AUSTIN, TEXAS—Although travelers burn gas to get to their destinations, one answer to greener travel is to vacation by choosing an eco-friendly B&B. BedandBreakfast.com innkeepers are moving toward greener getaways by investing in earth-friendly practices to ensure guests the finest in eco-escapes. BedandBreakfast.com currently lists more than 35 earth-friendly special packages. Listed in alphabetical order by state, here are some examples of green packages offered by BedandBreakfast.com members. Strawberry Creek B&B, Idyllwild, Calif.: Relax on soft, cotton-like hammocks made from recycled soda bottles. This inn’s tranquil wooded setting is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as an...

NATIONAL REPORT—When the first loft-style NYLO hotel opens later this year in Plano, Texas, an entire floor—44 rooms—of the 176-room property will include allergy-friendly guestrooms. Atlanta-based NYLO Hotels LLC has partnered with Pure Solutions NA, Buffalo, N.Y., to provide the PURE rooms. NYLO, which has a goal of opening 50 properties throughout North America by 2010, intends to include one PURE floor in each of its hotels. NYLO’s decision to provide these super clean rooms will be a welcome relief to the 70 million Americans who suffer from allergies or some type of chemical sensitivity. The PURE rooms also will...

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—A Partner Member of the Green Hotel Assn. and a Santa Monica Sustainable Works Business Greening Program participant, The Ambrose hotel here is doing what it can to “Leave Only Footprints Behind.” It is that phrase that the 77-room property uses in its stylish logo. In every area of the hotel’s operations, a commitment to sustainability is clear. That commitment stems from the owner, The Ambrose Group L.L.C., as well as the “all concierge” team of employees at the property. The Ambrose first got involved in greening the hotel’s operations by participating in Santa Monica’s Sustainable Works Business Greening...

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. once again has been ranked in the 2007 CRO Magazine (formerly Business Ethics Magazine) annual list of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens, one of only 11 companies to make the list for eight consecutive years. “We are honored that Ecolab has been consistently recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens,” says Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab Chairman, President and CEO. “We value and expect good business results, and we also value how we achieve those results. We believe doing the right thing and driving great financial results are interlinked. Our goal as...

NATIONAL REPORT—Late December was not a good time for an upscale hotel in southern Florida. A 26-year-old man lost his life in a guestroom. The cause of death: carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The man’s father nearly died from the silent killer as well. He survived after being put on a ventilator. According to a report in The Miami Herald, authorities concluded that the boiler room, which houses two boilers and two water tanks to heat water for the entire facility, was the source of the deadly fumes. The boiler room is located next to the room where the...

DALLAS—Lodging Hospitality Magazine and Pineapple Hospitality have finalized the agenda for their first Green Hospitality Conference. The event will be held on March 14 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The conference will precede Lodging Hospitality’s annual Hospitality Operations & Technology event. The day-long event will begin with an introduction and welcome from Gary Dietz, publisher of Lodging Hospitality, and Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News. From 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Ed Watkins, editor of Lodging Hospitality, will moderate a “Green Hospitality—Past, Present, Future” session that will include the following participants: Wen Chang,...

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...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—With the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group’s EarthCare program as its guide, the 82-room Hotel Madera is quietly making a positive impact with its subtle approach to green hotel operations. “Our story here is ‘Conscious Living,’” says Marco Scherer, general manager of the Washington, D.C. boutique hotel. “Throughout their entire stay, we try to remind our guests to live in a conscious manner. We let them decide to what degree they want to participate.” Opened as a Kimpton hotel five years ago, the Hotel Madera has been a green hotel for just a couple of years. The property is owned...

MONTREAL, QUEBEC—After 16 years working to create an environmentally sustainable restaurant industry, the Green Restaurant Assn. just endorsed the first cleaning chemical to meet its high standards—Montreal-based Earth Alive’s RapidAll. Restaurants expose their customers and staff to an array of toxic chemicals that are harmful to one’s health and to the environment. Earth Alive’s products are so safe that they do not need to be regulated and have MSDS sheets of 0 across the board. Earth Alive’s RapidAll will do what traditionally harmful and dangerous acidic chemicals can do such as heavy duty degreasing. It is exempt...

CINCINNATI—Procter & Gamble Professional (PGP), the away-from-home division of consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (P&G), has launched a website outlining its approach to providing environmentally responsible cleaning products to the janitorial/sanitation and lodging industries. The P&G Pro Line Green Guarantee website, found at www.greenguarantee.com, highlights PGP’s stringent environmental standards, as well as the holistic approach its research and development team follows for creating each product. “From the environmentally responsible nature of our products to the solid reputation of P&G, PGP has a great story to tell,” says J.F. Couture, brand manager for PGP. “This site will help...