This past week was quite a newsworthy week with significant green hotel development announcements from four companies. First, former AH&LA chairman John Russell said he has partnered with India-based Auromatrix Group and a team of lodging veterans to launch Advaya Hospitality. The new global company will aim to bring lifestyle hotels and related products to major cities worldwide. Advaya will develop, acquire, franchise and operate full-service and select-service hotels. The brands will launch simultaneously in the United States and India, starting in the second quarter of 2011. Advaya also will assist in the management and growth of hospitality-related businesses, including a mix of eco-resorts. Russell told me the hotels will be green properties incorporating technologies ranging from key card-based energy management systems to wind and solar power. Watch for more news about Advaya in early 2011.
During a meeting at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, James Henderson, CEO of Atmosphere Hospitality Management, and Adrienne Pumphrey, global head of the same company, told me they have introduced a select-service version of their 180-suite Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites called Adoba Eco Inn. The 112-room inn option, like each Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites, will be required to achieve LEED Gold or Platinum certification through the U.S. Green Business Council. The Adoba Eco Inn prototype features the brand’s Adoba Smart Solar Roofing, A-Gemini Alternative Wind Energy Solution, and A-Gemini Total Technology Property Management System. Expect an announcement about the first Adoba deal in the first quarter of the new year.
Marriott International announced a preferred partnership with PDG Realty for the development of 50 Fairfield by Marriott hotels throughout Brazil. The hotels in this partnership will be constructed with environmentally friendly design for greater energy efficiency. Additionally, Marriott and PDG Realty have agreed to make financial contributions for each hotel constructed to support Amazon rain forest preservation through the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation.
Finally, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the opening of its Element New York Times Square West. Built to earn LEED certification, the hotel is one of New York’s greenest properties with carpet, furniture and floors made from recycled content, Energy Star-rated appliances, recycling bins in each guestroom, and much more.
It is exciting to see new-build activity pick up after a rough couple of years—especially hotel development of the green variety.
International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show
I had an opportunity to walk the entire trade show floor at last week’s International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show which also included the new boutique DESIGN New York show. It is impossible to talk about all of the green products that were introduced or featured in one column. What struck me the most, however, were the advances that have been made in guestroom energy management system technology—specifically the ability to remotely monitor and control guestroom lighting, heating and cooling. Watch for an article on new guestroom energy management system technologies soon on Green Lodging News.
Three-dimensional TV had me mesmerized but the real hot topic of conversation on the show floor was solutions to bed bugs. More companies than ever are now selling mattress encasements to help deal with the critters. Companies were also offering heat treatments, carbon dioxide-based freeze solutions, bug sniffing dogs, and topical treatments. I have written about natural solutions before (see article) but it looks like it is time to address the topic again. Watch for another article soon.
In the last couple of years I have been to many shows and have always heard negative comments from exhibitors about floor traffic and attendee quality. This year I have to say that I did not hear one negative comment from an exhibitor. That is certainly a good sign for 2011.
See You in Portland, Oregon?
I will be attending and exhibiting at the Green Meeting Industry Council’s 2011 Sustainable Meetings Conference in Portland, Oregon from February 20 to 23, 2011. The event will take place at the Portland Doubletree Hotel. To register for the conference, go to www.sustainablemeetingsconference.com.
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