And we know our consumers depend on us to hold the line against greenwashing.”

Through EC3 Global, Travelocity is able to flag hotels in destinations like Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, China, and more. Each of these properties has been audited by a qualified third-party professional who checks the effectiveness of sustainable practices applied. EC3 Global manages the EarthCheck Certification and Benchmarking Program, which is used by more than 1,000 organizations in more than 60 countries.

Mainstream responsibility

Travelocity doesn’t just promote eco-friendly products—the company is also working hard to reduce its own footprint and to promote sustainability within the travel industry. The company’s sustainability efforts start at home with its LEED Silver certified headquarters. And to date, Travelocity and its customers have helped The Conservation Fund plant more than 24,000 trees across five national wildlife refuges that will trap an estimated 25,400 metric tons of CO2 over the life of those forests.

The company is also a founding member of the Tourism Sustainability Council, which is working toward a more sustainable future for the industry.

For more, visit both Travelocity and EC3 Global online.

Starwood is targeting a 30 percent reduction in energy use per available room by 2020; the company will also work toward a 20 percent decrease in water consumption per available room by 2020. The initiative will apply to all of Starwood’s owned, managed, and franchised hotels around the world.

“We don’t see these goals as an obligation, but an opportunity,” said Frits van Paasschen, president and CEO of Starwood. “These targets aren’t just numbers, but an embodiment of our passion for creating positive change in our communities and our world. These efforts make sense operationally and our guests are choosing brands that share their sense of purpose for reducing environmental impact. Meeting and exceeding these expectations of our brands is a critical aspect to the way we see the future and importantly, our future success.”

In 2008, Starwood issued a comprehensive Environmental Sustainability Policy. To guide its associates in moving conservation efforts forward, Starwood also launched an online Sustainability Resource Center last year, including an Environmental Initiative Assessment Survey and Initiative Tracking Tool.

In 2009, Starwood launched a partnership with global environmental nonprofit Conservation International. That partnership led to an environmental strategy addressing priority environmental issues and helped establish these performance targets and underlying actions to reach these goals. These actions build on current hotel-level initiatives to conserve water, reduce energy consumption, enhance indoor environmental quality, and minimize waste. Company-wide, Starwood has implemented sustainable-meetings guidelines at every North America property it operates. Starwood’s Sustainable Meetings Practices will roll out globally in 2011.

Element, which Starwood launched in 2008, became the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification for high-performance buildings and lessons from that brand are being applied throughout the Starwood portfolio.

A global, cross-discipline team of 30 at Starwood worked alongside Conservation International to establish the company’s environmental goals. To create a sound, data-based foundation for charting its performance and progress, Starwood began collecting data from all of its properties in 2007 and confirmed a baseline in 2008.

“Transparent and measurable environmental goals are a crucial step in a company’s journey toward environmental sustainability,” said Justin Ward, vice president of business practices at Conservation International. “CI is proud to partner with Starwood in their efforts to achieve ambitious targets that will include their significant franchise portfolio and help conserve healthy ecosystems for current and future generations.”

“Starwood’s associates and owners are energized and passionate about the environment and helping our communities,” said Sandy Swider, vice president of global citizenship for Starwood. “With specific and actionable long-term goals to reduce energy and water use, we can focus and motivate our associates to drive even greater positive change.”

For more information, visit Starwood online.

“We already knew that this program was perfect for us to adopt statewide,” said Bill Mish, president of the Tennessee Hospitality Association. “The announcement of this prestigious award confirms that decision.”

The program encourages hotels, bed and breakfasts and other lodging facilities and restaurants to be aware of their impact on the environment and to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint while increasing the overall sustainability of their operations. “This voluntary program has been very successful in Chattanooga,” Mish said. “We look forward to advancing the environmental achievements of the statewide hospitality industry in the same manner.”

The program was conceived of and developed by Tom Cupo, general manager of The Chattanoogan, a Benchmark Hospitality International managed hotel. After being implemented by the Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association in 2009, it gained rapid success. “The intent was for the Chattanooga community to become a greener destination for tourists and organizations that were considering bringing their business here, creating more opportunities for all of us,” Cupo said. “We wanted a program that was non-competitive among participating hotels, but that also would recognize individual accomplishments beyond the minimum requirements. We decided not to have a ‘tiered’ program, but to offer an opportunity for properties to provide a list of activities beyond the core requirements.”

