The airline industry is massively fossil-fuel dependent, so it is no surprise numerous efforts have been made in recent years to be more fuel efficient, including designs with less wind drag, and biofuel made from algae and other renewable sources.

Now, though, the spotlight is on airport terminals. Like hotels, convention centers and other spaces that attract hordes of people and consume a lot of energy, there has been a concerted push by airports in recent years to reduce their carbon footprints.

And so, the race for green is on: Which of the world’s airports owns bragging rights as the most environmentally friendly?

Look to Scandinavia, says CNN Travel. The new terminal at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL), is first to be awarded the highest Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating, a worldwide sustainability certification program.

Perhaps the coolest—literally—innovation at Oslo is a snow-based cooling system. In winter, the airport taps into natural geothermal heating, but it also collects plentiful Norwegian snow, covers it with sawdust to slow melting and stores it. In summer, the remaining slush cools the terminal building.

The airport also perfected the business of recycling during construction—only 9 percent of discarded materials went to landfill.

More Green Contenders

Luckily for us and the environment, other airports are in the race. Contenders (in alphabetical order) include the following:

  • Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD): Rain-water harvesting, wind turbines for energy, rooftop gardens and the world’s largest bee apiary, with more than 1 million bees.
  • Denver International Airport (DEN):  Largest solar energy system of all U.S. airports.
  • Galapagos Ecological Airport (GPS): LEED Gold-certified, runs completely on solar and wind power, more than 80 percent constructed from recycled materials salvaged on the island, desalination plant.
  • Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), Delhi, India: LEED Gold-certified, constructed of recycled materials, uses only natural light by day.
  • Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston: Terminal A was first in the United States to receive LEED certification (2006), recycled materials used for construction, heat-reflecting roof.
  • San Diego International Airport (SAN): The world’s first LEED Platinum-certified airport.
  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO): Terminal 2 was first in the United States to receive LEED Gold certification.
  • Zurich (Kloten) Airport (ZRH): Heating and cooling solely by geothermal energy.

Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week is upon us. If you want to get in on the action, think outside of the tank and consider these aquatic venues for your next meeting or event.

Golden Nugget—Las Vegas, Nevada

Give your event the Midas Touch at Golden Nugget. This unique hotel is located in downtown Las Vegas on what is considered the old strip, Fremont Street. The pool area is known as The Tank. Brave guests can ride down a transparent water slide inside the 200,000-gallon shark tank. Golden Nugget houses more than 30,000 sq. ft. of event space for groups of up to 2,500 attendees.

Atlantis—Paradise Island, Bahamas

Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas, underwent a massive $1 billion expansion to their meetings and event space. The breathtaking Caribbean getaway boasts a world-class conference center that can fit a maximum of 4,000 guests in its 50,000-square-foot Imperial Ballroom. It also offers over 40,000 sq. ft. of pre-function space, 30 break-out rooms, boardrooms, staging area and banquet kitchen. In 2014 and 2015, the Marine Habitat at Atlantis was ranked by TripAdvisor as one of the Top 25 Aquariums in the World. Guests can zip down a clear water slide for the best views of Caribbean reef sharks inside the Mayan Temple Shark Lagoon. The aquarium also has a 100-foot tunnel guests can walk through and be surrounded by hundreds of marine species.

 

Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center—Riverhead, New York

The East End is home to Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center. Atlantis Banquets & Events can arrange fin-tastic corporate events for up to 650 guests. The new 5,310 sq. ft. Sea Star Ballroom overlooks the Peconic River. The aquarium has partnered with the adjacent Hyatt Place East End & Resort Marina to offer visitors nearby hotel accommodations in its 100 guest suites. Adventurous guests can come face-to-face with sharks by plunging deep down in the 120,000-gallon Lost City of Atlantis Shark Exhibit inside a cage.

Aquarium of the Pacific—Long Beach, California

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is located walking distance to The Queen Mary. Its new Watershed classroom is LEED Platinum certified and can fit up to 40 guests. The room brings the outdoors inside, featuring a living roof of shrubs and grass. Larger groups in the hundreds can meet on the front lawn or Great Hall. If you’re planning a gathering of up to 1,500, the entire facility is available for a buy-out. 

 

Photo courtesy of The Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium—Tampa, Florida

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa recently introduced their new Mosaic Center. Guests can enjoy views of Harbor Island, Garrison Channel and the Channelside District through floor-to-ceiling, wrap-around windows. The elegant event space features an atrium and catering menu. Plus, you can get an underwater look at sharks and sea turtles. The aquarium is home to more than 20,000 species of animals and plants. Proceeds from events go toward conservation efforts.

