A guest’s stay at a five-star hotel ought to be an exciting and enjoyable experience. However, my own visit to one such top-tier hotel—during a vacation in Mexico some years ago—turned out to be a bit too exciting. Inside the first room that I was checked in to, the carpets and the air had such a moldy smell that I could barely breathe, let alone relax. I wound up sleeping on the balcony the first night I was there—before being transferred to another, cleaner room. I’m not the only one who has encountered this sort of problem. Poor air quality...

SHENZEN CITY, CHINA—A lot of waste oil is produced every day in homes, slaughterhouses, food plants and hotels. The Environmental Protection Agency in the United States reports that restaurants create about three billion gallons of waste oil each year. Used oil has particles which could be hazardous to human health and is not suitable for consumption; it is therefore recommended that you occasionally change your frying oil. Somehow this waste oil may find its way to our tables after being illegally processed by unscrupulous traders. You would want a device that effectively solves the problem with minimal harm to...

PARIS—To mark Planet 21 Day, AccorHotels announces the rollout by 2021 of a new range of eco-friendly linen. Not chemically bleached, it will approach an unbleached color: the natural color of cotton. Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget will equip their rooms with bed linen and towels that respect the environment. The first global hotel group to offer its guests natural colored linen, AccorHotels is marking a turning point in the hospitality sector by declaring “Natural is the new white!”, as part of its overall policy to reduce the carbon footprint generated by its rooms. The new textile products...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Go Green Distributors to its Green Product & Service Directory in the Food Preservation (Fresher, Longer) category. RD Fresh is an all-natural mineral mix that will remove moisture from your walk-in. This will result in a 1 to 3-degree temperature drop. By removing the moisture, compressor starts are reduced by up to 50 percent and hours of operation are reduced up to 40 percent. RD Fresh extends the life of the compressor 3 to 5 years and lowers maintenance costs by up to 50 percent. Additionally, RD Fresh removes...

CHICAGO—In 1907, paper towels were introduced to washrooms. The electric hand dryer made its first appearance in 1948. But both can be expensive, unhygienic, and harmful to the environment. In 2006, Dyson engineers put a century of poor performing hand drying methods to rest, with the invention of Airblade hand dryer technology. But even with an efficient hand dryer, water dripping on the washroom floor can be a concern, as can excessive sound. With these challenges in mind, Dyson engineers set out to re-engineer the existing Dyson Airblade Tap hand dryer, to reduce loudness while maintaining a fast dry time....

ONTARIO, CANADA—As warmer weather returns in many parts of North America, one thing that restaurants, school cafeterias, and all commercial kitchens must be aware of is the return of insects. Many insects hide during the cold winter months, but warmer weather brings them out in force. “One of the big concerns with ‘creepy crawly’ pests in food service facilities is that they carry foodborne illness,” says Mike Watt, with Avmor, one of the oldest and largest cleaning chemical manufacturers in North America. “E. Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, can all be spread by insects.” Watt suggests that an increased focus on floorcare is...

Thousands of hoteliers all over the country have swimming pools that they maintain every year. There are many more that are considering putting in a pool for the first time. Having a pool can be a great thing when it comes to cooling off on those hot summer days. However, the upkeep for these pools is something that you need to keep in mind. You also want to think about what you add to your pools to help keep them clean and safe for your guests. Getting a pool for the first time can run a lot of money out...

First impressions count, which is why hotels should ensure they spend ample time cleaning the first things their guests see; the building’s exterior, including its windows and the main lobby. Back in 2015, unpleasant carpet odors were the second most complained about issue hotels received from their guests. Therefore, it’s just as important to keep the carpets in your rooms fresh and fragrant. This statistic should provide those in the hospitality trade all the encouragement they need to enhance their curb appeal and provide a healthy hotel to customers using the latest eco-friendly cleaning techniques. Why Green Cleaning is So Important in Your Hotel A...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added Clear Pool USA to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Pool/Mineral Algaecide & Sanitizer” category. Clear Pool USA offers two choices to manage pool algae problems. The blue cylinder (at left) kills algae and reduces scaling. The other is an automatic water purifier that kills algae, reduces scaling and kills bacteria and pathogens including E.coli, pseudomonas, legionella pneumophila (Legionnaires Disease), staphylococcus, steptococcus, salmonella and others, some of which have been proven to be resilient to high levels of chlorine. Both products will help balance...

LONG ISLAND, N.Y.—Juka Innovations Corp., a company revolutionizing drain protection, announces the success of TubShroom®, a mushroom-shaped drain hair catcher. The simple invention fits neatly into any standard bathtub drain type, keeping drains unclogged and chemical free. Founders of Juka Innovations Corp., Serge Karnegie and his wife Elena, grew frustrated by their family´s long hair constantly clogging the drains in their New York apartment. This led to the creation of TubShroom. The prototype, designed by Serge, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising roughly $200K to fund production. Serge and Elena have since grown the product line to include chrome-capped TubShroom, a...