When those behind development of Forty 1 North, a waterfront hotel in Newport that opened in 2011, decided to incorporate substantial sustainability efforts into its design, they figured they were a little behind the times. more

Rob Yafee, owner of two Pawtucket restaurants, was among the first to jump onboard when Groupon, a coupon website that offers consumers a daily bevy of half-off deals at local establishments, expanded to the Providence area two years ago. more

They’re a touch steep, sure, but can Newport hotel rooms really be the most expensive in the nation? more

Charles A. Donadio has made a living providing pleasure cruises and ferry services since 1995. He first bought the Southland, a 62-foot, flat-bottom riverboat docked in Narragansett, in Galilee, and ran tours of Point Judith Pond. He also started a high-speed ferry service to Block Island out of Galilee. He has since sold these ventures to focus on Rhode Island Fast Ferry. more

Hotels in Providence reached an 81.4 percent occupancy rate in June, their best rate since October 2004, according to an analysis recently released by Smith Travel Research. more

I was invited to Stowe, Vermont to broadcast from the Stowe Wine and Food Classic, a festival of wine and foods to be paired by chefs, winemakers and purveyors from throughout the culinary world. The headliners were nationally known winemakers and chefs who joined their colleagues based in the Green Mountain State to dazzle the crowd with their creations. The pairings were expert, even artistic. What I found most impressive was that two of the primary artists were from Rhode Island. One is a leading Providence restaurateur, the other an up-and-coming chef who helped launch two restaurants in the Ocean State between stints up north in ski country. more

Whose cuisine reigns supreme? more