Photo of Oceans Ballroom courtesy of Georgia Aquarium 

Georgia Aquarium—Atlanta, GA

The 23,000-square-foot Oceans Ballroom at Georgia Aquarium can be configured to fit up to 1,200 guests. Attendees will not only be treated to views of beluga whales and the Ocean Voyager habitat, but will dine on catering by esteemed chef Wolfgang Puck. The ballroom features a private entrance and the events team can help arrange team building activities and provide AV services in the built-in theaters. There is enough parking for all of your guests. A private parking structure contains 1,600 spaces.

Tennessee Aquarium—Chattanooga, Tennessee

The Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX 3-D Theater has three buildings for meeting professionals to choose from. The River Journey can fit up to 500 people for a reception, IMAX Great Hall works for mid-size affairs of 400 and The Ocean Journey is perfect for a group of 200. Super-sized events can rent out the entire aquarium to accommodate 3,000 guests. Plus, the outdoor pavilion can seat 600 or more. If you want to take things out on the water, the aquarium’s catamaran is available for private rental. It takes groups of up to 65 guests on a trip down the Tennessee River. 

Photo courtesy of Ripley’s Aquarium

Ripley’s Aquarium—Myrtle Beach, SC

Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach recently debuted its indoor glass-bottom boat attraction, Dangerous Reef, the first and only one on our continent. Riders can get up close and personal with Jaws inside the shark tank. The aquarium’s banquet room can welcome 40-125 guests and the entire facility is also available for rental to accommodate larger groups.

Photo courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Monterey Bay Aquarium—Monterey, California

The Open Sea exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium features a 90-foot window to give guests a great view of sea life on the other side of the glass. While enjoying a strolling or sit-down dinner, sharks swim by. The space can be reserved for up to 2,500 people. Planners can also book a special dive show.

Universal Studios Hollywood—Universal City, California

Although not an aquarium, the World-Famous Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood takes guests on an excursion to Amity Island where Jaws resides. As you drive by on this backlot experience, the shark will leap out of the water to scare and splash visitors. Make sure to keep your limbs inside the vehicle! Universal Studios also offers many meeting spaces. Roll out the red carpet at The Globe Theatre for up to 700 guests. This state-of-the-art ballroom offers $25,000 worth of complimentary AV as part of the package. The Animal Actors Pavilion, WaterWorld Show Pavilion, Special Effects Stage and Universal CityWalk Cinemas are also available for private functions and presentations.

Poolside “Dive In” Movie

If you want to keep your meeting at a bit of a dryer and more conventional venue, many hotels host “dive in” movies. This could be a fun evening activity for your attendees by projecting “Jaws” or another shark-related film on a big, poolside screen as guests float in the water.

popular travel emojis

Whether hitting the road for meetings or pleasure, many travelers share their adventures and whereabouts on social media and through text messages within 24 hours of arriving. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and more and more jet-setters are using emojis to describe their trips.

To commemorate World Emoji Day on July 17th, Booking.com surveyed over 18,000 respondents from 25 countries about which emojis they’d like at their fingertips. The results showed the top five most-requested are a smiley face unpacking luggage, referring to a map, taking a selfie, wearing a camera draped around its neck and lounging on a chair with an umbrella and cocktail.

In an effort to bring these travel emojis to life, Booking.com launched a petition on change.org to try to convince Unicode to add them to keyboards. So far, they are halfway to reaching their goal of 500 signatures.

Photo credit: PRNewsfoto/Kayak

Booking.com is not the only big tourism name company to enter the emoji game. Kayak enabled the ability to conduct a travel search using emojis that represent 10 major cities worldwide, such as a slot machine for Las Vegas, the Statue of Liberty for New York City and a three-leaf clover for Dublin, Ireland.

“We are always looking for ways to make Kayak even more fun and easy to use—adding emoji to the search experience is a great way to do that,” says David Solomito, vice president of North America brand marketing for Kayak. “However our users want to search, whether it’s with emojis, bots or voice—we will be there.”

Kayak intends to add more emojis to their repertoire in the near future. Over the course of three weeks, the travel site collected a whopping 170,000 votes to determine which emojis would be assigned to which cities. And the winners are:

  • Naples, Italy: slice of pizza
  • San Francisco: rainbow flag
  • Nashville, Tennessee: guitar
  • Green Bay: football
  • Seattle: coffee

These emojis and more, as well as 200 flag emojis, will be searchable on Kayak soon.

Incredible convention centers aren’t limited to the United States — here are a few of our favorites across the globe.

And, who knows, after seeing these beauties you might start planning your next meeting or event in a completely new and foreign city!

