DENVER—Scott Milne*, Lead Energy Auditor and Commercial Consultant for Denver-based Rocky Mountain Efficiency Group, has launched the Elite Room concept to give hoteliers—“even the Days Inns of the World are looking for a solution,” he says—a leg up on their competition in the race to provide the safest and cleanest rooms for guests. “You have got to make people think your guestrooms are cleaner than their own home,” says Milne, a LEED GA. Now available, the Elite Room package consists of elements ranging from air purification to room disinfection to filtering chlorine from the shower you bathe in. “I came up...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) has released its latest report: The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends & Statistics 2020, a special edition on lessons from COVID-19 for tourism in a changing climate. This annual meta-analysis comes at an unprecedented time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has highlighted the immense need and value of tourism, while fundamentally changing the way destinations, businesses, and travelers will plan, manage, and experience tourism. At the same time, climate change remains an existential threat that has real consequences for destinations and communities everywhere. According to CREST, tourism was frankly on a path of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As devastated industries wait for Congress to pass another round of COVID-19 recovery legislation, a new survey of American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) members shows that the hotel industry remains on the brink of collapse because of the pandemic. Results show 68 percent of hotels have less than half of their typical, pre-crisis staff working full time, and without further governmental assistance, 74 percent of respondents said they would be forced to lay off additional employees. AHLA conducted the survey of hotel industry owners, operators, and employees from September 14 to 16, 2020, with more than 1,000 respondents....

SEATTLE—Safeology has announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board that includes the medical doctor who gained international attention for treating the first U.S. patient diagnosed with COVID-19. The Board comprises leading experts who help Safeology navigate the use of UVC technology to fight COVID-19 and other pathogens. With M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in infectious disease, microbiology, chemical engineering and electrical engineering, the Board offers a comprehensive approach to fighting the pandemic. “These scientists are highly sought after for their expertise. And now they’re coming together to partner with Safeology to save lives,” said Jim Mischel, CEO of Safeology. “We’re able...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added LATHER to the Hand Sanitizer category in its Green Product & Service Directory. Featured in Allure and chosen as one of Well+Good’s top six picks, LATHER’s Hand Sanitizer with Moisturizing Aloe is as gentle to skin as it is high performing. This botanical-enriched hand gel helps defend against harmful bacteria. Containing premium grade alcohol at higher levels than the CDC’s 60 percent minimum recommendation, LATHER’s antiseptic is infused with citrus essential oil and hydrating glycerin to combat the drying effects of alcohol. It is now available in 1 oz, 2 oz, 10 oz and bulk sizing, as...

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—After an exhaustive two-year process, a University of Arizona Health Sciences research team has announced the publication of their work, Comparison of electric hand dryers and paper towels for hand hygiene: a critical review of the literature. The review culled the current breadth of data, including published studies, news reports and online content, seeking to uncover which hand drying method, hand dryers or paper towels, is more hygienic and safer relative to human health risks. The researchers found that, while studies in the public arena generally favor paper towels over hand dryers, the conclusions are largely misleading...

PHILADELPHIA—Monarch Brands has developed the first in a new line of disinfectants to meet the increased demand for antimicrobial products. Isopropyl alcohol is the most common and widely used disinfectant for various medical and specialized industries. Medical institutions, pharmaceutics, hospitals, clean rooms, and electronics manufacturers use it where antiseptic conditions are essential. To survive and thrive within the new standard, businesses must protect their staff and customers. The global community now understands the importance of cleaning and disinfecting. If you’ve tried to buy wholesale isopropyl alcohol disinfectant wipes recently, you will understand the need to secure your pipeline and bolster reserves....

MGM Resorts International’s announcement this past week that it would open its Park MGM/NoMad resort as a 100 percent nonsmoking resort was good news for travelers who prioritize good, clean air to breathe. According to MGM’s press release about the opening, it is the Las Vegas Strip’s first fully smoke-free casino resort. While a long time coming, I applaud MGM for taking this step and strongly encourage the company to repeat it at its other remaining properties around the world. (Listen up other gaming companies as well.) The announcement comes at a critical time—with the West experiencing its worst fire...

It was a little more than 11 years ago that I first wrote about the “Make a Green Choice” program that had been rolled out at a couple of hotels in Seattle and Kauai. For those of you not familiar with Make a Green Choice, it gave guests the option of opting out of housekeeping for a day or more. At the time, in exchange for doing that, guests were given either a $5 gift card for the hotel’s restaurants or the option of receiving 500 Starpoints as part of Starwood’s loyalty program. I applauded the program at the...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—CIRQ+ founders dreamed of a world where people can work and live safely, allowing a nation hard-hit by the pandemic to return to the life they knew, and today that dream becomes a reality with the launch of CIRQ+CLEAN. Developed by cloud-based platform CIRQ+ in response to the impact of the global COVID crisis, the CIRQ+CLEAN is a first of its kind solution—a touchless sterilization innovation that dispenses an EPA-registered fluid through an in-room autonomous, connected IoT robot, the Cbot. The all-natural, non-toxic disinfecting solution has the most up-to-date approvals by the EPA for use against Sars-CoV-2, the...