NATIONAL REPORT—In recent months and over the holiday season, tourists and travelers have been crowding airports, hotels, and restaurants as the hospitality industry is regaining public trust once again. Yet, amid the COVID-variants that have risen, as well as lingering doubts about the safety of air in enclosed spaces such as hotels, motels, and other forms of lodging, the need for proper, fully tested and validated indoor air quality (IAQ) technology is now crucial for the hospitality industry to maintain value now and continue to thrive in the future. Hospitality and lodging owners and operators are at a pivotal...

The idea for the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system was hatched almost 30 years ago in 1993. Today, there are more than 100,000 buildings participating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) certification program. Approximately 1,000 of those buildings are lodgings located around the world. According to USGBC, “LEED certified buildings are proven to save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and create healthier places for people. They are a critical part of addressing the climate crisis, meeting ESG goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities.” The most recent version of LEED is LEED...

SINGAPORE—In an article published earlier this week on Green Lodging News, the introduction to Greenview’s just released 83-page Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR) was summarized. In this article, Green Lodging News takes a deeper dive into the report, highlighting key results from this fourth GLTR. The GLTR is separated into 10 sections, with findings highlighted primarily in easy-to-read bullet-point format. The sections include Hotel Sustainability Basics, Management System, Community Impact, Health & Wellness, Responsible Consumption, Single-Use Plastic Elimination, Waste Management, Water Conservation, Energy Management, and Climate Action. The following are observations from each of the 10 sections, followed by highlights from...

When thinking about resorts leading in sustainability, you don’t often think about RV resorts but there are some with very green stories to tell—the Golden Village Palms RV Resort in the San Jacinta Valley in California, for example. The property has been certified as the only RV resort within the California Green Business Network. Golden Village Palms Green Practices The use of energy efficient lighting. The use of certified non-toxic laundry, cleaning and building maintenance products in non-aerosol containers to reduce pollution. The donation of previously used furniture, supplies and materials to local nonprofit organizations for waste diversion. The placement...

SOLON, OHIO—Allergy Standards Limited (ASL), an independent global certification company, and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), the leading patient organization for people with asthma and allergies, have deemed Tarkett Powerbond RS flooring as CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly—the world’s first soft surface flooring to receive this designation. “Powerbond was introduced in 1967 and, decades later, is still ahead of its time,” said Roxane Spears, Vice President, Sustainability for Tarkett North America. “Health and wellbeing are important topics for our customers. Powerbond RS was specifically developed to address potential problems associated with indoor air quality and building-related illness. This...

NATIONAL REPORT—Tobacco and marijuana have been smoked in nonsmoking hotel guestrooms for as long as nonsmoking rooms have existed. The task of calculating the costs associated with unauthorized smoking in guestrooms is so challenging that most hoteliers have viewed smoking as a problem without a solution. Now, exhaustive primary and secondary research provides methodically sourced data detailing both obvious short-term and hidden long-term costs of unauthorized smoking. Study results reveal that unauthorized smoking costs hoteliers $5.4 billion each year. Research Digs Deep into True Costs of Smoking To get a handle on all the true costs associated with smoking, FreshAir Sensor...

CYPRESS, CALIF.—As we continue to see relaxed COVID-19 restrictions—leaving the onus of safety in the hands of business operators, owners and facilities managers—global visual technologies company Christie has introduced its newest CE- and UL- certified commercial UVC-LED disinfection light fixture for occupied, indoor spaces. Christie CounterAct UR10 with UVC-LED and patented Care222 far-UVC - plus visible light, in a single unit, is recommended for commercial offices, government facilities, schools, transit hubs, retail shops, and medical buildings—for enhanced and safe airborne and surface disinfection wherever people gather indoors, in public places. CounterAct UR10 builds on the release of the CA20, Christie’s...

Hotels are the backbone of the tourism industry, which is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, flight delays and lower bookings than usual. However, there’s an additional concern that the industry is facing. Studies show that tourists are hesitant to stay in rooms with poor or questionable indoor air quality. Findings show that air purification improvements can reduce Covid-19 infection by a factor of 10. In addition to Covid-19, headaches, throat and eye irritation, fatigue and dizziness are all symptoms of poor indoor air quality (IAQ). These symptoms can be debilitating and affect one’s health long term. In fact, airborne...

NORWOOD, MASS.—Aircuity, a global leader in creating healthy and sustainable buildings, introduced an enhanced version of its industry-leading data analytics platform, MyAircuity. These new features both enhance security and add further depth to Aircuity’s unique suite of analytic insights that help clients achieve their goals of real carbon reduction and healthier indoor air quality (IAQ). This latest set of enhancements reflect the most updated customer feedback and include the following: Room-level Tracking of the ASHRAE Laboratory Ventilation Design Level (LVDL): This new datapoint identifies the risk level of exposure to airborne chemical hazards in a specific laboratory space and will...

SAN FRANCISCO—The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa, which debuted in February of this year, announced its collaboration with MindClick, a Product Intelligence company that rates the environmental and social impact of manufacturers and their products. In support of carbon reduction, the heath of people and the planet, Highgate—which manages the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa—worked closely with MindClick to carefully select products for the hotel. During the hotel’s $70-million-dollar reimagination, this partnership dramatically improved the project’s environmental impact while also supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the supply chain. “From the very beginning of this milestone renovation located in the heart of San Francisco, we...