SAN DIEGO—World Amenities, a global manufacturer of sustainable guest amenities, announced efforts to import and distribute emergency PPE globally. In response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the request from both federal and state medical emergency services and institutions, World Amenities has diversified and pivoted their business to emergency supply needs. World Amenities has been in contact with state governors, the Federal Government and health leaders on the front-line of the emergency response to the PPE supply chain issue. Due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 across the United States, the country is suffering a severe and unprecedented shortage of PPE supplies...

LONDON—Crave Interactive, a leading global hospitality technology company, announced ServeSafely, an innovative range of solutions that enable restaurants to protect staff and customers by using technology to maintain social distancing at all times and eliminate the need to handle menus, cash or payment terminals. Crave expects the initiative will enable restaurants to re-open quickly for business while social distancing restrictions are enforced or encouraged, and for customers to return to eating out with confidence that it is safe to do so. Crave’s ServeSafely solutions include ordering and payment via mobile phone at the table, and host greeting and seating at a...

PARIS—Accor, a global leader in augmented hospitality, and Bureau Veritas, a world-leading provider in testing, inspection and certification, have joined forces to develop a label designed to certify that the appropriate safety standards and cleaning protocols have been achieved to allow businesses to reopen. Franck Gervais, CEO Europe Accor, said, “Welcoming, protecting and taking care of others is the very DNA of Accor and at the heart of what we do. Today, more than ever, our employees, customers and partners need to be reassured of our ability to offering them the best welcome possible. As the European leader in hospitality,...

ATLANTA—ASHRAE has published two statements to define guidance on managing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease (Coronavirus) with respect to the operation and maintenance of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems in buildings. “In light of the current global pandemic, it’s critically important that ASHRAE responds with guidance on mitigating the transmission of the virus, as well as ventilation and filtration recommendations,” said 2019-20 ASHRAE President Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng. “ASHRAE has a significant role to play in ensuring safe and healthy building environments and these statements offer the expert strategies needed at this time.” ASHRAE developed the...

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The GreenShield Company, a division of BigSky Technologies LLC, is responding to the global Coronavirus pandemic with concern and hope for those being impacted by the disease. GreenShield is taking this opportunity to evaluate its products’ effectiveness in reducing the ability of the Coronavirus to contaminate and transmit on different surfaces. The small amount of fluorochemical used in the GreenShield finish provides a surface that repels oil-based materials, such as viruses, like COVID-19, which has an oily lipid outer layer. The lipid layer is essentially a fatty envelope that holds the virus. This envelope is what appears to be...

I wrote my first Green Lodging News Earth Day column 13 years ago. So much has changed on our planet since then. For example, last year was the fifth year in a row that was the hottest on record. We all have different priorities now, but I challenge you to keep your eyes on sustainability this 50th Earth Day (April 22) and every day—even as you fight your way through the current crisis. When COVID-19 is solved, we will still have global warming, air pollution, a dramatic decline in biodiversity, species extinction, etc. In fact, with recent rollbacks in emissions...

COLUMBUS, OHIO—Red Roof, a leader in upscale economy lodging, understands the difficulty of this uncertain time, especially for university and continuing education students who were suddenly displaced as a result of campuses closing due to CDC protocols in response to COVID-19. Mandated closings of schools across the country have left many with nowhere to go, as student housing and meal plans are suspended. Many students are in limbo and not able to return home due to travel restrictions and personal and professional obligations. With many hotels close to college campuses, Red Roof has launched the Student Support Program to help...

NATIONAL REPORT—With so much attention on virus elimination given the COVID-19 pandemic, Green Lodging News has been exploring green cleaning technologies that make it easier for hoteliers to provide a safe, hygienic, disinfected environment for guests and employees. One such technology is electrochemical activation (ECA)—the process for creating electrolyzed water using a low electric charge and natural minerals. Hypochlorous acid, one of the sanitizers created from charged salt and water, has 80 to 200 times the sanitizing power of chlorine bleach, according to Larry Smith, Vice President of Sales for GenEon Technologies. In this article we will also explore...

WARWICK, R.I.—CleanBrands LLC, a trusted leader in pillow and mattress protection, announced that its CleanRest products with MicronOne waterproof, breathable, sleep surface fabric have attained U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highest classification of barrier performance (Level 4). Vartest Laboratories of New York, N.Y. certified CleanRest’s MicronOne fabric passing the ASTM F1671 Viral Penetration Test on April 8, 2020. The CDC established test method assesses the ability of a fabric to block Phi-X174 Bacteriophage which is approximately 32 nanometers in diameter. Covid-19 is known to be of spherical shape 120 nanometers in diameter or nearly four times...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—INOX is now offering an antimicrobial coating for its line of stainless steel products, including commercial and residential door levers and pulls, deadbolts, panic devices and push/pull plates. INOX MicroArmor Antimicrobial Coating is a powder coating infused with antimicrobial technology that is applied during the hardware’s manufacturing process and works to inhibit the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria, mold and mildew by up to 99.9 percent. “In light of the current COVID-19 health crisis, it was incredibly important to us to focus our research and development on products that can help lessen the spread of harmful bacteria and...