Green Products Prevalent at IHMRS, Boutique Design New York

I just returned from the 96th annual International Hotel/Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) and 2nd annual Boutique Design New York in New York City. Attendance at both events appeared to be strong. I don't have any final attendance numbers at this point; the IHMRS does not wrap up until later today. I was on the hunt for new green products and trends. I was not disappointed. Last year bed bugs was the hot topic with many different vendors offering their versions of green solutions. While the problem of bed bugs persists, there were just a few vendors talking about the topic this year. What seemed to be hot this year is LED lighting products. There were many vendors selling them--proof that this technology is here to stay.

Speaking of LEDs, I had an opportunity to stay at the InterContinental New York Barclay during my trip. One of their meeting rooms was recently retrofited with LEDs in the chandeliers. The next time you are in the area, stop at the hotel and check it out. The installation looks great.

Sustainable Cards featured its hotel key cards made from sustainable wood. Cintas featured its new air-conditioning coil cleaning service. Little Twig introduced a line of organic amenities for kids. Rinnai was at the show touting the upside to on demand "tankless" water heating. EcoStay featured its program to help hotels go carbon neutral. Scandinavian Amenities was on hand for the first time offering dispenser alternatives to amenity bottles. Jean-Michel Cousteau was at the Concept Amenities booth to help introduce a new amenities collection—Jean-Michel Cousteau by Maricoid. Food2Water featured its Food Waste Liquefier, Premalux offered a line of green cleaning products, and Ultra Green displayed its lineup of tree free paper products. These are just a few examples of what I saw at the shows.

Trade shows like IHMRS and Boutique Design New York are a great place to find green products and services that you would otherwise never would have discovered. Be sure to include these shows on your travel schedule in 2012.