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Travelocity Keeps Tabs on Hotels Keen to be Green

Finally collecting the world's sustainable hotel properties and top eco destinations into one list, Travelocity has launched the Green Directory with the aim of connecting travelers to "options that will help to diminish the footprint their trips leave on the planet."

All we can say is that it's about time a popular booking engine drew attention to these properties working to improve and innovate. Showcasing approximately 250 environmentally responsible hotels on the international list, Travelocity points out some obvious choices like the LEED platinum Proximity Hotel and Element Hotels while surprising us by including affordable chains like Hilton Garden Inn and Kimpton Hotels. The list includes properties doing more than just planting saplings, but serving organic and local cuisine, reducing water usage, recycling, and even going so far as carbon neutrality.

Matching the dedication of these hotels is Travelocity itself as they have joined in the talks for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria; this means that one day, hotels hoping for the "earth-friendly" label will have to run through Travelocity's eco-gamut first. The Green Directory may be one small step for hospitality, but it's totally one giant leap for the "greenvolution."

[Fairmont St. Andrews photo: Travelocity]

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Hilton Garden Inn Trains Employees Via PSP Game

Okay, so we're not sure whether this is some sort of comprehensive official training program or just something that supplements training programs to add a little bit of fun and dorky excitement, but Hilton Garden Inn has designed a PSP game for employees called "Ultimate Team Play" (officially, the name of the game is supposed to be in all caps — if that gives any indication of how intense and serious this game is meant to be).

Via Kotaku, the official description:

ULTIMATE TEAM PLAY puts the player in control of key Hilton Garden Inn hotel roles including front desk, housekeeping, maintenance and food service. As players roam the virtual hotel they interact with guests as they would in the real world seeking to perform their jobs in specific ways to improve customer service scores using a unique scoring system that drives all brand service assessment for hotels that are part of Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Yeah. It's no Halo or Call of Duty or whatever, but surely someone out there is into this, right? And it probably beats scavenger hunts and pop quizzes during formal training.

Some gamers, however, see a bit more potential for excitement in the game and have delicately inquired over at CityPages about whether a somewhat notorious incident at HGI Minneapolis that involved some sort of employee orgy happens to be incorporated into the game anywhere. How lovely. Um, we don't think that's what they mean by "team play."

[Photo: Matthew J. Stinson]

Tags: Hilton Garden Inns / Russia Hotels / → All Tags

Hilton Garden Inns Expands Into Russia, They Pick Perm

Where: Mira Street 45 B, Perm, Russian Federation, 614022

Russia's sixth biggest city, Perm, may not be too famous yet, but it is at least notable for being the first Russian city to get a Hilton Garden Inn. Perm is 700 miles east of Moscow and is an important city industrially with lots of rail and shipping links; it's also on the famous Trans-Siberian railway route.

Incredibly, they say that the city of Perm and its one million people have been served by only 500 hotel rooms in the whole city until the Hilton Garden Inn Perm opened, so it certainly sounds like it was needed. The Hilton brand--not just their Garden Inns, but standard Hilton and Doubletree hotels too--is focusing on Russia as a growth region and we reckon they're pretty on target with that.

Perm's Hilton Garden Inn has 102 rooms and all the Hilton Garden Inn stuff we like, and it's got free WiFi too in guest rooms and other areas. Room rates begin at RUB 2900 (US$115) a night. Doesn't sound like much but it's probably a fair bit pricier than the other 500 rooms in Perm.

[Photo of Perm Station: musatych]

Tags: Hilton Garden Inns / Costa Rica Hotels / Hilton Hotels / Airport Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags

Hilton Garden Inn Lands in Costa Rica

Where: Costa Rica

We love Hilton Garden Inns. The experiences we've had with most of the new HGI's over the last couple of years -- the big, fluffy beds, the flatscreens and the overall chic look of the newer properties -- always makes us feel clean and comfortable no matter where we are.

