News Briefs

Carnival Corporation & plc announced it has achieved a 38% reduction in food waste per passenger relative to its 2019 baseline, nearing its interim target to reduce food waste by 40% per person by 2025 on its path toward a 50% reduction by 2030. Less than a year since surpassing the previous 30% food waste reduction goal announced in its 2022 Sustainability Report, this performance signals continued momentum in the company’s efforts to shrink its food print – an important element in the company’s long-standing commitment to sustainable operations from ship to shore.

To achieve its goals, Carnival Corporation has taken decisive measures onboard its ships to minimize unused food across every aspect of food preparation and dining services. In addition, the company has invested in advanced waste management technologies such as biodigesters to naturally break down and responsibly dispose of unused food. Together, these strategies support the company’s responsible waste management practices and drive continuous momentum toward achieving its 2030 food waste reduction goal – part of its circular economy objectives to use fewer resources, produce less waste, and maximize recycling, while also helping to reduce the company’s environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions.

“One of the many ways we create unforgettable happiness for our guests is through world-class food and dining experiences on our ships,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. “Our food tells a story and it’s a labor of love to serve amazing meals to millions of guests each year while making sure we manage it in the most sustainable way possible. It’s a virtuous cycle from start to finish that reduces our environmental footprint while ensuring the extraordinary guest experiences that make our world-class cruise lines stand out.”

Innovative Solutions to Maximize Food Efficiency

Carnival Corporation has put in place several practical, technological, and educational initiatives designed to creatively cut food loss while continuing to deliver exceptional dining experiences. By monitoring and analyzing guest dining trends and flow, including utilizing AI technology, the company has further optimized food use at every step of the food lifecycle onboard its ships – from purchasing fresh ingredients, recipe creation and menu design, to real-time meal prep, creation and presentation techniques and in-suite dining. Many of the company’s brands have also implemented onboard awareness campaigns to educate both guests and crew alike on doing their part to help reduce food waste onboard. Plus, Costa Cruises works with a network of registered food banks in communities it visits to deliver hundreds of thousands of surplus ingredients and meals to people in need.

In addition, the company also continues to explore even more ways to create and reimagine creative recipes that get the most out of every possible ingredient. Whether transforming orange peels into citrus muffins or unserved bread into croutons, the company’s award-winning culinary teams find delicious ways to use every ingredient to its fullest, and in the process, reduce waste.

Food Management and Disposal Technology Investments

Carnival Corporation continues to invest in the industry’s smartest solutions to safely treat and handle uneaten food, while helping to substantially limit impacts from conventional disposal methods, such as landfills. The company leads the industry with over 600 innovative food waste biodigesters installed across its fleet, which house naturally occurring bacteria that enable the ships to organically break down and liquify 80% of uneaten food on board to just a fraction of the original volume. By “digesting” this leftover food down to a liquid form, it can be sustainably returned to nature and diverted from landfills where natural decomposition would otherwise slowly release methane – a greenhouse gas. As a result, in 2023, the company has avoided over 31,000 metric tons of equivalent greenhouse gas emissions that would have been generated had the food gone to a landfill.

In addition, the company continues to innovate its approach to maximizing waste diversion by installing technologies such as dehydrators. These machines build on the effectiveness of biodigesters by enabling the ships to sustainably break down a wider range of food items, including fruit and vegetable rinds, animal fats and other solid foods that are traditionally harder to break down. To date, the company has installed 45-plus food dehydrators across the fleet to remove excess water from leftover food, reducing waste volume by up to 90%.

Food Waste Reduction Goals Advance Carnival Corporation’s Long-Term Sustainability Plan

These advancements support the company’s ongoing commitment in leading the way in sustainable cruising by promoting positive climate action, contributing to a circular economy, partnering with the communities it sails to and from, and reducing its greenhouse gas footprint.

Overall, the company – including its world-class brands AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn – is investing to achieve its 2030 sustainability goals and to pursue net zero emissions from ship operations by 2050. To accomplish this, the company has six key areas of focus, all aligned with elements of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action; circular economy; sustainable tourism; good health and well-being; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and biodiversity and conservation.

The company’s current Sustainability Report provides more detail on its progress against all its 2030

sustainability goals and its strategy to pursue net zero emissions from ship operations by 2050. The report is available at www.CarnivalSustainability.com.

McDonald’s is opening the first CosMc’s location  in Bolingbrook, Illinois, this month – with 10 locations to be opened in the next year.  