For certification, hotels must have active programs in place for recycling and for reductions in energy, water and materials usage, must have an optional linen program, must be able to provide “green events,” and must have a plan for continued improvement. The certification for restaurants is similar except for the linen service requirement.

“We encouraged this program because it exemplifies our city’s special brand of environmental leadership,” said Jim Frierson, vice chair of the Chattanooga Green Committee. “This is a purely private sector initiative, not a government mandate, showing the potential for collaboration among competitors. The energy savings of each hotel are significant, rolling up into meaningful reductions that will help the most committed cities in Tennessee get closer to their greenhouse gas reduction targets.”

Tennessee Green differs from many other statewide hospitality programs elsewhere in that certification requires that an audit be conducted by an independent third party. “A third-party audit gives a level of credibility that self-certification cannot achieve,” said Dobbin Callahan, president of Skye Con, the environmental consulting company that administers the program and provides audit services. “Hotels and restaurants that become certified have made and will continue to make proven operational changes that are real, significant, and are having a positive impact on our communities.”

“Adoption of this program will be good for our industry, good for Tennessee, and most importantly, good for the environment,” Mish said.

For more, visit Tennessee Green Hospitality online.

Noting the waste that is caused by using an estimated five million, 16oz plastic bottles every year at the properties, Simon F. Cooper, president and chief operating officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, challenged his team responsible for sustainable programs to find a better solution.

“Plastic bottles are made from crude oil, take a significant amount of energy to produce, and less than 20% are sent to recycling facilities,” said Cooper. “Even when recycled, these bottles cannot be used to make the same quality of plastic,” Cooper said.

After 18 months of research, and working with a variety of vendors, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company developed a partnership with Prima to create a co-branded bottle that is rich with sustainability opportunities. The 16oz bottles are made 100% from plants, are all natural, can decompose in 30 days in a commercial composting facility, or can be reprocessed and remade 100% into new bottles.

Manufacturing the new bottle requires 49% less fossil fuels, 45% less energy, and 75% less greenhouse gases than a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) classic bottle. In addition, the bottle does not contain BPA (Bisphenol A), the harmful product found in many plastics.

“This revolutionary new water bottle product reflects The Ritz-Carlton commitment to continuously seek opportunities to innovate and improve as we look to be the leaders in the hospitality industry’s efforts at sustainability and conservation,” Cooper commented.

“We believe our guests will be enthusiastic and enthused about this latest initiative from The Ritz-Carlton to do more than just talk about being eco-friendly, but to take concrete action steps that make a real difference.”

The addition of Prima water is expected to transition to all North American and select Caribbean properties within the next few weeks.

Green Key’s rating system will complement Hyatt’s existing Web-based tracking system, Hyatt EcoTrack, which benchmarks energy use, water consumption, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions for Hyatt-managed, full-service hotels globally.

Together, Hyatt EcoTrack and the Green Key Eco-Rating Program will provide Hyatt with a comprehensive platform from which to manage environmental performance and will be significant in helping Hyatt to reach its 2015 goals of: reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per square meter by 25 percent from 2006 levels, reduction of water consumption per guest night by 20 percent from 2006 levels and reduction of waste generation per guest night by 25 percent from 2010 levels.

Taking the next steps toward sustainability

Participation in the Green Key Eco-Rating Program builds on existing programs and is a natural progression in Hyatt’s ongoing efforts to further environmental sustainability. Already Hyatt provides a comprehensive environmental training program for associates, has Green Teams in many hotels around the world, tracks and measures waste generation and resource consumption, adheres to responsible purchasing practices, and integrates sustainable design standards into the design and construction of Hyatt branded hotels.

“We are extremely proud of the way our hotels have been leading on the sustainability front,” said Brigitta Witt, vice president of environmental affairs for Hyatt. “We have been working hard to put the right programs and processes in place to elevate environmental consciousness across the organization and to reduce the environmental footprint of our operations. We have chosen to work with Green Key Global because of its operational focus, inspection process, ability to customize reports for each property, and extensive database of best practices designed to help hotels improve their environmental performance.”