When it comes to the most expensive beach towns in the United States, it’s probably not where you’d expect it to be. If you guessed Hawaii or Malibu, wrong. It’s Montauk, the eastern most point of Long Island, New York, nicknamed “The End.”

Cheaphotels.org released a study this week ranking the 20 most costly beach towns based on the cheapest overnight hotel rate for a double room during the month of August. Hotels with a 2-star rating or lower were excluded from comparison, as were hotels not near the beach.

Let’s take a look at some possible venues to hold meetings in each of the top 20 beach communities.

destinations from the bachelorette

ABC’s The Bachelorette is about so much more than Rachel Lindsay’s journey to a proposal on the program’s most dramatic finale ever. Viewers can look at it as a travel show, while meeting professionals can get inspiration for locations to hold meetings and events. Let’s take a glance at just some of the places roses were handed out this season.

Los Angeles

Malibu

On the second episode of the Monday night series, Lindsay was joined by a group of guys, along with special guests Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California. The 1,000-acre vineyard and estate offers four event spaces, including Camp Cabernet, which can accommodate up to 300 people. The lawn is surrounded by uniquely themed Airstreams. This is also the site of Malibu Wine Safaris, so guests can meet Stanley the Giraffe, zebras, alpacas and more during their stay.

Also in episode two, Lindsay brought the men to Clifton’s Republic in Downtown Los Angeles. This old Hollywood bar and eatery is completely rejuvenated, but keeps its original charm and takes guests back in time to another era. The focal point is The Monarch, a multistory redwood tree that stands tall in the Cathedral Grove section of the venue.

The bachelorette and her suitors went to The Cowboy Palace Saloon in Chatsworth, California, in episode three. They were joined there by her former Bachelorette co-stars—Alexis Waters, Corinne Olympios, Jasmine Goode and Raven Gates. The space can be rented for a buy-out to host your next event. Treat your guests to a country western-themed party, complete with a line dancing lesson and live music.

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Hilton Head Island Sonesta Resort
Credit: Sonesta Resorts

The Bachelorette cast packed their bags for the fourth episode of the season and headed to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. They stayed at Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island. This property has 23,000 sq. ft. of meeting space among six rooms dedicated to events. There’s a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, 7,000-square-foot outdoor pavilion with ocean views and 340 newly renovated guest rooms.

Oslo

Scandic Holmenkollen Park
Credit: Scandic Hotels

In episode five, the lovebirds jetted off to Oslo, where Lindsay enjoyed a one-on-one date at Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower. Atop the ski jump, visitors can take in panoramic views of the city. Inside, there’s a museum consisting of 4,000 years-worth of skiing history.

They stayed at Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel, which has eight conference rooms that can accommodate 800 attendees. In May, Scandic announced an initiative to bring more meetings to its properties by pledging to train 500 meeting advisors by 2020. Throughout 2017, they’ll also be rolling out a new food and beverage menu to please all palettes and dietary concerns, and a Magic Box to keep participants stimulated. This historic 1894 hotel looks like a log cabin and has 343 guest rooms.

The rose ceremony in episode six took place at Losby Gods Manor in Finstadjordet, Norway, a short drive from Oslo. Taking advantage of the television exposure, the resort is now offering Bachelorette Packages for romantic getaways. There is more than 160 years of rich history at this 70-room hotel. Kings and noblemen used to meet here and now you can, too. Its largest conference room, Meyersalen, seats 180 people.

Copenhagen

Tivoli Gardens
Credit: Tivoli Gardens/Rasmus B.S. Hansen

During a one-on-one date in episode six, Lindsay and her lucky gent ate dinner inside Tivoli Gardens. This amusement park dates back to 1843 and served as inspiration to Walt Disney’s design of Disneyland. Tivoli offers facilities for meetings and events.

Conferences can also be held at Beach Hotel Marienlyst in Helsingor, Denmark, where Bachelorette nation slept. In fact, it’s the only conference facility in the North Zealand area. The House of Parliament can fit 140 attendees and the auditorium can hold 160. In total, there are 18 meeting rooms. The four-star hotel would be happy to assist in organizing team-building activities for your group. It’s situated on the seashore and visitors are treated to a view of Kronborg Castle from some of its 225 guest rooms.

Geneva

Glacier 3000
Credit: Glacier 3000

The Swiss Alps served as the backdrop of episode seven. Lindsay took Peter Kraus on a one-on-one date, via helicopter of course, to the peak of Glacier 3000. It is a picturesque setting for conferences and incentive trips and offers team-building activities, such as dogsled rides as seen on The Bachelorette. Visitors can also walk across Peak Walk by Tissot, the only suspension bridge in the world that connects two mountain peaks, and ride Aline Coast, the world’s highest toboggan run.

