2010: A look at the hotel room of tomorrow

What do you get when you put the leaders in hospitality finance and technology together in one room?

A glimpse into the near future, thanks to the Guestroom 20X initiative, which forecasts tomorrow's hotel rooms today. The brilliant minds behind the program included several eco-friendlier features, naturally, while melding all guestroom facets into one revealing summary of what a 2010 hotel room may look like. (So realistically, we're talking a year and a month or two... the very near future.)

A taste of the delicious technologies:

• Forget about finding a bible in the nightstand drawer. G2X predicts that the paper-less Amazon Kindle will occupy the space, so guests can download whatever they'd like to read, whenever. (If you haven't heard of Kindle yet, don't worry. Oprah highlighted it on Friday's show, so the certified trend will sweep the nation any minute.)


• Energy-saving minibars. Enough said.


• OLED Digital TVs. Don't know what that means? Neither did I. It stands for Organic light emitting diode picture displays. Yep, I still don't really understand what that means, but I do know that it can be up to 40 percent more efficient than a standard TV. By Sony.
  
• Closet doors that generate energy every time you open and close them. It's called an energy tax door, and I don't think I'm sold yet. When I stay at a hotel, I rarely use the closets anyhow.


• Control Suite Systems by Control4 that allow guests to dim the lights and alter the temperature to their liking via a touch pad. How do I get one of these for my place?

See even more details in the complete Guestroom 20X Guide - an interesting browse.

Chicago Tops Green Seal Cities

We all knew Chicago was a windy city, and now, it's a greener city too. Last week, Mayor Richard Daley and the Chicago Department of Environment bestowed its first Green Seal Certification upon five of the city's posh hotels as a part of the Green Hotels Initiative challenge. Hotels badged with a "Green Seal" have met requirements in waste minimization, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste water management and green procurement. As of last week, Chicago boasts the most Green Seal certified hotels in one city in the nation.

Included in the eco lineup are:

• Hotel Allegro (Kimpton)
• Hotel Burnham (Kimpton)
• Hotel Monaco Chicago (Kimpton)
• InterContinental Chicago
• Talbott Hotel

Read more on InterContinental Chicago's green efforts here, on The Huffington Post, by Stefanie Michaels.

And, I couldn't pass it up...

Who else is as annoyed as me by the new high-fructose corn syrup commercials? Seriously? I know that high-fructose corn syrup has probably got a bit of an image problem, but isn't it well deserved? That's why I had to laugh when I stumbled across TreeHugger's spoof of the sappy TV ads, "Don't Eat High Fructose Corn Syrup? You're Both Snobby and a Racist."

Enjoy!

Growing Greener: Austin's Habitat Suites Hotel

Looking for a place to stay in Austin, Texas? Bring a photo of the solar panels you've installed on your home or business and you're privy to a 15 percent discount at Habitat Suites Hotel.

It may look like just another brick building from the outside, but once you've stepped in, it's obvious that this place has put a load of effort into greening up. (View a Flash tour of the property's green efforts here.) From an 18 kilowatt 108 solar panel system to "coreless" toilet paper rolls, every step taken at Habitat seems to be consciously green.

What I find most endearing is the detailed booklet that outlines exactly how the hotel and its staff keeps the place running ecologically smooth. (Download it here). Impressive stuff for an independent hotel and small business.

Intrigued by the website, Google led me to this article in the Austin Chronicle, which quotes general manager Natalie Marquis, "It's about being human-friendly."

I completely agree. And next time I find myself in Austin, you can guess where I'll stay.

I am not a paper cup

Word has gotten out on these porcelin cups that look just like the real thing. Since I enjoy sipping on something warm while waiting for a flight to arrive, they make the perfect travel companion and are completely reusable. The cup itself is crafted of double wall porcelin; the lid is silicone.

You can order one online at Uncommon Goods for $20. The only thing that would make it better? Being made in the U.S., not Taiwan.

More green on the Worldwide Web

7 Portable Solar Laptop Chargers (TreeHugger)
A review of several laptop chargers worth considering on the go

Nurturing Nature in California (Manage Smarter)
Terranea Resort will entice eco guests upon its opening, 06/09

Car Shoppers Save Money, Time with Fuel Economy Guide (EPA)
Click on Fuel Economy Leaders to see the top 10 rated cars, released today

Must See Green American Landmarks (Travel + Leisure)
A smart round-up of the latest eco destinations in the US

Airline Industry Pushes for Green Fuel (The Vancouver Sun)
The search for aircraft-friendly biofuels...

Green Giveaway! NEW "Where to Go When: The Americas"

It's that time again! We've rounded up some more fabulous favors to give away to the globetrotter community - and today, we're launching the raffle for three stunning copies of DK Eyewitness Travels' "Where to Go When: The Americas."

Having debuted last month, this beautiful hardcover is filled to the brim with delightful destinations, and conveniently categorized to provide you with the best time of the year to see each locale in all its splendor. In it, you'll find 336 glossy pages of panoramic photos and enticing editorial.

Better yet, DK is partnering up with Black Tomato to giveaway one of five crave-worthy trips to either: Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua or Alaska. You can enter here.

