SILVER SPRING, MD.—Choice Hotels International has announced that its 433 Comfort Suites hotels in the United States will go 100 percent nonsmoking as of May 1. The 433 properties represent 34,000 rooms. According to Kimberly Shells, Senior Director, Brand Strategy for Choice, the decision to go smoke free was driven by research. “We conducted research among guests and franchisees,” Shells says. “The vast majority of them supported it. It really is for our guests. We found that the vast majority of guests prefer a smoke-free environment.” Ten percent of U.S. Comfort Suites hotels already are 100 percent nonsmoking. The other properties...

SAN JUAN, P.R.—As of February 1, 2007, the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino is officially a nonsmoking hotel and the first in Puerto Rico to institute a no smoking policy. The smoking ban will be instituted throughout the entire hotel, including the rooms, balconies, lobby, bar and restaurants, with the hotel’s Stellaris Casino following suit on March 1, 2007. In October 2006, Marriott instituted its Smoke-Free Hotel Environment strategy, representing the industry’s largest move to a nonsmoking environment. It encompassed all of the company’s lodging brands in the United States and Canada, and was optional for...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Better Living as a sponsor. Holiday Island, Ark.-based Better Living is a provider of Sun Aire Ductless Furnaces and Sun Aire Air Purifiers. The energy-efficient Ductless Furnace can heat an area of up to 500 square feet economically with clean, comfortable radiant heat. The Sun Aire Air Purifier safely eliminates airborne bacteria and viruses, mold spores, and pet/smoke/ammonia odors using a sunlight process. The purifiers are made from brushed stainless steel and include a lifetime/washable 0.5 micron pre-filter. They weigh just 9 lbs. Sun Aire Air...

Carbon monoxide, a killer, should be the No. 1 indoor air quality concern at your property. Do you have detectors installed in your guestrooms? In other areas? If not, why? How can you truly be a green hotel if you are not doing all you can to protect your guests and staff from this silent, invisible danger? Hundreds lose their lives each year after having been exposed to carbon monoxide buildup in an enclosed area. Just last month in Key West, Fla., a 26-year-old man died in a guestroom at an upscale hotel. The man’s father nearly died as...

Respiratory illness, allergies and asthma. Most hotel operators would consider these ailments to be unwanted guests. But hoteliers who do not pay close attention to their HVAC air filtration system may be placing these disorders on their room service menus. More than one-quarter of respiratory illnesses in the United States can be traced to poor indoor air quality (IAQ). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air is often two to five times more polluted than outdoor air—a statistic that becomes more shocking when you consider that Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Unfortunately, poor IAQ...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. recently introduced Simply Fragrance, an air freshener that delivers a precise dose of pure designer fragrance and odor neutralizer via a unique hydrogen fuel cell device. Its advanced design provides a consistent level of scent for 60 days without the use of batteries. “The convenience and long lasting air freshening power offered by Simply Fragrance helps hotel operators improve their guest experience by creating a pleasant environment with scent,” says Michael Johannsen, vice president and general manager of hospitality, healthcare and commercial facilities at Ecolab. “Simply Fragrance lasts longer to keep rooms smelling as...

VANCOUVER, WASH.—The Hilton Vancouver Washington—one of the country’s first green, environmentally sustainable hotels—has been certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, the nationally accepted benchmark for green buildings. This coveted certification recognizes buildings’ superior performance in areas such as water savings, low-impact landscaping, reduced energy use and indoor air quality. The Hilton Vancouver Washington is the first LEED-certified Hilton in the world and one of only a handful of LEED-certified hotels in the United States. “We are obviously very proud to have a hotel in America’s Vancouver receive this prestigious certification,” says Mayor Royce Pollard. “It is...

NASHVILLE—In an ongoing effort to respond directly to client feedback as well as provide healthy environments for their guests and STARS (employees), Gaylord Hotels will become completely smoke free as of February 12, 2007. This includes the brand’s existing properties—Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Fla., and Gaylord Texan on Lake Grapevine near Dallas—as well as Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland, which is slated to open in 2008. The announcement was made by John Caparella, executive vice president and COO of Gaylord Hotels. “We pride ourselves on offering extraordinary environments...

CALIFORNIA—Guests of the Fairmont San Jose, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, Fairmont Miramar Santa Monica and the Fairmont Newport Beach can breathe easier thanks to the region’s comprehensive “Clean Air” initiative. Hybrid-driving overnight hotel guests now get free parking at all California Fairmont properties. “As one of many green programs our brand has embraced, we are pleased to offer our like-minded ‘green guests’ complimentary hybrid vehicle parking at all the California Fairmont hotels and resorts,” says Francisco Gomez, regional vice president of operations and general manager of the Fairmont San Francisco. “As leading environmental...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—With thousands of hotels trying to make the conversion to and maintain a completely smoke-free environment, Pineapple Hospitality’s Nature’s Mist Deodorization System is experiencing a record number of users in its 10th year serving hotels, resorts, bed-and-breakfasts and lodges worldwide. “We used to use an ozone machine, but it took too long and only masked room odors,” says Rande Repke, executive assistant for Sybaris Clubs International, which operates about 130 cottages across five locations in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Within 30 minutes to two hours the smells would return.” “We need to turn around our...