INDIANAPOLIS—CityWay, a transformative new 14-acre neighborhood in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, is incorporating a number of sustainable initiatives into the new community, including plentiful green space, energy and water efficiency, a recycling program, enhanced indoor environmental quality, carpooling and electric vehicle support. It is also pursuing LEED certification for the new Alexander Hotel, a Dolce Hotel, affirming CityWay’s support for environmentally-conscious design, construction and living for downtown.“Sustainable living and working are central to the vision for CityWay,” said Scott Travis, senior development director of Buckingham Companies. “From the construction phase through its completion, CityWay will remain on the...

SECAUCUS, N.J.—Panasonic Eco Solutions North America introduces the Eco Products Division, formerly known as Panasonic Home & Environment Company. The new Eco Products Division houses Panasonic’s ventilation fan business, which includes 18 advanced lines of high-performance, Energy Star-rated ventilation solutions that improve indoor air quality and comply with the latest building standards and codes. “At Panasonic, we strive to go beyond providing superior eco products to our customers by offering them comprehensive solutions,” said Dan Silver, vice president, Panasonic Eco Products Division. “The integration of our ventilation fan business with other PESNA units such as Solar Panels, Lighting Controls and...

PARIS—Accor has officially launched PLANET 21, a comprehensive program covering all of the Group’s environmental, social and community investment actions and placing sustainability at the core of its business strategy worldwide. With PLANET 21, Accor is making 21 commitments and the same number of quantified goals for the year 2015, including: employees trained in disease prevention in 95 percent of hotels, 80 percent of properties promoting balanced dishes; 85 percent of hotels using eco-labeled products; a 15 percent reduction in water consumption; and 10 percent decrease in energy use at Accor’s owned and leased hotels worldwide. The name PLANET...

ITHACA, N.Y.—A new paper in the Cornell Hospitality Industry Perspectives series highlights Energy University, developed by Schneider Electric for the benefit of building managers in all industries, including the hospitality industry. Available at no charge from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), the white paper, “Energy University: An Innovative Private-Sector Solution to Energy Education,” was written by R. Sean O’Kane and Susan Hartman, both of Schneider Electric.“Our model is similar to the CHR, since we provide all our course materials and information without charge,” said O’Kane, who is Schneider’s director of hotel strategic alliances. “Also like Cornell we...

SALT LAKE CITY—Control4, a provider of IP-based home and hospitality control systems, has completed installation of the Control4 hospitality solution in three revitalized Dorchester Group hotels including 45 Park Lane in London, and Hotel Bel Air and Beverly Hills Hotel, both located in Los Angeles.“Our vision at the Dorchester Hotel Group was to integrate state-of-the-art technology to deliver a guest experience reflective of our upscale properties,” said Mark Campbell, chief information officer at Dorchester Collection. “Building on the growing popularity of home automation, we wanted a hotel room solution that vastly improved the comfort of our guests by allowing...

MINNEAPOLIS—New B-Vintage vertical water source heat pumps from Mammoth, Inc. range in size from two to six tons and offer efficiency ratings up to 22.0 EER and 5.2 COP. The unique ability to overcome up to three inches of static pressure enables the use of up to 99 percent efficient HEPA filtration in units serving individual zones. These capabilities enhance the ability of designers to use geothermal and boiler/tower water source heat pump systems, and to maximize points for LEED certification.“These units represent an industry first,” said Dennis Nelsen, product manager for Mammoth. “In the past, high-efficiency filters weren’t...

MILWAUKEE—Telkonet, Inc., developer of the EcoSmart energy management platform incorporating patented Recovery Time technology, announced that the Denihan Hospitality Group has chosen the cloud-based EcoSmart energy management platform for five of its boutique hotels in New York City. As a first step to the relationship, Telkonet will install their proprietary energy management technology into The Benjamin and four properties in Denihan’s Affinia Hotel portfolio, Affinia Gardens, Affinia Dumont, Affinia Shelburne and Affinia 50, all located in Manhattan. Igor Krnajski, the senior vice president of design and construction for Denihan Hospitality Group, said, “Our unique approach to guest satisfaction requires a...

LAS VEGAS—SWITCH Lighting has introduced its LED A-lamps. SWITCH is offering the only liquid-cooled LED A-lamps that can be used in any fixture, any orientation, anywhere—indoors and out. The full line includes 40, 60, 75, and 100 watt-equivalents, with the latest addition of the first-ever 3-Way LED lamp. Named SWITCH3-Way, it’s a 25/50/75 watt-equivalent LED replacement A-Lamp. The full line is on display for the hospitality industry this week at HD Expo in Las Vegas. The first SWITCH lamps were shipped to several hotel beta-sites in the United States last November, and are receiving positive feedback on their light quality—which...

FISH CAMP, CALIF.—Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts has earned double Silver LEED certification at Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, an all-season resort located just outside of Yosemite National Park in Fish Camp, Calif. Both certifications follow a yearlong project that expanded Tenaya’s banquet, event and meeting spaces and office area, plus added a destination spa.Delaware North, which owns and operates Tenaya, followed a process laid out by its environmental program, GreenPath, to ensure environmental stewardship and measurable green practices. The company worked with Layton Construction Company and architect Peter Grove of Collaborative Design Studio.The Silver LEED-certified expansion brings Tenaya...

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio—GE Lighting has introduced a light-emitting diode replacement for the 100-watt incandescent light bulb—developed in its East Cleveland, Ohio, LED lab—that packages 27 watts of input power in a standard “A-19” bulb shape. The GE Energy Smart 27-watt LED bulb incorporates proprietary synthetic jet technology that was enabled by GE’s collaboration with ecomagination Challenge winner Nuventix, creator of LED cooling technologies for energy-efficient lighting.GE’s 27-watt Energy Smart LED bulb, on store shelves in the United States and Canada the first half of 2013, debuted on May 9 at LIGHTFAIR International in Las Vegas, the world’s largest lighting...