WIN IT!
Wanna get your paws on one of the newest travel bible? Simply drop an e-mail by clicking here - or e-mailing globetrotterblog (at) gmail.com - that includes your name and address. (No worries, your information won't be given out to anyone or used for anything other than shipping you a winning prize.)

We'll choose three winners at the end of this month and will ship out your book pronto!

[Where to Go When: The Americas. September 2008. MSRP: $40]

Deal Alert: Free natural goodies

If you've got plans to stock up on natural beauty or skin garb before packing for your next adventure, you'll want to do it at Drugstore.com. This week, they're giving away a free reusable travel pouch stuffed with natural body care products when you shop their Green & Natural department. The only catch is that you've gotta drop at least $30 in that department alone.

According to the e-mail I got today, the sample sack will include items by Clif, Tom's of Maine; Yes to Carrots; de-luxe; Airborne and Nature's Gate - all together valued at about $16.

Click here to shop. (Expires October 15)

Cutting carbon with car rentals

Environmental car rental programs are on the rise... and I don't think anyone would doubt it. Many are touting hybrid rentals and carbon offsets that you can purchase at pick-up, but none that I know of, until now, have offered free carbon offsets.

I just learned of VroomVroomVroom (really, that's their name) - a new site that's offering free offsets when you book a Hertz, Avis, or Enterprise (the list goes on) vehicle through them. The new site is working with CarbonNeutral to offset each rental - based on the type of car, length of rental and average mileage per day. To kick off the program, V.V.V. purchased 13,000 tons of carbon offset credits, with plans to purchase additional credits as needed at the end of each year.

You can get the full scoop here or check out the V.V.V. blog here.

Clever company, they're on Facebook and tweeting, too.

An unrelated, but interesting read:

Dianna of Promote Michigan passed on a great story to me today, which outlines all of the fascinating ways hotel encourage towel reuse by guests staying multiple nights.

Take a few minutes to enjoy: Washington Post Article

More green on the Worldwide Web

Travelers Look to Go Lean and Green (Washington Post)
A run-down of Trip Advisor's latest eco survey

Puttin' on the Ritz (San Francisco Chronicle)
Hawaii's Ritz-Carlton Kapalua launches Ambassadors of the Environment program

A Homemade Hotel on the Eastern Shore (Daily Press, VA)
An eclectic stay at Neptune Vacation Suites

How to Be a Green Guest (Telegraph-Journal)
Tips on eco-friendly stays at a friend's house or in a hotel

Architect Promises Green Hotel in Queens (Queens Chronicle)
An NYC Best Western ups the ante

Ecotourism Too Slippery to Measure (Charlotte Regional Biz Journal)
How South Carolina is defining green efforts in the industry

Wyndham hotels kicks off a new green program

A few days ago, Wyndham Worldwide (which represents nearly 70,000 properties across the globe, like Ramada and Days Inn) kicked off their new WyndhamGreen program with a "Global Green Day," held in 35 locations across six continents.

Wyndham's eco initiatives don't include anything that you haven't heard of before, but we still applaud the effort of rolling out energy-saving activities across such a line up. The top 10 green practices will include EarthSmart linen and towel (reuse) program; energy reduction through new bulbs; low-flow water systems; recycling programs; smoke-free and CleanAir rooms; recycled office materials; eco-friendly cleaning and laundry products; community programs; Energy Star energy tracking; and internal education on environmental practices.

Guests will also find organic and fair-trade certified Starbucks coffees in some Wyndham rooms (as far as I can tell, this is a property option and isn't standard yet).

Wyndham also used their "Global Green Day" to announce the appointment of Faith Taylor as vice president, Sustainability and Innovation, for the company.

USB Charging turns easy worldwide

Gadgets. They're everywhere, and slowly but surely, all those electronic must-haves have become necessities on the go. From my iPod that's packed with my airport playlist, cell phone and digital camera (don't travel anywhere without it), I'm one of the many people who need to juice up in between flights and at the hotel.

A lot of my electronics require a USB port, but that laptop is so annoying to tote around if I'm not absolutely sure that I'll need it. Instead, I've begun packing Amzer's international USB travel adapter. In North America - and beyond - it plugs into wall outlets simply to grant me more mobile power. It's completely handy and compact for packing, plus, it comes with four plugs that will work in over 150 countries, including Europe, Australia and the UK.

My only quip? Lets make a solar powered USB charger. No plug-ins needed!

Right now you can buy one for $18.07 on Amazon.

Launch of Whole Travel

Looks like there's a new way to search for intriguing travel itineraries. A new website, Whole Travel (now in beta), has recently launched, offering superior search engine results for sustainable travel. From a collection of 4,000 Whole Travel-rated resorts, visitors to the site can search for the ultimate green getaway. While there, you can also peruse hotels, flights, travel guides and a friendly travel blog.

Whole Travel's new rating system brings to travelers a new option in seeking sustainable properties. Like many of the other current sites doling out such "ratings" - it's success and more importantly, trustworthiness, will tell with time.

Check out the Whole Travel site HERE, then come back to share your thoughts? Cool tool - or not?