“By having one common set of standards against which to measure, we can more accurately gauge the environmental performance of each of our hotels,” Witt added.

“As a recognized leader in terms of sustainable hotel practices, we are very pleased that Hyatt has taken this step, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the Green Key program,” explained Tony Pollard, managing director of Green Key Global.

For additional information on Hyatt’s sustainability efforts, click on the Media Kit link at www.hyattpressroom.com and visit www.hyattearth.com. Also, visit Green Key Global online.

HPSA is the most renowned and influential trade association in China’s hospitality industry, with 6,000 corporate and individual members from the industry and their supply chains.

The Green Globe Index sustainability assessment program will help China hotels and their suppliers to boost their competitiveness through measuring, learning and improving their energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

“This is the first contract for Green Globe International in China, and with such a significant national association, this is truly an important event,” commented Steven R. Peacock, CEO and managing director of Green Globe International. “We believe there is a broad demand for the Green Globe Index in China as the initial step towards sustainability for its various industries and public organizations.”

Charles Kao, a director of Sustainability Intelligence Ltd. and owner of TravelMole, the global online community for the travel and tourism industry, stated, “The current 14,000 hotels in China are projected to grow annually at 19 percent for the four to five star hotels and 9 percent for lower categories or a total of 1.6 million rooms over the next decade. The Chinese government and tourism industry has committed that this growth will be developed and managed under internationally accepted sustainable criteria. Our Green Globe Index program is proud to partner with HPSA to help meet these objectives.”

Green Globe Index is a common global disclosure platform designed to enable mass engagement with the travel and tourism industry. The index, managed by U.K.-based Sustainability Intelligence Ltd., is a Web-based tool that assesses sustainability performance, providing measurement and rating for all types of travel industry stakeholders.

The Green Globe brand and program, which traces its roots back to the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, where 182 heads of state endorsed the Agenda 21 principles of Sustainable Development, has primarily been used in the travel and tourism industry but is now being expanded to include a growing number of environmentally responsible businesses in a variety of market sectors.

For more info, visit Green Globe online.

Now, the company is taking it one step further; having announced a fundamental commitment to protect the environment by becoming an ENERGY STAR partner as a company-wide effort to improve energy efficiency and fight global warming.

Introduced by the EPA in 1992, ENERGY STAR is a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.

Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

Just saving the world

According to Scott Parisi, President of EcoGreenHotel, a strategic, corporate energy management program will help us enhance our financial health and aid in preserving the environment for future generations.

“The EcoGreenHotel team is excited to partner with the EPA and the DOE through their highly-regarded ENERGY STAR program, which is recognized worldwide for its excellence,” said Scott. “ENERGY STAR is among the most trusted and demanding certifying bodies there is, so earning partnership status with them means a great deal to us and the industry we serve.”

In partnership with ENERGY STAR, EcoGreenHotel has committed to:

• Measure and track the energy performance of its clients’ facilities
• Develop and implement a plan consistent with the ENERGY STAR Energy Management Guidelines to achieve energy savings
• Help spread the word about the importance of energy efficiency to our client’s staff and community
• Support the ENERGY STAR Challenge, a national call-to-action to help improve the energy efficiency of America’s commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more
• Highlight clients’ achievements with recognition offered through ENERGY STAR

“Environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility – and today I’m pleased EcoGreenHotel is taking this motto to heart,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “By making smart energy choices, EcoGreenHotel is helping improve our nation’s energy and environmental outlook.”

In 2009, the company launched an online marketplace for green products and services at www.EcoGreenHotelStore.com. In addition to the online offerings, EcoGreenHotel provides customized consulting services in the areas of energy efficiency and certifications (LEED, Green Seal and Energy Star), tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry.

For more information about EcoGreenHotel, visit www.EcoGreenHotel.com or call 1-888-229-0213 for program details.

Designed to educate, as well as help luxury hotels create and implement a sustainability management framework, LECS is the first and only voluntary, global certification program of its kind. Focusing on Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet and Profit), the comprehensive standard aligns with impending global accreditation through the Tourism Stewardship Council.

