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May 07, 2008

Major Las Vegas Resorts Go Green

The green movement is reaching into glitzy Las Vegas, where MGM Mirage has created a department of energy and environmental resources, and the new Palazzo recently became the most expansive LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building in the world.

The Palazzo employs such effective environmentally efficient technologies that it conserves enough water to provide each Nevada citizen with 266 eight-ounce glasses of water for a year and saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 12,100 years. It even promotes alternative modes of transportation by offering valet parking—for bicycles. Key features that contribute to The Palazzo's conservation include artificial turf, drip irrigation, moisture sensors in planted areas that result in over a 75 percent reduction in irrigation needs, and swimming pools heated with an expansive solar heating system.

MGM Mirage also has a commitment to environmental sustainability, with the implementation of drip irrigation. All sink faucets at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino are equipped with water-saving aerators that conserve approximately 6,000 gallons every year. Other innovations incorporated into the new site include massive recycling programs, preferred parking for hybrid cards, low-water-usage lavatories and showers and drought-tolerant landscaping.

For more information, visit www.mgmmirage.com and www.palazzolasvegas.com

April 30, 2008

King Tut Treasures Set for USA Tour

An exhibition featuring more than 130 treasures from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun and other ancient sites will begin a US tour, starting in Dallas in October 2008.

"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" is being organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. The exhibition will open at the Dallas Museum of Art on October 3, 2008, before traveling to the Atlanta Civic Center in November 2008 and then on to the Indianapolis Children’s museum in June 2009, where the artifacts will remain on display through October 2009.

This is not the first time King Tut's treasures have been on display in the US. National Geographic previously held an exhibition entitled "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," which drew in almost four million visitors during its four-city US tour between 2005 and 2007.

For more information, visit www.kingtut.org

April 23, 2008

Eating Healthy While On the Road

Hotels are making it easier for travelers to eat healthy food while on the road. Chains including Starwood, Marriott and Loews have plans to eliminate trans fats from foods, and Hyatt has just introduced a healthy "StayFit" menu for room service.

"The American public is becoming obese, and people are becoming more health-conscious," said Joe McInerney, president of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. "Hotels are looking to get on the bandwagon with menus that cater not only to the diet-conscious, but also to the health-conscious," he said.

Consequently, Starwood, whose hotel brands include Sheraton, Westin and W, plans to eliminate all trans fats at its 400-plus hotels in North America and the Caribbean by the end of 2008. Marriott, Loews, Hampton, Red Lion and Carlson, the owner of Radisson, also say they are eliminating trans fats from foods at most, if not all, hotels.

Hyatt's "StayFit" menu, which emphasizes fresh, locally grown ingredients, will also have its room service available at all its North American hotels in the next twelve months.