Posts Tagged ‘sustainable hotels’

Hotels going green… is it finally mainstream?

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

On a very recent quick jaunt to Boston, I had the pleasure of staying at the Lenox Hotel in the Back Bay.   The property is beautiful and exactly what I would expect from a traditional Boston luxury hotel experience.  However, their environmental program truly impressed me.

The room had a basket with clearly marked dividers where guests can dispose of plastic/paper/cans/other items.  The room also has a purification system that ionizes the stale air and protects against allergies.

Later I read on their website that the Saunders Hotel Group, which owns the Lenox, has a history of environmental “firsts” that span over two decades, along with a long list of sustainability and green awards. 

There are several hotel chains who have begun green programs in recent years, and I guess my question is: have we reached a point where green is no longer a fad and a cutting edge story angle?  Has it reached the point of a “must have” in hotels regardless of the opportunities of obtaining great press?

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Hotels: is green still the new black?

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

In the last three to five years we have been bombarded with promises of sustainability efforts on the part of hotels who chose to make social and environmental responsibility a top priority.  Multiple hotels have succeeded in that effort and for a long time, the “green amenity” angle was mainstream in the dailies, trade and travel news.   As much as sustainability is a large undertaking for corporate hotel chains, there are some great examples of sustainable boutique hotels all over the world including brands such as Kimpton, NYLO, and other independent properties worldwide.

My question is: how is the sustainability promise kept during the economic crisis, and how much PR shelf life does the green angle still have?  Is it our duty and responsibility to keep sustainability mainstream in the news, or has it reached a peak?  How can we keep the flow of green information interesting and in the forefront of editor’s minds, Twitter and Facebook?  Have we talked the angle to death, or are there new ways of showcasing the efforts of sustainability of hotels all over the world? 

Food for thought.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

Hotels Embrace Earth Hour 2009!

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

This Saturday,on March 28, 2009, from 6pm-midnight, the four star boutique Hotel Heritage in Bruges will turn off the lights in the public areas of the property for six hours instead of the customary one hour (8:30p-9:30p). The hotel strives to be sustainable and is introducing several green initiatives through its scheduled renovations.  www.hotel-heritage.com 

Unfortunately, events like Earth hour are not realized as much as they should.  The lack of awareness around this global WWF annual event ties into the continuous conversation of sustaining resources to take action on climate change.  

Some hotels are following the ritual from 8:30-9:30 this Saturday, according to my dear friend Mark Johnson’s award winning travel blog, HotelChatter, http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Earth%20Hour%20Hotels.  I think more hotels should follow suit, create PR around them, and why not go the extra step like the Hotel Heritage will be doing to conserve energy. 

It happens to be my birthday on Saturday, so I’ll be sure to help however little I can to prevent global warming.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, PR, Top Accommodations | 2 Comments »