EVERETT, WASH.—Electric Mirror, a global leader in mirror technology, unveiled the next generation of its patented and energy-savings Keen Technology, which offers improved functionality and is now available at a lower cost.Keen allows hotel end users to individualize their lighted mirror experience by choosing from eight different lighting levels, as well as a night glow mode, which serves as a night light. Keen includes a function that automatically reduces the light level by 50 percent after being on for an hour, offering significant energy savings.One of the biggest benefits of the new Keen technology is that it is significantly...

NATIONAL REPORT—An airplane turbine in your hotel? Not quite but the microturbines now being installed in hotels around the globe are smaller versions of an airplane turbine. Microturbines are reliable cores of combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems, generate one-tenth the emissions of an internal combustion engine, and are helping hotels save big time in energy and dollars.Darren Jamison, CEO of Capstone Turbine, a leading manufacturer of microturbines, says a microturbine is like a power plant in a box. “The efficiency comes from how the combustion is processed,” he says. Microturbines are highly efficient, quiet, require no oil...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Seal, a nonprofit certifier of sustainable products and services, launched its new Architectural Insulation Standard (GS-54). It is designed to make it easier for the market to identify green insulation products that work and protect human as well as environmental health. It sets challenging yet achievable requirements that reflect environmental leadership among products currently available or emerging in the United States.GS-54 is the only up-to-date insulation standard developed specifically for the U.S. market. Its criteria cover significant impacts across the lifecycle stages of several types of insulation. It also provides a clear and specific guideline for product...

ITHACA, N.Y.—Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) has released the latest benchmarks from an ongoing international project to create default sustainability data for the global hotel industry. The report, “Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index 2016: Energy, Water, and Carbon,” led by Eric Ricaurte in collaboration with 11 global hotel firms, analyzes data provided for 8,880 properties. The report, which details the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark Index (CHSB), is available at no charge from the CHR at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.“By adding new segmentation by climate and hotel type, we have strengthened our industry-centric approach to this effort, given...

CHICAGO—Evolve Controls has been selected to provide their integrated solution for guestroom controls for climate, lighting and shading for the Microsoft Connected Room solution. The Connected Room, which brings hotel services such as in-room dining, spa reservations and other hotel experiences into the digital era, is currently being piloted in two guest suites at The Cromwell, Caesars Entertainment’s boutique hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Microsoft highlighted the Connected Room solution at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) in New Orleans to show how Microsoft technology is helping hospitality companies make digital transformations to improve the guest...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes AspirEnergy to its Green Product & Service Directory in the Energy Services category. AspirEnergy is a full service Energy Services Company that specializes in prescribing and implementing energy efficient and renewable energy solutions to lower operating costs and maximize return on investment. It focuses on return on investment for its clients with the maximization of government and utility incentives while keeping the customer experience at the forefront of its recommendations. AspirEnergy offers LED lighting and controls, energy management systems, solar PV systems, financing and incentive administration. Learn...

DANBURY, CONN.—Keeping properties performing at peak efficiency is a top priority of Meyer Jabara Hotels (MJH). From the laundry facility and guestrooms to parking lots and rooftops, the East Coast hotel management company is committed to making each of its 22 hotels representing 4,000 guestrooms across 10 states energy efficient and operating green. “In today’s world, we need to manage down to the penny, and utilities are a major cost to the operation of the hotel,” said Justin Jabara, MJH VP of Development and Acquisition. “The better we can manage the consumption of energy, gas and water, the more money...

ROCK HILL, S.C.—HyLite LED Lighting announced that the Mogul Base (E39) HyLite LED Omni-Cob lamps are now listed on the DLC QPL. At 140 LPW, the HyLite LED Omni-Cob lamp is one of the most efficient LED retrofit solutions, and the new listing on the DLC QPL will allow customers to maximize their return on investment with utility rebates in many markets.The HyLite LED Omni-Cob has been helping businesses and municipalities upgrade their interior and exterior HID lighting systems by decreasing maintenance, labor, and fixture costs associated with traditional Metal Halide and HPS lighting. The HyLite LED Omni-Cob lamp...

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Xeros, the inventor of an ultra-low water laundry system, announced that it has signed a $500,000 deal with commercial launderer Scarab Group in St. Thomas for its award-winning polymer bead cleaning laundry system. In one of the largest laundry deals on St. Thomas this year, the Scarab Group replaced all of their conventional washers with Xeros laundry systems to reduce their water and energy costs without sacrificing the quality of service to their luxury hotel customers. Based in St. Thomas, the sustainably focused Scarab Group provides laundry services to the majority of hotels across the island. Caribbean businesses...

PLANO, TEXAS—NexRev LLC, experts in improving energy efficiency and reducing utility and operational costs for retail, entertainment, commercial, industrial and institutional facilities, announces the company’s entrance into the Canadian marketplace with a regional office located in Toronto supported by a network of Canadian resources. This follows on the heels of NexRev’s announcement of their Latin American headquarters in Mexico City and represents the next step in the company’s international expansion plan.Supported by a qualified network of Canadian resources and industry veterans, NexRev Canada ULC will introduce DrivePak and Freedom—NexRev’s two key energy management solutions—to commercial, institutional and industrial markets...