With sustainable tourism on the rise, Leading Hotels spearheaded a new partnership between STI, the global non-profit leader in sustainable travel solutions, and Leading Quality Assurance (LQA), a joint venture of Leading Hotels that specializes in quality assurance, benchmarking and training to the luxury hospitality industry. Together, they created an innovative program, which carries out evaluations in five areas: policy and documentation; energy conservation; water conservation; recycling; and community. The fusion of these five components will reduce long-term operating costs, and create customer and employee good will.

In order to become LECS certified, hotels must undergo a preliminary desk audit, complimented by an on-site, third-party assessment handled by LQA. The process of becoming LECS eco-certified is challenging and requires a serious commitment on behalf of the hotel applicant, and Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort exemplifies this commitment on many levels.

Perhaps principal among them is the fact that two underground reservoirs provide all of the hotel’s water – both hot and cold – eliminating the need to use any other energy sources for heating or cooling it. The hotel also has in place significant practices for conserving water and electricity, and recycling a variety of materials.

In addition to engaging vigorously in staff training, the hotel offers guests opportunities to support its sustainability initiatives through tree-planting projects, contributions to the local community development fund, and making local products and handcrafts available for sale in its shops.

Commenting on the resort’s philosophy, Uwe Wagner, general manager, noted, “One may not be able to change the world, but one can certainly make a big difference in the place where you live, making it a better place for everyone.”

Brian T. Mullis, President of Sustainable Travel International stated, “The Luxury Eco Certification Standard has set a new precedent in the luxury accommodation sector. An increasing number of five-star hoteliers around the world are applying for eco-certification. They’ve excelled in quality and service and now want to demonstrate their commitment to helping to safeguard the natural and cultural heritage of our planet for future generations.”

Several other members of The Leading Hotels of the World are slated to complete the inspection process by late summer. Hotels interested in pursuing LECS certification, can visit www.leadingquality.com or www.ecocertification.org. For more information about Leading Green, visit www.lhwgreen.com.

The Aloft brand is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., hence falling under yesterday’s sustainable business meetings post as well.

“Environmentally-conscious development has never been more important than in today’s business environment,” said Michael Mahoney, CEO of Triyar Hospitality, the hotel developer. “Our mantra has always been to build into the future and with the Aloft brand and LEED certification, we believe we have achieved that goal.”

A quick starter

With more than 40 hotels open to date, Aloft is one of the fastest and most successful brand launches in hospitality industry history. Starwood saw the select serve market was ripe for reinvention and innovation and created Aloft for the savvy, design-conscious consumers who grew up with the democratization of design. The Aloft brand offers an urban-influenced, modern, open and vibrant design, high tech amenities and a social guest experience with its dynamic re:mix lounge and destination w xyz bar.

Aloft Tempe joins a growing list of eco-conscious, LEED certified buildings in Tempe, including the Downtown Tempe Transit Center, Arizona State University’s Memorial Student Union Center, and Papago Gateway Center.

“For both guests and our neighbors in Tempe, we know that ‘being green’ is a priority, and we’re very proud that Aloft Tempe achieved the high standards of the U.S. Green Building Council to earn its LEED certification,” said Brian McGuinness, senior vice president of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “It’s gratifying for us that guests can have a unique Aloft experience while helping conserve resources.”

LEED is a point-based system where building projects earn LEED points for satisfying specific green building criteria. By using less energy and sustainable products, LEED certified buildings reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. Across its entire portfolio, Starwood is rolling out initiatives that aim to conserve energy and water, reduce waste and enhance indoor environmental quality for guests and associates alike.

Aloft Tempe is owned in a joint venture between Triyar Hospitality, LLC, a Los Angeles-based company, and Warburg Pincus Real Estate I, L.P., a New York-based private equity fund.

For more, visit to Aloft Hotels online.

Now, though, it looks like it is turning its attention on the business crowd; introducing a set of sustainable meeting guidelines at every North American property that will roll out globally (1,000 properties worldwide) come 2011.

Appropriately named Starwood’s Sustainable Meeting Practices (SMP), the program revolves around five core components: paperless Meeting Planning, Sustainable Meeting Services, Sustainable Food & Beverage Practices, Impact Assessment Tools, and Socially Conscious Activities.

