CSR and Sustainability

🏨 Monica Salter, part of OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group, expressed her commitment to ESG initiatives—aiming to preserve cultural heritage and promote sustainable tourism for future generations. Mentored by Joan Bennet of Bennet Group PR, Salter learned the importance of preparation, confidence, and trust in one's abilities. Inspired by her mother, a successful photographer, she values hard work and perseverance. Salter is optimistic about increasing diversity in hospitality leadership, especially with more women and diverse individuals assuming key roles. She advocates for supporting working mothers with childcare to enhance women's leadership opportunities. With progress being made, Salter envisions a future of inclusive hospitality leadership mirroring the diversity of communities.

🎓 EHL Hospitality Business School partners with LVMH to launch an Executive Master in Sustainable Luxury, starting October 2025. A ten-month programme at EHL Lausanne campus, with an exclusive trip to LVMH companies, includes five modules, a six-month internship, and a final project. Aimed at EHL graduates and professionals with a Master's degree, the programme focuses on sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence in luxury retail and hospitality, offering career advancement within LVMH.

🏕 Trailborn opened its fifth hotel, Trailborn Grand Canyon, in Williams, Ariz. along Route 66 near Grand Canyon National Park. The redesigned hotel features 96 king and queen guest rooms with modern amenities, a saloon-style event space hosting up to 200 guests, and a restaurant. Outdoor amenities include a pool, hot tub, bocce court, and more. Miss Kitty's, a Southwest steakhouse and bar, will open later this spring. A portion of booking proceeds supports the Grand Canyon Conservancy's initiatives.

🏖️ TUI Group launches its 500th hotel, the TUI Magic Life Agadir, and aims to expand from 433 to 600 hotels. Located on Agadir's Atlantic coast with 300+ sunny days annually, the resort features 427 rooms, 3 restaurants, 4 bars, 3 pools, and offers sports and entertainment. Committed to sustainability, TUI implements eco-friendly technologies like a photovoltaic system. Moroccan authorities support the project, anticipating economic and tourism growth. TUI operates 11 hotels with 3,700+ rooms in Morocco, with the Agadir opening slated for 2027.

🏨 Starwood Hotels, under Barry Sternlicht’s leadership, celebrates its 10th anniversary by reverting to its original name and aims to continue global expansion with over 40 hotels across four continents. In 2025, openings include properties in Tokyo, Melbourne, and Copenhagen, with expansions in the Middle East and Southern Europe. 1 Hotels & Homes, since 2015, plans to open in Seattle (spring), Melbourne (mid-year), Copenhagen (summer), and Tokyo (autumn), and partners with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 100,000 trees in Los Angeles. Baccarat Hotels eyes growth in Rome, Florence, Dubai, Riyadh, and the Maldives, despite delays. Treehouse Hotels schedules openings in Manchester and Silicon Valley (both spring 2025), with more to come in Riyadh, Miami, and Adelaide. Starwood aims for LEED or BREEAM certifications and prioritizes sustainability, having reduced 46,612 tonnes of CO2 and recycled 3.4 million pounds of materials by 2024. Despite only 13 hotels currently operating and facing postponements, Sternlicht remains optimistic about the group's future.

🏨 Lexy Stevens, with a background in hospitality via Hotel Equities, emphasizes the importance of mentorship and the company's ethos of nurturing talent. Mentors include Nancy Curtin Morris, who taught the value of trust, attention to detail, and the empowerment of women, and her father Michael Jochim, who demonstrated the impact of mindset and a positive work environment. Stevens highlights ongoing efforts for diversity and inclusion, specifically mentioning an initiative for hiring individuals with intellectual disabilities, aiming to fill employment gaps and enhance team diversity. Additionally, she notes the necessity for women in the industry to develop and mentor future female leaders.

🏡 The Social Hub's expansion into Portugal starts with a 271-room hub in Porto's Bonjardim district, opening in spring 2025, featuring coworking spaces, a bar, rooftop pool, and 39 long-term apartments. A €60 million investment develops 11,200sqm in Porto, with plans for Lisbon. Florence's Social Hub Belfiore opens February 2025 with 550 rooms and an 80,000 sqm space including a 7,000 sqm park. Rome's Social Hub opens March 2025 with 392 rooms and a 24,000 sqm space with a 10,000 sqm park. The TSH Talent Foundation donates 1% of global revenue to social initiatives.

🏨 Solenne Ojea Devys, at the helm of OKKO Hotels since its founding in 2014, aims to align the business with strong values and a sustainable, responsible hotel model. The company's strategy focuses on consolidating existing practices, training 100% of employees, increasing soft mobility usage from 8% to 20% by 2025, and structuring a purchasing policy with CSR criteria, including partnerships with EcoVadis, B Corp, or mission-driven companies. Devys emphasizes carbon footprint reduction, food waste combat, and waste sorting. She also prioritizes sector-wide evolution through open sharing of actions and best practices. OKKO Hotels introduced the “A hotel for my parents” initiative, offering 200 free nights per year in each Paris hotel, totaling 1,000 nights, in partnership with Fondation Comyces pour l'Enfance. Devys encourages industry-wide participation in social commitment projects.

🏨 Lynsey Kreitzer, influenced by a college friend, began her hospitality career in a sales position at a hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents, especially her mother's empathy and leadership and her father's work ethic and integrity, shaped her values. Kreitzer is optimistic about the future of diversity and inclusion in the industry, noting advancements in training and best practices. She also highlights the lodging industry's progress in promoting women to leadership roles and the importance of mentorship for all genders.