Now, some people may frown upon flying outside of your home country and staying at an American big-box chain hotel the same way they may frown upon an American forgoing the local cuisine to stop into McDonald's while abroad, but we'd totally consider staying in an HGI wherever we went because they're clean and consistent and affordable and just nice.

Needless to say, we were happy to hear the brand has spread -- finally -- to Central America. Hilton Garden Inn just announced news of their first property in Costa Rica, to be located near the Liberia International Airport ("the gateway to Guanacaste, Costa Rica") with 169 guest rooms and 10 suites We were told the hotel would be completed in Fall 2008, but the website is currently only accepting reservations for January 1st 2009 and beyond -- just to be on the safe side, maybe? And no, we won't judge you if you book a room there instead of opting for a hotel with more colorful local flavor. We get it.

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Top Chef's CJ Cooks Up Healthy New Breakfast Menu for Hilton Garden Inn

Where: United States

Faithful Top Chef viewers (or dedicated Padma Lakshmi oglers) may remember CJ (Chris Jacobson) as the absurdly tall, absurdly handsome Season 3 chef who -- spoiler! -- was doing really well in the competition until a particularly disastrous "broccolini" dish sent him packing. Of course, his departure was sealed with a kiss by guest judge Anthony Bourdain, who went through the trouble of gently letting CJ know that his dish "wasn't fit to serve in prison."

But still, we know in our heart of hearts that our big tall kitchen-man is an all-star chef when broccoli isn't involved -- and CJ, who was also a pro volleyball player, definitely knows healthy food.

Apparently, the Hilton Garden Inn chain agrees with us because they commissioned him to design some items for their brand new Big Day Breakfast Menu. Ahem, sorry: "BIG DAY Breakfast" Menu.

Check out highlights from the new menu after the jump. Hint: there does not appear to be any broccoli, but there IS brisket.

more ›

Tags: Homewood Suites / Hilton Garden Inns / Brooklyn Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags

Hilton's Homewood Suites and Garden Inn Coming to Brooklyn

Where: 313 Gold Street [map], Brooklyn, NY, United States, 11201

Hilton's Homewood Suites is coming to New York City for the first time and it's just five miles from midtown Manhattan! Wait, what?....Yeah, that's what it says on the press release but these peeps are actually talking about Brooklyn. Still, nice try. We're sure someone in Fargo bought that.

Anyways, the 100-suite property at 313 Gold Street, is in Downtown Brooklyn near Manhattan Bridge, likely affording guests some killer views of the city's famed skyline.

The groundbreaking, which will be part of a joint new build with a Hilton Garden Inn, is expected to start this September and be completed a year later. The hotel will sport all of the amenities Homewood Suites is known for, like the Suite Start breakfast, Welcome Home Reception and free Internet.

We're guessing the hotel will appeal to cost-conscious travelers who aren't afraid to navigate New York's subways, because anyone who's attempted to go to Brooklyn from Manhattan via taxi knows how often cab drivers refuse to go there.

One suggestion to Homewood Suites Brooklyn: Don't put an advert for Grand Theft Auto on the side of your building. Or pictures of the Twin Towers on your website for that matter either.

[Photo via Brooklyn Eagle]

Tags: Hilton Garden Inns / Hotel News / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags

Hilton Garden Inn Has Check-Out Time Mercy This Sunday

Where: United States

You won't need five more minutes if you're staying at a Hilton Garden Inn this weekend. The chain is pushing back its check-out time from noon to 2 pm this Sunday in honor of the end of Daylight Savings Time. So that would mean you get an extra three hours at the hotel, right?*

With the extra time, you'll actually be able to enjoy a late breakfast or an early morning jaunt around town. All Garden Inns have business centers, too, so you can check in for your flight out before kicking it in the lobby or at the pool. Or, you know, you could always just sleep in.

*[Ed. Note: If we're wrong, let us know as we have serious issues with basic math, especially on a Friday.]

[Photo: I Can Has Cheezburger?]

Related Stories:
· Hilton Garden Inn Announces Check-Out Time Extension [BusinessWire]
· Late Check-Outs, Early Check-Ins are a Thing of the Past [HotelChatter]