PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Health-conscious travelers—especially those suffering from allergies and asthma—may breathe easier at Wyndham hotels thanks to the upscale chain’s new Wyndham ClearAir initiative to offer allergy-friendly guest accommodations. While eight Wyndham hotels offer the rooms today, all will be required to convert 10 percent of their room inventory or a minimum of 25 rooms into allergy-friendly environments by the end of 2009. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is the first national upscale lodging chain to mandate allergy-friendly rooms systemwide. The chain’s move responds to guest concerns over rising consumer health issues and costs associated with allergic reactions. According to the Asthma...

SEATTLE—A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels. “I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me that the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from laundry products vented outdoors were making them sick,” said Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs. “And I wanted to know, ‘What’s...

PORTLAND, ORE.— Placing it among exclusive company on an international scale, Portland’s Avalon Hotel & Spa has achieved the Northwest’s first LEED certification of an existing hotel building. The Avalon, a luxury boutique hotel and spa, joins the ranks of only nine other hotels in the world to have achieved LEED certification and is the second existing hotel building in the world to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) coveted Silver rating. The Avalon is located in Portland, Ore., a location that is consistently ranked as the greenest city in America, with 43 buildings certified to the USGBC’s LEED...

BURBANK, CALIF.—A new Steril-Zone room air purifier that uses a three-stage process to clean the air in rooms up to 1,000 square feet is now available from Steril-Aire, Inc. Safe and ozone-free, the portable air purifier is the first to incorporate the company’s multi-patented and award-winning UVC Emitter to clean the air of bacteria, mold and viruses. The UVC lamp combines with a high efficiency air filter and long-life carbon filter to remove all three categories of indoor air pollutants and irritants—particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and microorganisms—for enhanced control of allergens, dust and odors in hotel environments. Steril-Zone’s germicidal...

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.—A large majority—85 percent—of gaming customers at Indian casinos in Southern California report that they would prefer a smoke-free environment in these casinos, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Southern California Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction Study. The inaugural study measures overall customer satisfaction based on performance in five key measures (listed in order of importance): gaming (33 percent), facility (27 percent), cage cashier/ticket redemption machine (17 percent), arriving/parking (15 percent), and beverage service (9 percent). “Most casino customers have grown accustomed to dealing with large volumes of cigarette smoke in the air, but an overwhelming percentage indicate...

LEXINGTON, MASS.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. opened the eco-friendly doors of ELEMENT Lexington in Lexington, Mass. on July 1. ELEMENT is Starwood’s newest hotel concept and the first LEED-certified hotel chain in the country. ELEMENT Lexington is making its national debut, offering guests an entirely new extended stay experience that combines smart design, and nature-inspired and eco-friendly touches. Modern amenities range from complimentary WiFi to an international pantry stocked with everything from Korean kimchi soup to artisanal meats and cheeses. ELEMENT Lexington—the first ELEMENT hotel to open its doors to guests—will also serve as Starwood’s green trailblazer with...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Healthier Choice as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Healthier Choice is a leading producer of carpet cushion and underlayment. Its products incorporate the soy-based BiOH system from Cargill for enhanced sustainability. Ensuring superior indoor air quality, Healthier Choice’s products are Greenguard certified. The company’s products offer Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial protection against allergens from mold, mildew, bacteria, and dust mites. “No other cushion can contribute more to LEED,” says Mike Norton, vice president, Commercial Products for Dalton, Ga.-based Healthier Choice. For additional information, call (800) 872-8426, e-mail info@healthierchoice.com, or...

WINCHESTER, VA.—Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP), a leader in durable facility maintenance solutions, introduces its all-new line of commercial vacuums. With this entry into powered equipment, Rubbermaid continues to deliver on the commitment to help professionals Work Smarter. This line offers key user-desired features that help them improve productivity, protect worker well-being, and facilitate green cleaning. The product line includes 12 new models (seven uprights, three backpacks and two wet/dry vacuums). Rubbermaid’s flagship upright models provide dual motor strength for one pass cleaning (PH15 & PH12 models). Both feature automatic carpet height adjustment which improves worker efficiency and well-being...

NATIONAL REPORT—For many designers, and the clients they represent, interior doors’ value as a design element has slowly diminished in recent years. No more the attention-grabbing “wall furniture” of the classical period and unlike their contemporary hardwood kin in floors and cabinetry, wood doors have been largely commoditized. For many, a door is just a door. But to those in the industry—and for a rapidly growing number of astute practitioners in the design/building community—doors have been rediscovered as a “haute commodity” in interior design. Interior doors are enjoying a significant renaissance as new materials, fabrication technologies and sustainable design invigorate...

ANDERSON, CALIF.—Gaia at Anderson, a new 122-room green hotel, has opened here. It is the second Gaia hotel in California to be developed and opened by Wen-I Chang. The first was the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon. That 133-room property opened in October 2006. Chang is also developing a third hotel in Merced, Calif., a 141-room property. Chang expects the Gaia at Anderson hotel to achieve a LEED Silver or Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa was the first U.S. hotel to earn LEED Gold. In building...