“Rolling this program out across North America formalizes environmental practices our hotels have been implementing and we are excited to encourage,” said Sandy Swider, Starwood’s vice president for global citizenship. “Clients who rely on Starwood properties for great meetings also appreciate that they become our partner in sustainability and environmental stewardship by cutting waste and conserving resources.”

Starwood’s hospitality brands include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft, and Element.

Responsible across the board

The program’s five core components include 18 practices—from sustainable menu choices and bottled water alternatives to energy-efficient digital signage and potted plants in place of fresh-cut flowers—to be incorporated into all on-property meetings and events. Each component is designed to enhance meetings and all 18 practices were carefully conceived to remain cost-effective and operationally efficient.

Starwood has also launched the Meeting Impact Report, an internal online tool that generates a report for clients that demonstrates the impact of their meetings on the environment.

As meeting and business travel rebounds throughout 2010, Starwood is seeing increased demand for sustainable meeting solutions, Swider said. “There’s already a strong sensitivity toward sustainability concerns from meeting planners, and they appreciate the programs we’ve put in place. We think the next generation of meeting planners and attendees will simply expect green practices and sustainability initiatives as a given for meetings and facilities.”

Championed by Starwood’s internal Global Citizenship team instated by CEO Frits van Paasschen in 2009, Starwood is committed to delivering tangible improvements to the company’s environmental, social and business performance.

“Developing Sustainable Meeting Practices was a year-long process to determine how to meaningfully incorporate sustainability into our meeting practices while maintaining a superior guest experience and keeping costs low for hotels, meeting planners and clients,” said David Dvorak, vice president of catering and convention services for Starwood. “We are proud of the progress we have made to date but there is still more to come with additional Core Components and a global rollout. As an overall Starwood mission, we will continue to provide sustainable resources and practices to our guests, owners and associates throughout our portfolio and corporate offices.”

For more information on the Sustainable Meetings Practices, visit www.starwoodhotels.com/smpnad.

Does your hotel offer meeting and/or conference space? Have you noticed a trend in the RFP’s you receive from groups, asking about your ‘green’ or ’sustainable’ initiatives? All signs are pointing in the direction of a widespread increase in this trend.

Even with the current recession, business meetings in the United States alone constitute an amazing $175 billion industry, and Americans make more than 400 million long-distance business trips each year. Don’t let your hotel miss an opportunity to garner its share of group business.

Despite a global recession, investment levels in energy efficiency have remained strong, according to the Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) released June 3, 2010 by Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI). As stated in this report, the primary motivation driving sustainable investments is cost savings, with 97% of respondents identifying it as significant. Or, as stated by Dennis Quaintance, CEO of Proximity Hotels (the first platinum LEED certified hotel), “It ain’t sustainable to go broke.”

What is a “Green Meeting”?

The Convention Industry Council (CIC) presented this definition: “A green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment.” There are almost a limitless number of ways to green a meeting – and many of these offer opportunities to save money and increase efficiency.

Event planners will look at numerous aspects of your hotel’s efforts toward sustainability, including such areas as:

• Food and Beverage: Do you maximize the use of reusable, rather than disposable glassware, flatware, tablecloths, etc?
• Registration and Exhibitions: Do you use electronic communication over paper as often as possible? Do you encourage exhibitors to do the same?
• Location: Do you offer shuttle service or mass transit? Are areas of interest and entertainment nearby in order to decrease vehicle emissions?
• Do you have an energy and water use conservation program currently in place?

Why are Green Meetings becoming more Prevalent?

There are many reasons that this green trend is growing exponentially across the globe. Consumers and businesses are becoming much more aware of their “carbon footprint” and as more companies feel the pressure to create sustainability goals, they increasingly are asking their employees to stay in green-certified hotels. Companies that are closely scrutinized by the public sector (government agencies, for example) do not want to present a mixed message to the public – stating they want to help the planet, but ignoring a hotel’s approach to sustainability when planning for a company meeting. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an amazing 93,000 federal employees are traveling on any given business day to 8,000 locations across the country. Federal travelers alone use 24 million room nights of hotel space in the United States annually. Now add to this number businesses both large and small who are making efforts toward sustainability, and the totals can be staggering.

