CINCINNATI—Cintas Corp. announced the grand-prize winner and runners-up in the 2022 Cintas S.H.I.N.E. (Star Housekeepers in a New Era) Award. Christine Perkins, a housekeeper at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cedar City in Cedar City, Utah won the contest’s $5,000 cash grand prize. Additionally, her property will receive a comprehensive product, training and consultation package from Cintas and its contest partners. “This year’s S.H.I.N.E. Award finalists truly embody what a strong work ethic looks like,” said Nicole Beall, Vice President—Hospitality & Gaming Strategic Markets at Cintas. “Housekeepers in the hospitality industry have shown great resilience and dedication to overcome tremendous...

NEW YORK—HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York (BDNY), two adjoining trade shows held at the Javits Center November 13 to 14, wrapped up this week with numerous first-time suppliers introducing green products and services. In addition, veterans of the two shows were back to tout the green upsides to their products and services to the thousands of attendees. It would be impossible to list all the suppliers deserving of publicity, but the following are many of them, along with a brief description of what they featured at the shows. Sapphire Beverages introduced its water in easy-to-recycle aluminum...

FORTVILLE, IND.—Holloway House, Inc., the maker of the Quick Shine family of floor care products, was named the 2022 Safer Choice Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demonstrating the company’s commitment to products that are safer for families, pets, workplaces, communities and the environment. “We were honored to accept the 2022 EPA/Safer Choice Partner of the Year award in Washington D.C.,” said Christopher Eck, President of Holloway House, Inc. “Our 14-year commitment to the EPA/Safer Choice Program is in keeping with our goal of environmental stewardship. Our priority in formulating products is to be safer for the consumer...

NORTHBROOK, ILL.—UMF Corporation’s Klorese disinfectant is registered on all 14 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disinfectant lists, which include disinfectant products that are effective against superbugs such as SARS-CoV-2, MRSA, and emerging viral pathogens such as monkeypox. Klorese (EPA #71847-7-94101) is registered on EPA Lists B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q. It is the only EPA-registered disinfectant with approved claims for C. diff endospores, Candida auris, and Biofilm that also is registered for use in electrostatic sprayers. The EPA lists provide users with a roadmap for which disinfectant products are registered against which pathogens. They take the guesswork...

HORSHAM, PENN.—Sofidel, a leading global provider of paper for hygienic and domestic use, launched the Sustainable Hygiene Heroes awards. The program honors facility maintenance and cleaning professionals who go above and beyond to provide clean and safe facilities, while implementing sustainable cleaning practices. The winner will receive $4,000 cash and two runners-up will receive $500 cash each. The winner’s facility will also receive $500 of paper products from Sofidel. “Maintaining clean and safe facilities is challenging, especially in a post-pandemic world where people’s expectations around cleanliness have increased,” said Fabio Vitali, Vice President of Marketing, Sofidel. “From paper to chemicals to trash...

BOWLING GREEN, OHIO—Specialty chemical and equipment manufacturer Betco Corp. announced a partnership with a top manufacturer of biological technologies and fully owned subsidiary EnviroZyme to launch EnviroZyme Probiotic Solutions. This new probiotic cleaning program replaces harsh, traditional cleaning chemicals with natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable formulas that are better for people and the planet. Betco’s current BioActive Solutions program will transition into EnviroZyme Probiotic Solutions. Betco is the only chemical manufacturer in the world to ferment their own beneficial bacteria to produce targeted probiotic cleaning solutions in liquid, solid, and powder forms. From a state-of-the-art facility on Betco’s campus, teams of biologists and chemists...

NATIONAL REPORT—While hotel industry revenues and profits are rising, guest satisfaction is declining. According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, the increase in industry fundamentals has not been met with a corresponding improvement in guests’ perceptions of amenities or services. One of the areas of greatest disappointment is the quality of the guestrooms and facilities. While guests appreciate the enhanced cleanliness prompted by COVID-19, scores for décor and furnishings, in-room amenities, and the quality of bathrooms declined from June 2021 to May 2022. Like all departments, managers needed to cut costs in the Property...

NORTHBROOK, ILL.—Nominations are open for the fourth annual 2022 Guest Room Attendant (GRA) Excellence Award, sponsored by UMF Corp. The award recognizes the invaluable contributions of GRAs—hotel housekeepers—who ensure safe guest and employee environments in hotels and lodges across the country. In an industry that is still feeling the pandemic’s aftershocks, the GRA Excellence Award acknowledges the housekeeping heroes who have shown up day after day to clean and disinfect guestrooms and common areas. Nominations are open through December 31, 2022. “Hotels transformed their business models during the pandemic, first deploying infection prevention practices similar to those of an acute care hospital and now contending...

CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOR, CALIF.—The date for the annual Green2Sustainable Sustainability Recognition Ceremony has just been announced. It will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 4 p.m. central time in the CleanMeet Lounge at the upcoming ISSA Show North America. The annual ceremony honors ISSA-member organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability. The honorees are selected by Green2Sustainable, which uses advanced sustainability monitoring technologies and ongoing performance interviews that help organizations reduce their use of natural resources, energy, fuel, waste, and other metrics. According to Steve Ashkin, President of Green2Sustainable, there are several benefits for ISSA members to become more sustainable. Among them are the...

BOSTON—Force of Nature, the toxic-free cleaning brand on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America, is reminding communities, businesses, and individuals in the path of Hurricane Ian not to use bleach to kill the buildup of mold and mildew resulting from the storm. Recent studies have shown that chronic exposure to the most common cleaning chemicals, including bleach, can be as damaging to lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. “Because bleach can be so caustic to our respiratory systems, it can trigger asthma and allergy symptoms and be dangerous to those who suffer from...