The majestic Victoria Concert Hall was also featured in the episode during her date with Bryan Abasolo. The theater can be rented for certain kinds of performances and a reception can be held in its foyer.

Hotel Royal in Geneva is a luxury four-star resort in the heart of the city. Conferences take place among the natural light provided by skylights in one of the six meeting rooms. The largest space in the 202-room hotel accommodates 280 attendees.

Sciez-Sur-Leman, France

Lake Geneva

In episode seven, Lindsay and some of the remaining dudes paid a visit to Chateau de Coudree, an ancient castle turned hotel 30 minutes outside of Geneva in Sciez-Sur-Leman, France. Located on the shore of Lake Geneva, this stone fortress hosts corporate events for up to 130 people in its private dining room and six conference spaces. Antique furniture can be found in the 17 guest rooms.

Dallas

Dallas

When it was time for the final three to meet her family in episode nine, Lindsay brought Abasolo, Kraus and Eric Bigger to her hometown of Dallas. They stayed at the stunning Hilton Anatole in the Design District. In between meetings, and in The Bachelorette’s case dates, guests can relax at the hotel’s new JadeWaters pool complex with a lazy river, luxury cabanas and two water slides. Hilton Anatole has 1,606 guest rooms and more than 500,000 sq. ft. of event space, with 11 ballrooms and 79 meeting rooms. As the saying goes, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” It’s conveniently located close to two major airports.

The Texas-native swept Bigger off his feet by taking him to the top of Reunion Tower. He fell in love with not only her, but the city of Dallas, from 560 feet in the air. The Geo-Deck offers 360 degree views and an outdoor wrap-around deck. Reunion Tower has three levels of event space for groups as large as 300 attendees. Private event catering is provided by Wolfgang Puck.

Lindsay took Abasolo to HG Sply Co., where the couple sat on the rooftop for great views of the city below. The restaurant does accept reservations for large groups.

Rioja, Spain

The last men standing each enjoyed a night in the Fantasy Suite with Lindsay at Hotel Viura in Rioja, Spain. Private events can be booked on the hotel’s rooftop lounge, indoor spaces (with plenty of natural light) and wine cellar. Known as a wine region, guests can visit vineyards while in Rioja and sign up for adventurous activities such as a hot air balloon ride.

Survey: American Travelers Want to Go Abroad, Despite Everything

An overwhelming majority of Americans say highly publicized airline incidents, travel bans and tightened restrictions for carry-on items have not dampened their zeal for traveling out of the country.

American travelers express concern about feeling welcome abroad, however, and many millennials are not willing to travel if they oppose certain policies, regardless of whether or not it affects them personally. So, while American travelers have a healthy interest in international travel right now, this could very well change if new policies and bans emerge or tighten—an important fact for the government to consider.

These are among findings of a new study undertaken by American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).

“Americans are an intrepid group, and are always looking for new ways to discover the world, and spend quality time with their families and friends.” said Zane Kerby, president and CEO of ASTA.

“Our research shows Americans’ passion to travel is stronger than ever and we believe travelers deserve complete transparency from all vendors involved in the booking process, including from the government itself,” he added.

Key findings:

  • Americans are evenly split—along party lines—on their overall opinion of the Trump administration’s travel ban.
  • Most Americans (55 percent) believe a travel ban will make U.S. tourists feel less welcome abroad.
  • More than one in six millennials have cancelled or called off a foreign trip due to the travel ban.
  • Most Americans (54 percent) support travel to Cuba without U.S. government restriction.
  • Americans are seven times more likely to believe the government favors airlines over passengers.
  • Eight in 10 Americans support requiring airlines to disclose all fees upfront.
  • Most Americans (55 percent) say a wall on the Mexican border will make U.S. tourists feel less welcome in Mexico.

More than 1,500 American travelers ranging in age from 20 to 70 were surveyed or participated in focus groups for the study.

Avoiding Tainted Alcohol While Traveling

It’s not a pretty travel story. In January, a Wisconsin family vacationed at a five-star, all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Within two hours of arrival, their two college kids were unconscious, face down in the pool. The 20-year-old daughter died.

Since that incident was reported recently by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, numerous eerily similar incidents have surfaced, all at upscale, all-inclusive resorts in the region—including Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Cozumel, as well as Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Some victims report they were robbed, sexually assaulted and otherwise injured, according to the newspaper. Many were hospitalized. Some said they were forced to pay clinics huge cash sums to get treatment.