CosMc’s will have “a uniquely seamless digital and drive-thru experience” with ”dynamic menu boards and cashless payment devices to breeze through the ordering and payment process, allowing for guided exploration and customization along the way,” according to a company statement. Drive-thru pickup windows are assigned once the order is ready. 

Demand for Drive-Thru

Drive-thru traffic rose 30 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to a report from the food service research firm Technomic and reportd by the New York Times. 

Brands including Chipotle, Shake Shack and Sweetgreen are among the fast-casual brands expanding their drive-thrus as consumers shy away delivery and fees and instead opt to pickup their off-prem orders.  

CosMc’s menu features specialty lemonades and teas,  blended beverages and cold coffee – think Sour Cherry Energy Slush, Tropical Spiceade and S’mores Cold Brew. Customizations are available and include popping boba, flavor syrups, energy or Vitamin C shots, and  more.

The food menu includes  Spicy Queso Sandwich, Savory Hash Brown Bites and Pretzel Bites served with dipping sauces. On the sweet side, there's a Blueberry Lemon Cookie Sundae and Caramel Fudge Brownies, to name a few. And there will be a few of the McDonald’s classics on the menu.

Visit cosmcs.com or follow CosMc’s on Instagram, TikTok and X.

Think Simplicity, a cloud communication technology provider of all-inclusive voice and chat solutions for the hospitality industry, announced today Spark by Hilton™ will utilize the company’s communication platform at its Germantown Washington, D.C. North location.

Spark offers modern hospitality at a budget-friendly price. The brand brings to the metropolitan DC market a fresh, practical, and comfortable alternative for travelers seeking a convenient and high-quality stay. The Germantown property will be the second Spark by Hilton to debut in less than a year after Hilton announced the new hotel brand. It is the first in the Washington Region and the next in what Hilton has announced as a pipeline of more than 400 expansion opportunities in various stages of development around the country.

Selected for its scalability, reliability, and affordability, Think Simplicity worked with the hotel operations team to ensure the new property was outfitted with the latest in cloud communication technology. Charges are provided in a fixed monthly invoice that is easy to understand for on-property and above-property managers. In addition to cost savings, the Spark by Hilton Germantown Washington, DC North relies on Think Simplicity for its ongoing innovative software updates and 24/7/365 support. 

Patrick Keenan, assistant vice president and director of hotel performance support, Spark by Hilton, said: “Deciding on a communication system for our newest property was made easy by the Think Simplicity team. We understand the importance of partnering with a communication company that can provide our hotels with the latest technology via software upgrades, but also the service and support we need as we open our newest location.”

Joseph De Ciantis, co-founder of Think Simplicity, said: “We are proud to welcome this exciting and fresh hotel brand to our list of clients. We provide the highest quality hardware, software, service, and support, and we look forward to being a part of Hilton’s bold focus in the premium economy segment.”

Cloud5 Communications, a provider of IT solutions and services for more than 5,000 hotels across the Americas, announced its partnership with PureHD, a provider of digital, high-definition, interactive streaming solutions for the hospitality industry. Through this partnership, Cloud5 will now offer in-room entertainment, on-demand streaming, and free-to-guest television in addition to its HSIA and telecommunications solutions.

This partnership combines PureHD’s full range of entertainment options with Cloud5’s best-in-class support and logistics capabilities, so customers get cutting-edge technology backed by the 5-star-rated service that’s become a hallmark of Cloud5. Additionally, as hotel businesses increasingly search for ways to consolidate their IT footprint, Cloud5’s new “triple-play” capability – Internet, Voice, and TV – will allow them to engage with a single provider across many of their technology needs.

“By partnering with PureHD, we can provide Cloud5 customers enhanced value and an opportunity to streamline their IT infrastructure and support,” said David Heckaman, Vice President of Product Development at Cloud5 Communications. “With its range of hotel purpose-built solutions, PureHD serves as a natural extension of the Cloud5 brand, and we look forward to passing on the benefits of this partnership to hoteliers across the industry.”

Headquartered in Sudbury, Massachusetts, PureHD is trusted to serve the HD TV and interactive streaming needs of many of the major hotel brands and is deployed in more than 750 properties throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“Cloud5 and PureHD share a dedication to superior service and cutting-edge technology that’s designed specifically for the modern hotel and the modern guest,” said Thomas Pullen, CEO at PureHD. “We are thrilled to work together to empower hotels with the TV and entertainment options that today’s guests want.”

This partnership also supports a larger pivot for Cloud5 as it expands to support the full hotel technology stack. This includes Cloud5’s new Managed Services division that’s designed to support all the technology-related components of a successful hotel operation.