NEW YORK—A little more than a month remains before this fall’s HX: The Hotel Experience trade show and conference. Formerly the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show, this year’s event includes more than 350 exhibitors in the trade show and a full slate of conference sessions on the trade show floor. The event will take place November 13 to 15 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
The exhibitor lineup will feature many companies offering products and technologies to help reduce energy and water consumption and waste. Some vendors will offer products using sustainable or organic materials. Others will feature non-toxic cleaning products that reduce risk while not impacting indoor air quality. The complete list of suppliers can be accessed by clicking here.
Among the conference sessions are two moderated by Glenn Hasek, Publisher & Editor, Green Lodging News. The first session, “Greenwashing or Nothing But the Truth—The Untold Story of the Greening of Amenities,” will take place on Sunday, November 13 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
In the highly competitive race to win the green hearts of hoteliers and guests alike, amenities companies have removed harmful chemicals, introduced natural ingredients, inserted additives into plastic, and adjusted other packaging content. Some companies now offer “zero waste” or “carbon neutral” options. How do vendors define “zero waste” or “carbon neutral”? What does it mean that a product is paraben free or phthalate free? Why is that important? Does a plastic bottle with an additive really biodegrade faster? What about dispensers? Should you “ditch” amenity bottles altogether? What is their environmental/operational upside? Is it all just greenwashing? Suppliers will join in what
is guaranteed to be a revealing discussion about the current state of “sustainable” amenities and dispensers.
This session’s speakers will include: Ian Wallace, President of Dispenser Amenities; Guido Bonadonna, CEO, GFL SA; and Ray Burger, President, Pineapple Hospitality.
Results of Two Leading Surveys
The second session, “Behind the Numbers—What Two Leading 2016 Surveys Say About Sustainability Trends,” will take place on Monday, November 14 from noon to 1 p.m. Call 2016 the year of the surveys. In this session the highlights of two leading industry surveys will be revealed. First, results of the 2016 Lodging Survey will be shared by Lindsay Culbreath, Senior Director, Business Development & Marketing for STR. Conducted every two years, the 2016 Lodging Survey is a production of STR, the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation. The 2016 Lodging Survey touches on topics ranging from energy management sensors to recycling programs to electric vehicle charging stations. Second, Eric Ricaurte, Founder & CEO, Greenview, will share highlights of the first annual Green Lodging Survey, a production of Greenview and Green Lodging News. Learn the results of “green” questions never before posed to hoteliers. Both surveys were built to not only identify trends but also innovative best practices. Also on the panel of speakers: Rick Werber, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Sustainability, Design and Construction Department, Host Hotels & Resorts.
On Monday, November 14 from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the NYC Hospitality Alliance will present, “Serving the Environment: Sustainable Restaurants”. On Monday, November 14 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. the Hotel Association of New York City will present its annual Sustainability Awards. On Tuesday, November 15 from 12:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., a Food Waste Management session will be held.
HX: The Hotel Experience will run adjacent to Boutique Design New York (BDNY). BDNY will run from November 13 to 14 and include 600+ manufacturers and marketers of furniture, fixtures, lighting, seating, wall coverings, accessories and other design elements for hospitality interiors.
As part of BDNY, four NEWH Green Voice sessions are planned. Topics include: “Biophilia: The Next Phase of Occupant Comfort”; “Health in Hospitality: Taking the Pulse of Your Place”; “Eyewitness to Climate Change: A Global Perspective from the Researchers Behind the Science”; and “The Next Hotels: Beyond Sustainability”. Click here for additional information.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