In all of the incidents, the hotels involved blamed excessive drinking. Those who became ill and blacked out, only to wake up in their hotel rooms with no memory of what had happened, blame tainted alcohol.

These troubling, even tragic, events prompted the State Department this week to post to its health and safety page about travel to Mexico:

“There have been allegations that consumption of tainted or substandard alcohol has resulted in illness or blacking out. If you choose to drink alcohol, it is important to do so in moderation, and to stop and seek medical attention if you begin to feel ill.”

Alarmed Mexican authorities say they will improve inspections and controls for tainted alcohol at tourist resorts.

It’s Not Just Mexico

Although the ugly glare of suspicion is on Mexico at the moment, it is not alone in having problems with bootleg liquor that could be adulterated with grain alcohol or other dangerous substances.

London’s Daily Mirror recently warned readers to be aware of drinks that “smell like nail varnish.” In 2012, 30 people died from tainted vodka in the Czech Republic, notes Travel Skills, a website that also quotes Brown-Forman, one of the world’s biggest distillers, as saying one-third of the world’s alcohol may be bootlegged and “very dangerous to the point of being poisonous.”

Common Sense Tips for Safe Drinking

No amount of caution, short of total abstinence from alcohol, can assure complete safety. But how much fun would that be? Travel Skills offers these suggestions for minimizing your risk when traveling abroad:

  • Smell your drink. Observe its color. Its taste. Is anything odd?
  • Don’t drink alone, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. Keep your guard up.
  • Avoid shots, which numb your awareness.
  • For the highest level of safety, stick to drinking from bottles or cans you can open yourself, or watch being opened.
  • At the first signs of nausea, dizziness or drowsiness, stop drinking and let someone know.
  • Don’t leave food or drink unattended.
  • Have good travel insurance and the insurer’s emergency number in your wallet

planner prioritize cleanliness

Hotel room rates have gone through the roof, a dangerous or dirty meeting site is a major no-no and destination bad press is a who-cares. Those are among the major findings of STR’s 2017 Meeting Assessment Program, also known as DestinationMAP.

DestinationMAP is a comprehensive study of meeting planners and the meetings market in North America. The report surveys meeting planners’ preferences and their perceptions of 40 North American markets.

To be more specific:

  • Over the past decade, the average daily rate (ADR) of bookings of 10 or more rooms has grown at three times the rate of transient ADR (bookings of fewer than 10 rooms).
  • Planners prioritize safety. A safe environment and a clean/attractive site were top considerations for selecting a meeting site, followed by ease of access and value.
  • Bad publicity is only a moderate concern among all meeting planners, and even less important in the large-meeting segment (1,000 attendees or more).

More key findings:

  • Chicago, Orlando and Washington, D.C., should be pleased. About two-thirds of survey respondents —especially in the large-meeting segment—picked them as top North American markets for meetings. Not far behind were San Diego and Las Vegas.
  • Convention center considerations, such as adequate seating, reasonable rental rates, helpful staff and enough hotel rooms nearby, are important to a large majority of meeting planners.
  • Those in the large-meetings segment ranked having hotels rooms nearby and attractive conference hotels higher in importance than did their smaller-meeting counterparts.

Tea Break

The trend toward longer, more inspired breaks at meetings—30, 40 or even 60 minutes to refresh the mind and body—can encompass many activities, or none at all. (The latter possibility is known as “white space,” for unstructured time blocks.) In keeping with millennials’ desire for deeper, more experiential events, breaks can offer team games, stretching or yoga, meditation, or simply informal attendee interaction to spur professional growth.

Another possibility to consider is a break from the coffee break. Instead, feature a guided tea break. Many diehard coffee drinkers, research tells us, shy away from tea simply because they don’t know much about it. There are so many varieties, for one thing. But signage or a media screen can easily inform attendees about the history, varieties and benefits of tea, and a “tea-rista” can talk about brewing best practices and sample teas to help attendees make their choices.

Compared to coffee, tea has much more ceremony and ritual paired with its enjoyment. Afternoon tea is a British tradition that stretches back to the 19th century. (In fact, the second week in August is officially Afternoon Tea Week.) The Japanese conduct elaborate tea ceremonies, and in China there is even a wedding tea ceremony.

Benefits attributed to tea elevate it to the realm of wonder beverage. Teas are rich in antioxidants, and a recent study concluded that four or more cups of green tea a day yielded a 32 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack. Tea also reduces the risk of stroke, lowers LDL cholesterol, and may prevent bone loss and decrease tooth decay. Herbal teas offer many other health benefits.

Tea will probably never dislodge the latte or macchiato as the all-American caffeine boost. But it’s a surefire way to make your meeting break rise above the ordinary.