LAS VEGAS—The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center expansion is now complete with this month’s opening of the 70,000-square-foot Oceanside Ballroom. The $70 million expansion includes 350,000 square feet of new exhibit space, a 20,000-square-foot foyer and underground parking, which all opened in August. The Mandalay Bay Convention Center now boasts more than 2 million total square feet and over 900,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space with the ability to grow current shows and attract new corporate, association and incentive groups.Further solidifying what already is the largest convention center solar array in the world, the expanded Mandalay...

WEST CALDWELL, N.J.—Combining the energy-saving benefits of LED with outstanding color quality, MaxLite introduces Energy Star certified 7-watt MR16 lamps for commercial, retail, hospitality and other general lighting applications.The LED lamps replace 50-watt halogen bulbs in miniature recessed, track and cabinet lighting fixtures with more than 80 percent energy savings and a much longer life. Offered in GU10 and GU 5.3 bases, MaxLite MR16 lamps are designed with Chip On Board (COB) LEDs that deliver wide, uniform light and excellent color rendering, achieving an 80-plus CRI for the Energy Star certified 2700K and 3000K models. A 90 CRI model,...

CHARLESTON, S.C.—AM Conservation Group, Inc. (AMCG) announced that Michael Quinn has been named the company’s President and CEO. Quinn assumes this role from Todd Recknagel, AMCG’s current CEO, who will remain on the AMCG’s Board of Directors. Under Recknagel’s leadership, AMCG completed three acquisitions and achieved significant growth, positioning the company for its recent acquisition by Kohlberg & Co.Quinn joins AMCG with an extensive track record of senior leadership experience across industries, most recently as President and CEO of Aurora Products Group, a supplier of burial, memorial and technology products to the funeral industry. Prior to his tenure with...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Doug Borden and Smart Valve to its Green Product & Service Directory. The patented water valve sits on the hotel side of the water meter. It is designed to compress the air in water pipes and improve meter reading accuracy, resulting in cost savings on water, sewer and water heating bills. Spring tension reduces flow surges, helping with over-consumption and over-spinning of the water meter during heavy usage. Over pressure can cause increased consumption of water and additional maintenance costs. Most water devices are designed to work...

MORRIS, CONN.—Winvian Farm, the award-winning AAA Five-Diamond resort and restaurant, and New England's only property with an organic working farm, has teamed up with Tesla Motors to provide an increasingly desirable, sustainable amenity: Tesla Destination Charging. Featuring two Tesla 100 AMP charging stations, along with one 40 AMP universal electric vehicle charger, guests can charge their vehicles while on property. This amenity provides guests of Winvian Farm a convenience they would otherwise only find at home.Winvian Farm joins a rapidly growing network of resorts in Tesla’s Destination Charging Program. Tesla partners with world renowned hotels and restaurants to offer...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Plaza Suites Hotel Silicon Valley at Santa Clara has chosen SemaConnect as their electric vehicle charging station vendor for the installation of a brand new amenity to their property. Two stations will now be located in the parking garage of the hotel, located in the Santa Clara area of Silicon Valley, Calif. The stations will add to the hotel’s focus on providing sustainable resources to their guests, as well as targeting the many electric vehicle drivers in the area.“Our stations add a unique amenity to The Plaza Suites Hotel,” said Don MacNeil, Director of Sales at SemaConnect....

As energy costs continue to rise and building codes become more rigorous, lodging facility professionals are searching for higher-performing building envelope assemblies. One such system, structural insulated panels (SIPS), helps reduce energy consumption up to 60 percent compared to other structural systems, while providing a host of other construction and operations benefits. An SIPs Primer SIPs are a prefabricated, engineered building system typically used for walls and roofs. They are composed of structural-grade wood panels such as oriented strand board (OSB) laminated to both sides of a rigid insulating foam core like expanded polystyrene (EPS). The system provides both structural strength...

NEW YORK—Governor Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled the seventh signature proposal of his 2016 agenda: dramatically expand and improve the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to stimulate the regional economy. The proposal will expand the Javits Center by 1.2 million square feet, resulting in a fivefold increase in meeting and ballroom space, including the largest ballroom in the Northeast. A four-level, 480,000 square-foot truck garage capable of housing hundreds of tractor-trailers at one time will also be constructed to improve pedestrian safety and local traffic flow. The proposal’s total projected cost is approximately $1 billion, paid for by the Javits...

VERNON HILLS, ILL.—Scotsman Ice Systems’ Meridian HID525 ice and water dispenser has received a 2015 GOOD DESIGN award,  the world’s most prestigious, recognized and oldest Design Awards program organized by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. Designed with space, production and installation in mind, the Meridian unit offers premium reliability, time-saving serviceability and convenient cleaning innovations.“Launched earlier this year, the Meridian product line incorporates the latest in ice- and water-dispensing technology in the smallest available operational footprint relative to capacity,” said Jeff Biel, Director of Product Development for Scotsman. “The Meridian unit emphasizes our commitment to pairing...

FRANCONIA, N.H.—The Gale River Motel, located in Franconia, N.H., has completed the installation of a photovoltaic roof-top array which will provide energy to satisfy the year-round electrical demand of the property. The 52-panel system has a peak power of 13.8 kW and is expected to produce a yearly total of 15,220 kW.The system will be directly wired into the power grid by means of an AC inverter that will allow electricity to flow to and from the power grid as necessary. During periods when the energy produced exceeds the demand of the motel, power will flow into the grid...