Are Green Meetings an Example of “Greenwashing”?

When a product or building (such as a hotel) extols its virtues of being “green”, but does so in a misleading or exaggerated way, it is described as “greenwashing”. That can be a difficult label to shed, as guests and/or groups may feel as though they’ve been misled, or worse. Many green standards are in their infancy and thus still ill-defined. . There is no need to try to fool meeting and event planners, as many of them are looking for some effort toward sustainability, and will be happy with the progress you’ve made so far and the goals you have set. Much like social media, it is important to be transparent.

Green meetings can have a tremendous impact on our environment. Most hotels purchase more products in one week than 100 families typically purchase in a year. By initiating green goals such as recycling, reducing and reusing, you can feel good that you are helping the environment in a big way, helping your revenue stream, and reducing many of your operating costs.

Who Supports Green Meetings?

Depending on where your hotel(s) are located on the globe, various government, for-profit and non-profit organizations are jumping in to assist and encourage hoteliers to go green. There is a plethora of information available to help you (some excellent web-sites are posted for you at the bottom of this publication), and the number of green experts available for consulting or commissioning grows every month.

It has been through such collaborations that some hotel brands are now “pre-certifying” a few of their prototypes. For example, Marriott has launched such a prototype for their Courtyard Hotels. By taking advantage of “volume certification” or “portfolio certification”, Marriott may be able to save property owners approximately $100,000 in design and other costs, and about six months in design time. More prototype brands are expected to follow.

As Michael Kawecki, LEED AP, GA and owner of Axiom Sustainable Consulting, LLC states, “with volume certification, each credit is documented based on regions, and then further documentation is provided during construction. For example, rather than energy modeling each store, a prototype is modeled in each climate area, and then that model is good for all future stores.” It is obvious how this type of certification could save a significant amount of work for hotel owners, and flow into their group meeting venues.

Hyatt Hotels is also making numerous green initiatives. Jim Milkovich, corporate vice president of purchasing for Hyatt Hotels Corp. explains that Hyatt has won group business to its convention hotels in part because of its green initiatives. In an interview with Beth Kormanik of Buyer Interactive, Milkovich states, “If you can show a meeting planner how you are reducing, recycling and reusing products throughout the hotel and how your associates are engaged in the process – it’s not something you’re doing for this meeting, but it’s in your culture – that is what is really evident to those meeting planners.”

A terrific example of how a hotel has monetized and calculates an ROI for their green meetings is the Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. As Herve′ Houdre′, GM of the Willard InterContinental states in HotelNewsNow.com, “The hotel carefully tracks its individual and guestroom bookings that result directly from its sustainable practices. I gave myself and my team a goal to generate $1 million in extra revenue (in 2009) due to our sustainable development strategy. Guests are impressed with the development strategy because they believe the strategy corresponds with their own culture.”

Keep in mind that prospective clients won’t know what your hotel is doing to limit its impact on the environment if you don’t tell them. “Don’t be shy,” advises hotel consultant Daniel Edward Craig. “Advertise your green initiatives on your website and in sales kits, proposals, your in-room directory and social media activities. Meeting planners and travelers want to know.”

What is the Future of Green Meetings for Hoteliers?

The landscape is changing quickly. In the United States, the meetings industry is working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a green meeting industry standard. With such standards, hotels will have common goals to reach to win group or convention business. Because the EPA is a government-based organization, and the green meeting planning associations are not, such joint efforts are rare and cannot be ignored.

What Groups Can Help My Hotel With Green Meeting Initiatives?

There are a growing number of organizations eager to help hoteliers with sustainability and green meeting initiatives. The following limited list does not address the numerous and qualified private enterprise consultants:

• Green Meeting Industry Council: info@greenmeetings.info
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI): btess@mpiweb.org
• International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (IACVB): www.meetingsnet.com
• The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) – Green Hotel Initiative: 617.247.0700 X 21
• “Green” Hotels Association: green@greenhotels.com
• NW Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) – Hospitality Sector: www.pprc.org
• Green Seal – Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties: greenseal@greenseal.org
• Hotel Association of Canada – Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program: info@hotelassociation.ca
• U.S. Green Building Council: www.USGBC.org

Is there a cost to “going green” for your hotel and group or conference meetings? Yes. Is there a larger cost involved in ignoring the trend? Absolutely. Don’t allow your hotel to languish in meeting sales. Get educated on “green”, and pencil out the numbers. Or let an expert guide you. You will be surprised and delighted to learn – Green is for Go.

