With all the “green” talk going around about reducing electrical consumption, one major energy user is rarely discussed—hotel PTAC/VTAC units. A dirty PTAC must often work twice as hard and consume twice the electricity to reach the desired room temperatures of demanding guests. Simply cleaning the filter on a regular basis is not enough. PTACs should be removed and thoroughly cleaned a minimum of once per year. Removing the dirt will increase efficiency significantly, and improve air quality immediately. Hoteliers that put an HVAC deep-cleaning plan into action for the first time can realize huge savings on their electric...

ANNAPOLIS, MD.—Thayer Lodging Group, an Annapolis, Maryland-based private equity real estate investment firm with a portfolio of 14 hotels, announced they will double their inventory of PURE Allergy Friendly rooms from 280 to 560 this year. Thayer has Pure Allergy Rooms in each of its hotels. Based on Thayer’s 2008 financial report, the group reported 171 percent cash on cash return for the PURE room investment. “These are remarkable figures, especially during tough economic times,” says Frederic V. Malek, co-chairman, Thayer Lodging Group. “In 2008, we generated incremental cash flow of $438,000, which increased the value of our hotels...

BERKELEY, CA—Research conducted at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that operating buildings more energy efficiently could have benefits for the health of occupants and, surprisingly, also for their comfort. The researchers, Mark Mendell and Anna Mirer of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division, analyzed data collected from 95 air-conditioned office buildings across the United States. The data had been gathered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a study called BASE (Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation). The study produced data about indoor environmental conditions and the health of occupants in a representative set of U.S....

ATLANTA—What’s lean and green and clean all over? Your next sustainable building project and its indoor air quality, thanks to ASHRAE’s upcoming satellite broadcast. The program, “Clean, Lean, and Green—IAQ for Sustainable Buildings,” will take place April 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. The free broadcast, sponsored by ASHRAE’s Chapter Technology Transfer Committee with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will challenge the building community to use good IAQ practices to create a more sustainable built environment. The program will highlight guidance from the publication “IAQ Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction, and Commissioning,” developed collaboratively...

SAINT PETERSBURG, FLA.—Go Green Planters, Inc., Saint Petersburg, Fla., announced that it has been named a Qualified Vendor by Choice Hotels International, Inc., for the purpose of promoting its Green Room program to Choice franchisees. The program involves the installation of one or more lush tropical plants in each and every guestroom of a hotel. It creates a new profit center, a valuable new guest amenity, and other benefits for franchisees without any capital investment or any cost at all for maintenance. “What’s most appealing about this entrepreneurial concept is that Go Green Planters, Inc. assumes all capital and operating expenses...

TEMPERANCE, MICH.—MTS, a leading manufacturer of premium seating for the hospitality industry, announced it is now able to offer to customers within the architectural and design communities the ability to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Through its partnership with the GREENGUARD® Environmental Institute, MTS will conduct continuing education courses for key partners and customers at their locations or events. The continuing education course, “Healthy Indoor Air Quality by Design,” is designed to teach participants to understand the impact of indoor air pollution on human health. Participants will also be able to identify sources of indoor air pollutants and view...

LAS VEGAS—More than two years after Nevada voters passed legislation banning smoking in a majority of the state’s indoor public places and all of its restaurants, researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Kentucky have found that restaurants in some Southern Nevada casinos still contain unsafe levels of secondhand smoke. With the close proximity of nonsmoking restaurants to smoking-allowed gaming areas, UNLV assistant professor of nursing Nancy York and Kiyoung Lee, associate professor of public health at the University of Kentucky, measured air quality samples from 16 casinos in Southern Nevada to gauge...

CHANHASSEN, M INN.—The national hotel chain, AmericInn, announces the environmental recognition of its AmericInn property located in Sarasota, Fla. This hotel location has been honored with a Green Lodging Certificate from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for taking important steps to ensure its hotel environment is eco-friendly for guests. The hotel has also introduced a limited quantity of PURE Allergy-Friendly Rooms, in which every surface, fabric, and air and water are treated for maximum comfort. The Sarasota-located AmericInn has been given this designation for meeting energy efficiency, waste and water reduction and indoor air quality benchmarks set by...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that its flagship Element hotel—Element Lexington—is the first Starwood hotel to earn Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and the first hotel in Massachusetts to achieve this prestigious rating. Element Lexington earned LEED Gold certification in recognition of its superior performance in areas including water and energy conservation and improved indoor environmental quality measures. The hotel, which opened its doors in July 2008, expects to recoup its investment in green building in less than five years, due to associated operational savings....

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes MTS Seating as a Green Product & Service Directory Partner. MTS Seating’s company-wide commitment to sustainability is reflected in its SynerGreen philosophy. MTS strives to make continuous environmental improvements in its processes and products while practicing sound business principals that focus on satisfying customer needs. MTS employs aggressive recycling programs and pollution-prevention initiatives, and it partners with suppliers who share its vision of environmental responsibility. The company’s goal is to have a positive impact on the planet and its customers. According to MTS, it is the first and...