Infographic: The Future Of Hotels Is Green

by Jessica Marati on

It was only a matter of time before someone made a snazzy infographic on the wastefulness of the hotel industry. This one comes from blog Hotel.info, with information sourced from the U.S. Green Building Council, American Hotel & Lodging Association, NFL, U.S. Energy Information Association, Energy Star, Environmental Protection Agency, Siemens and Forbes.com.

The graphic features plenty of interesting information nuggets and analogies, like:

  • Hotels create 1.9 billion pounds of waste each year, enough to fill 37 million suitcases.
  • They also use 84.7 billion kwh of energy per year, enough to power 64.5 million television sets.
  • If one person took a shower non-stop for 277 years, it would be equivalent to the amount of water used by hotels each year.
  • Hotels also produce 60 million tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to that generated by 10.6 million cars and 12 coal-fired power plants.

Shocking, eh? For a look at what would happen if both hotels and guests adopted greener policies, click on “Read More” for the full graphic.

[via Hotel.info]

Five Things You Can Do On Earth Day To Save Natural Resources

by Laurel Miller on

Earth Day is upon us, and even if you’re not planning to celebrate our planet’s making it through another year (what global warming?), there are still some simple measures you can take to show your gratitude. Love your Mother, you know?

Whether you’re on the road or at home, the following are smart rules to implement every day of the year:

  • Do laundry at night, after peak electricity usage hours and only wash full loads.
  • Use a travel mug when you purchase your morning coffee and carry a reusble water bottle.
  • Stash reusable shopping bags in your car, purse or backpack and desk.
  • Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, washing your face, doing dishes or shaving.
  • Switch to e-tickets, e-pay, and other paperless forms of commerce; add your name to no junk mail and catalog lists.

[Photo credit: Flickr user kevin dooley]

The War On Hotel Wi-Fi Escalates

by Grant Martin on


It’s a bloodbath on the front lines of the hotel Wi-Fi war, and our friends at Hotel Chatter are leading the charge.

At issue is the cost of wireless Internet at some hotels, often rising as high as $25 per person per day while the cost is only $350 to the hotel per month. Some think that the hotel industry is gouging customers – many of who already pay hundreds of dollars a night for their rooms. Others, well, think it’s profitable.

Interviewed by Ayesha Durgahee on CNN’s Business Traveler, our friend and managing editor of Hotel Chatter Julianna Shallcross takes the consumers’ side suggesting that, “It just seems like pure profiteering on the hotel’s part.” Between her criticism and the works of CNN and Hotel Chatter, maybe the hotels will start listening.

Pimp My Airport Lounge

by Kyle Ellison on

As a travel writer you might expect I spend a healthy amount of time in swanky airport lounges eating lobster tail and getting foot massages.

Well, I don’t – far from it.

The reality is closer to trying to find a spare outlet to charge my chronically low computer battery and simultaneously napping in the fetal position on the airport floor while traveling on the most budget friendly (read: logistically absurd) route.

This, however, does not need to be the reality for all travelers. For those with access privileges to global airport lounges, according to a recent article by USA Today, many airlines are investing healthy sums of money in order to spruce up their lounges to start wooing back once-loyal customers.

Some of the perks being mentioned? Lufthansa is offering lounge members traveling through their Frankfurt hub a full service spa where massages and facials ease the pain of an excessively long layover. Same goes for the Virgin lounge in JFK airport where 15-minute massages are complimentary and pedicures can be enjoyed for a modest $20-$40 upgrade.

Delta’s Sky Clubs lounges have recently added upgraded “Luxury Bars” where top-shelf cocktails are now available, and the same Virgin lounge in JFK now offers full-service menus and appetizers for hungry travelers killing time between flights.

Also noted in the USA Today article: although airline lounges have historically been the private realm of first-class seat holders and loyal frequent fliers, many airlines are now offering $50 day passes to general coach citizens as a way of raising ancillary income.

So am I going to pop the $50 for a layover in the lounge? Probably not, but it’s comforting to know that it’s there. Besides, in the types of places I travel, such as Kalibo, Philippines, the airport offers $2 massages to the general public while you wait at your gate.

When JFK gets that service going you can count me in for sure.

[Image: kalleboo via Flickr]

Video Of The Day: Caine’s Arcade

by Elizabeth Seward on

“Caine’s Arcade” from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

In case you haven’t yet heard of Caine’s Arcade through the social media storm that’s been spreading this video this week, here’s your chance. In short, this cardboard arcade constructed by a 9-year-old boy, Caine, inside of his father’s auto parts store in Los Angeles is a real place you can visit. You can play the arcade games designed by Caine. He’ll even go as far as to feed you winning tickets by hand through a slot in the cardboard “machine.” Before October 2, Caine had only ever entertained one customer, but that one customer happened to be a filmmaker. This video documents the building of the arcade and the special project that brought attention to the arcade. If you’re impressed with Caine’s design skills and motivation, you can even donate to a college fund set up for him on the Caine’s Arcade website. When thinking of where to go in the Los Angeles area, this little boy’s arcade tops my list.