“At Expedia.com, this is in keeping with our mission to be the best place to book travel,” said Tim MacDonald, senior vice president and general manager, Expedia.com. “This page will simplify and improve the shopping and booking experience for LGBT customers. It was based on research illustrating the difficulty in finding LGBT-welcoming hotels, and our solution was vetted by a group of LGBT professionals at Expedia® and a roundtable of gay travel community members. IGLTA helped us determine the hotels that populate the store.”

The new site currently features 10 domestic destinations and five international destinations that feature a broad assortment of gay-friendly hotels, events and festivals, and hotspots.

North American destinations include Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Palm Springs, Provincetown, Puerto Vallarta, San Francisco, Toronto and South Florida. International destinations are Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and London. Hotels are searchable within each destination.

During the shopping process, travelers can search under Hotel Preferences for “LGBT-welcoming” hotels. At kick-off, about 500 hotels currently meet this definition.

Yes, that’s right – across the entire globe, only 500 hotels are officially designated by the leading online travel site in the world as LGBT friendly.

Does this sound right? Not to me.

As a straight guy, I admittedly have never given much thought to the idea of the LGBT community actually falling into a completely different category while traveling, aside from, well, “travelers”.

Yes, I am aware of the ridiculous Sandals’ anti-gay policy (which was ended in 2004), and would not expect certain super-sexually-conservative destinations to be all that tolerant (ie: stay away from Dubai). But those aside, I had always assumed that members of the community could go and enjoy destinations throughout the world as they pleased – with of course the standing stigma of normal bias and prejudice toward them from the less open-minded crowd that they have been forced to endure for too long already.

To me, there really should be no cause for separation; a person is a person, a traveler is a traveler, regardless of who they are holding hands with. If it makes you uncomfortable to sit at the pool and see two members of the same sex “obviously” together, then look the other way. Your prejudice and, forgive me, ignorance toward other people’s sexual orientation or basic human desire for love and/or companionship gives you no right to judge – or ban – or place restrictions on anyone’s travel preferences.

Specialty travel resource Global Basecamps has just launched its new website – designed to simplify the process of researching and booking the world’s best sustainable hotels, lodges and multi-day excursions. The new site marks the first step in the company’s long-term vision of creating a true resource for independent travelers looking for a way to enhance their worldwide journeys while traveling in a low-impact and earth-friendly way.

“Although sustainable travel has received a considerable amount of press recently,” says Global Basecamps President Gregor Gomory, “the reality is that it can still be very difficult for travelers who don’t want to join a group tour to find eco-sensitive lodging and tour options for their upcoming adventures. The launch of our new site brings us one step closer to truly simplifying the act of researching and booking sustainable options for every destination and budget.”

The new site was created in-house and is as much a statement of purpose as a catalog of the world’s best sustainable travel products.

“One of our core goals is to maximize travelers’ experiences while minimizing their commitments,” says Vice President of Technology Sebastian Riedel, “so we really wanted to create a platform that our clients could use to start putting together their perfect trips, from simple hotel and tour bookings to completely customized itineraries. We’ve started by promoting sustainable options for some of our most popular destinations and tours and will be adding new tools and resources in the coming months.”

In addition to bringing destination suggestions and product options online, Global Basecamps also has a dedicated team of international travel specialists ready to assist with the creation of even the most complicated itineraries worldwide.

“As fantastic as technology is for the delivery of travel information,” continues Riedel, “the knowledge and expertise of our sales team really can’t be underestimated when putting together an itinerary.”

Whether planning to hike the Inca Trail, or simply book one of our unique lodging options, independent travelers are invited to call, (866) 577-2462, to speak to a specialist or to visit the website and submit a request for more information.

