Hotel EV Charging Stations and Greener Transportation Guest Services

An ever growing number of hotels have added EV charging stations and other greener transportation support services for their guests. This is not only a way of enticing guests with EVs to visit their hotel, it is also a way of increasing their sustainability profile.

One of the hotels offering EV charging stations is the new LEED-certified Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, South Carolina. In the Boston area, Element Lexington, the Charles Hotel and the Lenox Hotel all offer similar complimentary charging services.

In the San Francisco Bay area two Marriott hotels offer EV charging stations including the San Francisco Airport Waterfront hotel. At this establishment guest EV drivers , or those eating at one of the hotel restaurants, will be offered free valet and car charging services. Marriott Hotels Canada was ranked as a top 10 green employer in 2012.

The Kimpton hotel chain will not only let you charge your EV for free it will allow you to park at no charge (or in some places a reduced charge).

The Green Seal-certified DoubleTree by Hilton in Portland, Oregon offers charging services, complimentary guest bikes and even gives guests alternative transportation options.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Ten Sustainability Initiatives in the Hotel Industry

There are a number of sustainability initiatives taking hold in the hotel industry. As explained by the Chairwoman of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Kelly Bricker, "The impact of 1 billion travelers roaming the earth has forced governments, NGOs, communities, and the tourism industry to recognize the importance of sustaining the environment upon which all tourism depends."

Hotels are being driven to be more ecologically sensitive by consumer demand. In a 2012 study of 5,000 Expedia customers, MindClick SGM found that 90 percent of respondents would choose a hotel with furnishings and supplies that are better for the guest, the community and the planet over comparable hotels.

Many hotels are providing a host of more sustainable services to guests. They are tracking their sustainability initiatives with reports, and embedding sustainability efforts into the core practices including greener supply chains.

Greener hotels are not just an American phenomenon. Earlier this year Members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreed to make joint efforts towards a sustainable future with support and participation from both the public and private tourism sectors.

Sustainability efforts are far more than superficial marketing gimmicks, they are deeply embedded into core practices. Here is a summary of 10 green initiatives in the hotel industry:

1. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Green Partnership program is all about sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

2. Rezidor Hotel Group has launched an energy-saving Think Planet initiative.

3. Accor’s Planet 21 Program offers a comprehensive set of 21 related commitments.

4. Marriott International has adopted Green Hotels Global as its tool for monitoring and communicating sustainability-related practices and performance at each property.

5. InterContinental Hotels Group launched a Corporate Responsibility Innovation Fund as an ongoing program based on collaborative initiatives.

6. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and Las Vegas Sands Corporation's have adopted new Sustainability Tracking and Reporting programs.

7. Peninsula Hotels owner, the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels has its own Sustainability Reporting program.

8. HEI Hotels & Resorts added corporate social responsibility to their Managers-In-Training program.

9. Marriott Courtyard in Rancho Bernardo, California have launched the Rest Better™ program which tells the story of the hotel’s initiatives in choosing furnishings, fixtures and equipment that is is both socially and environmentally more responsible.

10. The Cove at Yarmouth Resort in Cape Cod, Massachusetts has done a number of things to be more environmentally friendly including reducing their energy and water consumption through its Retrofits program.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Event - 1st International Congress on Entrepreneurship in Tourism: Towards Green Growth

The congress on the theme of entrepreneurship in tourism: “Towards Green Growth” is being held in Dubrovnik, Croatia from 27 to 30 April 2014. This congress will be organised by Croatian Small Business Union (HUMP-CROSBU) in partnership with OECD Investment Compact SEE, Paris and StudioCentroVeneto, Vicenza and local partners.

The congress theme covers a range of issues critical to economies and to the development of entrepreneurship in tourism as a major engine of growth and jobs creation for social, economic, cultural and personal values. Tourism is one of the most promising drivers of growth for the world economy and key to driving the defining trends of the transition to a green economy. Due to tourism's cross-cutting nature and close connections to numerous sectors at destination and international levels, even small improvements toward greater sustainability will have important impacts in the shift towards more sustainable, cleaner and lowcarbon economic growth.

Like many other sectors, tourism faces a range of significant sustainability-related challenges. However, with growing awareness of the necessity and value of conserving unique natural, social and cultural assets, there is increasing motivation from both the private and public sectors to invest in improving tourism's sustainability. The OECD's Towards Green Growth states that green growth is about fostering economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies. To do this it is necessary to foster investment and innovation, which will underpin sustained growth and give rise to new economic opportunities.

A green economy can be thought of as one that is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. In a green economy, growth in income and employment should be driven by investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These issues are preoccupying the minds of entrepreneurs, policy makers, and researchers all round the world.

The emphasis is increasingly on not just how to protect jobs but to identify where the new jobs are going to come from in different parts of the word. Realising new opportunities to create new jobs and economic activity in a sustainable way is at the heart of change for creative nations and global community of thinkers and practitioners who can identify new opportunities for sustainable social and economic change through green growth.

The congress aims to provide a platform for researchers, policy makers and practitioners in recognition of the increasing flow of ideas, resources and knowledge between businesses, institutions and policy makers. The particular role of entrepreneurship in tourism transforming society through greater and meaningful economic opportunity is to be found in this mix of these assets.

For more information contact HUMP-CROSBU, Croatian Small Business Union
hump@hump-crosbu.hr
Mob: +385 91 9594 201

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Event - Sustainable Hotel & Resort 2013 Conference

Sustainable Hotel & Resort 2013 conference will take place on October 15-16, 2013 in Orlando, Florida. This conference will feature leaders in resort management, sustainability, best practices, and green marketing.

This event will bring together hotel/resort operators, energy and water management consultants, sustainable solution providers, and certifying organizations to discuss trends, products, and solutions to help hotels and resorts recognize that implementing sustainable solutions is good: good for the environment and good for business.

To see the conference agenda click here.
To register click here.

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Event - Travel and Social Good Conference

The inaugural Travel+SocialGood Conference will take place on September 20th at MRV offices in NYC.

In partnership with the +SocialGood initiative headed by the UN Foundation, UNDP, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Case Foundation & Mashable. This half-day exploration of the nexus between travel, technology, and social good.

The travel and tourism industry accounts for $6.4 trillion in annual GDP and employs 1 in 11 citizens throughout the world. In 2013, spending in this high-technology industry is expected to grow by 5.1 percent and contribute $2.1 trillion to annual global GDP with the highest growth rates in the developing world. Meanwhile hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on charity and development aid every year.

While each field plays a role in reaching the Millennium Development Goals outlined by the United Nations in 2000, the wealth potential available through cross-sectoral partnerships has yet to be fully tapped. Imagine a billion tourists and travelers whose trips are designed to be sustainable and socially responsible. A wave of technological innovation, purposed with lowering the environmental footprint of each and every country, has yet to be fully realized. The ability for international charitable organizations to become more transparent and effective than ever is on the horizon. Impact on this scale can only be achieved at the crossroads of travel, technology, and social good.

Travel+SocialGood is dedicated to exploring this nexus and identifying its 'connective tissue': those agents of change who will catalyze positive global impact. The inaugural conference will be a gathering of social entrepreneurs, engaged media agencies, academic thought leaders, and others vested in this space. Through speeches, pitches, ignite sessions, and directed conversations, we aim to spark this collaborative ecosystem of innovation and foster its development far beyond the conference itself.

To register click here.

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