WINNIPEG, MANITOBA—Canad Inns announced it will be 100 percent smoke free as of November 30. The company has been phasing in the policy the past few months. All renovated hotel rooms have been designated nonsmoking as they are brought into inventory. Canad Inns-Transcona has been smoke free since March 2006. “At Canad Inns, we want to provide our guests with the most enjoyable experience possible,” says Leo Ledohowski, president & C.E.O. “Our new smoke-free environment will make our Canad Certified Four Star Standard a better experience for all our guests.” The new smoking policy will include all...

PISCATAWAY, N.J.—The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced that commercial property owners can potentially enjoy significant tax deductions by making their buildings more energy efficient, and in its Notice, also officially approved Trane’s TRACE 700 software to certify energy savings. Trane’s TRACE 700 software, the first of four programs accepted by the IRS for energy savings certification, enables building owners to translate energy savings into tax deductions. The commercial building deduction, enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, allows taxpayers to deduct the cost of energy efficient property installed in commercial buildings. Buildings that achieve...

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.—As hotel brands in other parts of the world adopt smoke-free environments as their latest marketing strategy, a vast majority of European guests prefer a smoke-free hotel environment, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. The study found that nearly 70 percent of hotel guests in Europe prefer a smoke-free environment that exceeds the boundaries of their room, which is slightly less than hotel guests in North America (79 percent). The desire for a smoke-free environment ranges from 57 percent of guests who reside in Spain, to a high...

GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS—As a result of increasing demand from guests, Pelican Bay at Lucaya is now a smoke-free resort and has converted all of its smoking rooms into nonsmoking accommodations. The decision to go smoke free comes as Pelican Bay stays true to its promise to be an island oasis for guests. “The feedback from our guests regarding this decision has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Magnus Alnebeck, Pelican Bay’s general manager. “The number of nonsmoking hotels continues to increase as the marketplace demands it.” In addition to the new smoke-free policy, Pelican Bay has also...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Queenaire Technologies, Ashburn, Va., as a Founding Sponsor. Queenaire, with a management team with more than 30 years in the ozone industry, provides ozone generating products that deodorize and eliminate odors safely and effectively. The company sells five different machines for different size rooms and applications. Queenaire also produces the Newaire Plugin, a portable plug-in unit that can deodorize rooms up to 500 square feet in size. All of Queenaire’s products are ideal for eliminating in-room odors caused by smoke, mold and mildew, pets, and other sources....

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y.—NYLO, a new lifestyle hotel brand, is the first hotel of its kind to commit to providing PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms as part of its overall brand strategy. The company recently announced it partnership with Pure Solutions. “We’re proud to work with this market leader in improving indoor air quality for the comfort of our guests,” says John Russell, c.e.o. of NYLO. NYLO is planning to break ground next month on its first property in Plano, Texas. Shortly after, properties will be popping up in other suburban and secondary markets, such as Warwick, Rhode Island....

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. unveiled its new extended-stay hotel brand: Element, a brand extension of Westin Hotels & Resorts. The Element name, new logo and website were unveiled last week at the 2006 Lodging Conference in Phoenix. “With Westin, we recreated the upper-upscale segment in the hotel industry,” says Starwood’s Chief Executive Officer Steven J. Heyer. “Strategically, Element fits into this mold. It is about creating a new category from the ground up. We know that Starwood’s guests are hungry for a new kind of extended-stay experience, and Element fills this white space in our portfolio...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Westin Hotels & Resorts has teamed with celebrity jewelry designer Mauri Pioppo to create a talisman necklace in support of smoke-free living. The Renewal Talisman will raise awareness of the benefits of going smoke-free, especially for women and girls, and provide a tangible way for women to share their support for a smoke-free lifestyle with their loved ones. Westin created the piece to celebrate its own commitment to breathing free, made in December 2005 when it announced it would become the first major hotel chain in North America to go smoke-free. While women are embracing...

NATIONAL REPORT—Your guests may shower in it without thinking about it, but is chlorinated water really good for them? Guests with chemical sensitivities would quickly say no but other travelers are beginning to feel the same way. Increasingly, guests are seeking out hotels that offer chlorine-free, filtered shower water. According to one industry expert, some guests even travel with their own showerheads in case filtered water is not available. If you think of shower filters as an unnecessary capital expense, you may want to reconsider. Many hotels are charging premium rates for rooms that offer filtered shower water as part...

BURBANK, CALIF.—Steril-Aire Inc. has published a new application bulletin describing how its multi-patented UVC technology can protect offices, stores and other commercial buildings while reducing costs. The bulletin, titled “UVC and Commercial Buildings,” explains how UVC devices installed in the air handling systems can result in a wide range of benefits, including mold and microbial control, enhanced indoor air quality, and energy and maintenance savings. The bulletin includes an overview of UVC features and benefits, a four-year cost-saving example, and product information on the different types of UVC devices for commercial HVAC applications. Customer testimonials are also included....