For more, visit www.globalbasecamps.com.

Just last month, I wrote on the company’s commitment to sustainability as going “beyond” the typical green measure. True sustainability is a viable means for lodging properties to protect the longevity of their business by remaining ahead of the curve.

And here is the proof: Isla Palenque just won a prestigious Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in the Analysis and Planning category for its geo-responsible resort master plan.

Only a select few of the hundreds of applicants for the ASLA’s award are honored each year.

Intelligent design

The plan itself, conceived by architecture firm Design Workshop, showcases design that is at the core of the resort’s environmentally-focused mission – making intelligent use of the terrain and lavishes attention on the beauty of the island itself.

Founded in 1969, Design Workshop is an international landscape architecture, land planning, urban design and strategic services firm whose philosophy challenges the project team to equally integrate and balance artistic vision, environmental sensitivity, community values and sound economics to create unique places that stand the test of time.

“We chose Design Workshop because they are uniquely skilled at creating designs that encourage people to experience the natural world that surrounds them,” says Amble President Ben Loomis. “Their design will allow the resort’s future homeowners to connect to the island in a profound way: to feel that they are a natural part of it, not an intruder upon it.”

Amble and Design Workshop share the award with the rest of the development team, including architects 4240, environmental advisors Panama Environmental Services, and engineering firmEast Bay Group.

“We’re especially proud of this award because it was a particularly competitive year to win,” says Richard Shaw, FASLA, a Principal and Partner at Design Workshop. But for Shaw, it’s been clear from the start that Isla Palenque is exceptional.

“Amble’s concept is special to begin with,” says Shaw. “The idea behind the master plan has always been to retain natural resources while accommodating low-density development; synthesizing aspects of sustainability, conservation, and ecotourism for a result that will really create unprecedented character.”

“The placement of the buildings is thoughtful, putting most of the buildings in the few areas that were previously cleared for farming, allowing the sensitive ecosystems and cultural material to be preserved.”

“Design Workshop really understands our goal here,” says Loomis. “We want to create sustainability that is not only good for the land, but good for the people that will live on it.” Loomis considers the natural environment to be the most important luxury amenity the sophisticated resort can provide. “The pristine quality of the land will still be there when all the development is done, and will be maintained for generations to come.”

For more, visit http://www.IslaPalenque.com.

“As a multinational company with 1,000 hotels in almost 100 countries, Starwood has the size, the scope and the spirit to positively effect environmental change,” said Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen. “Along with supporting Conservation International’s incredible work, it’s exciting to share CI’s mission with our guests and partners around the world.”

Van Paasschen recently joined the Executive Council of CI’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB), a division dedicated to engaging corporate and environmental leaders to develop creative solutions that improve business performance by helping to sustain healthy ecosystems.

Since becoming CEO in 2007, he has has championed Starwood’s environmental sustainability efforts and has worked with the company’s senior leadership to form a Global Citizenship team which is committed to delivering tangible improvements to the company’s environmental, social and business performance.

Change across the board

The alliance with CI, which involves collaboration to build on Starwood’s Environmental Strategy through setting environmental performance goals directed at reducing energy and water consumption, as well as developing stakeholder engagement programs, will further establish Starwood’s long history of an ethical and responsible approach to business.

“We look forward to working with Starwood to promote our shared objective of making the hospitality industry a positive force for healthy ecosystems and sustainable economic growth,” said Peter Seligmann, chairman and CEO of Conservation International. “We also are thrilled to have Mr. van Paasschen join the Executive Council of CI’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. He will bring unique knowledge and experience to the Center’s efforts to convene corporate and environmental leaders to break new ground in the development of green business models.”

Across its entire portfolio, Starwood is rolling out initiatives that aim to conserve energy and water, reduce waste and enhance indoor environmental quality for Starwood guests and associates alike.

“Globally, Starwood is increasingly focused on integrating environmental sustainability into its operations and it was important to create a partnership with a world class organization like CI to continue to move that work forward in the most impactful way,” said Sandy Swider, vice president of Global Citizenship for Starwood.

Starwood’s eco-chic boutique Element Hotels brand made history when it launched as the first major hotel brand to mandate that all U.S. properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.