According to a recent press release, the Element Denver Park Meadows in Colorado is the second hotel to be Leed-certified.

Bradley Preston, General Manager of Element Denver Park Meadows said:“We know that Element guests value the fact that Element hotels are environmentally conscious and we’re excited that we’ve met the very high standards for the Silver LEED designation,”

He also added: “At the same time, we realize the certification is really the beginning of a process, and we’re looking forward to continually improving our efforts around conservation and waste reduction.”

One of the most important and significant online searchers for the hotel industry, Expedia Inc., has decided to expand its horizon to the Brazilian market.

Marco Tagliatti, Vice President of Market Management, Latin America, Expedia, Inc. commented:“Hotels in Brazil have a huge opportunity to extend their reach to our entire Latin American and international customer base.”

He also said:“We are expanding our team in Sao Paulo because it is a tourism market that is growing rapidly both domestically and internationally. We’re seeing many international travelers visiting Brazil for the first time, and we want to help Brazilian hoteliers grow their businesses by helping them reach our millions of customers across the globe.”

The Davidson Hotel Company will officially start managing the Marriott Teaneck at Glepointe in N.J.

John Belden, president and CEO of Davidson Hotel Company said: “The Glenpointe Marriott has tremendous attributes, including its proximity and easy access to New York City and its location in one of the most prestigious office complexes in northern New Jersey.”

He added: “It’s also convenient to Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teterboro, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports, and such top leisure attractions as the New Meadowlands Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. This is Davidson’s second property in the greater New York City metropolitan area.”

How do EcoGreen Hotels do to protect the environment? The Andaluz in Albuquerque in New Mexico has accomplished to reduce the use of water by 78%.

Pay attention to these important tips:

# “Oxygen-assisted” low-flow shower heads

# Rainwater collection system for irrigation (in process)

# Efficient low-flow toilets Solar panels to heat about 60% of the hotel’s hot water (which will cut energy use by 20%)

# Guestroom controls Fluorescent and LED lighting

The Las Vegas Sands Corp has recently reported that they will pay more than $1 billion in outstanding debt.

Las Vegas Sands Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon G. Adelson said:”We are pleased to announce that we are paying down over $1 billion of debt, which significantly advances our deleveraging strategy.”

He also commented: “Additionally, the successful execution of this amendment has extended our debt maturities at favorable interest rates, strengthened our balance sheet, meaningfully enhanced our liquidity and leaves our company well positioned to pursue additional growth opportunities in emerging gaming markets.”

The famous Crowne Plaza Los Cabos has recently changed its name for the Hola Grand FAro Los Cabos, a luxury All-inclusive Resort.

Theresa Benedict, Tour and Travel Sales Manager for the resort commented: “HOLA GRAND FARO LOS CABOS Luxury All Inclusive Resort offers the refined luxury that our guests have come to expect, plus something more.

We have strived to create a unique personality and atmosphere, a sense of ease that avoids the feel of exclusivity that turns many guests off of high-end resorts. Our resort is a place where families, honeymooners, groups, singles and all others will feel welcome.”

The Eco Hotel & Suites has recently received the Green Entrepreneurial Award. The hotel is located in Denver, Colorado and it was awarded at the Moving American Forward tv show.

Henderson said: “The design includes sustainable elements such as; xeric landscaping plans, a smart solar roofing system, wind-turbine options, recycled building materials and purposeful upscale amenities”

“This design represents a tremendous change to conventional hotel construction and it demonstrates our commitment to incorporating a 360-degree view of sustainability to our plans and embedding environmental responsibility at the core of our business model.”

Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality said:

“We’re proud to have AquaHealth, Evolve, The Green Garmento, and Zero Odor join us as Pineapple Partners.”

“Whether it’s a sustainable water solution, energy control greener option for guestroom laundry service or a unique way to actually eliminate odors instead of masking them, these companies demonstrate how everyone in the green hospitality market can work together to bring a synergistic approach to sustainability.”

“Offering products that are good for both the environment and the bottom line, all our Pineapple Partners create value for hotels as we reach out to today’s tens of millions of more environmentally aware consumers and sustainable travelers.”

“The new Courtyard hotel will open in early 2012 as a part of a joint venture between Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial of Augusta, Ga., and MeadWestvaco of Summerville, S.C.

The hotel will introduce the first phase of The Parks of Berkley, a community consisting of 5,000 acres and one of the largest planned developments in the Southeastern United States.”

Karim Khalifa, senior vice president, architecture and construction for Marriott International commented:

“This new program packages all the basic requirements for LEED certification in a prototype. It saves our owners valuable time and money in the planning process and allows us to provide a greener portfolio of hotels for our guests.”

Why are they important for the hospitality industry? A report reveals how important videos are for users to learn more about hotels before booking.

“-178 million American Internet users watched online video in April 2010 (this is 83.5% of total US Internet audience).

-21.7 million Canadian Internet users watched over 4 billion online videos in April.

-35.7 million Americans watched 13.0 billion videos on YouTube – that’s 96 videos per viewer in the US.

-If YouTube were a nation, it would be the 3rd most populous country in the world – behind China & India and ahead of the US and Indonesia - 450 million people worldwide view more than 60 billion videos each month on YouTube.com

-YouTube is basically the 2nd most-used search engine to Google”