ATLANTA—The Westin Buckhead Atlanta has implemented an INNCOM Energy Management System as part of a comprehensive strategy to support its Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ “30/20 by 20” environmental initiatives. The 358-room property installed e4 Smart Digital Thermostats with the patented ecoMODE feature, INNcontrol 3 Central Room Management software, and a full INNCOM property management system interface. “The goal of Starwood’s “30/20 by 20” program is to reduce energy use by 30 percent and cut water consumption by 20 percent by 2020 at every property,” said Robert Attaway, Director of Engineering for The Westin Buckhead Atlanta. “We implemented INNCOM’s guestroom...

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH—Zion Lodge has become one of the few national park lodges in the country to offer electric car charging stations to visitors of the park. The lodge, which has received numerous awards for its sustainability initiatives, recently installed two Level 2 Clipper Creek Dual CS 40 systems. The stations are available on a complimentary and first-come, first-served basis to visitors of the park.“Just as Zion Lodge is perpetually focused on enhancing our sustainability programs to minimize our environmental footprints, our guests are increasingly focused on softening their own footprints as travelers,” said Daisy Hobbs, General Manager...

ANAHEIM, CALIF.—Master-Bilt will showcase a new line of vertical and horizontal open air merchandisers in the What’s Hot! What’s Cool! New Product Gallery at The NAFEM Show, February 19 to 21, at the Anaheim Convention Center, and in Master-Bilt booth #1608. These models offer easy access, contemporary styling, increased capacity and quiet operation.With a total of 16 models available, the HOAM and VOAM series offer the variety to meet practically any sales space requirement. All models offer significant energy savings over legacy models and already meet 2017 Department of Energy standards. VOAM vertical models offer greater pack-out thanks to...

HONOLULU—Hawaii Energy’s largest incentive for a hotel to date was recently awarded to Hawaii’s largest hotel—the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Hawaii Energy, the ratepayer-funded energy conservation and efficiency program for Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, presented a $471,192 incentive check to the Hilton after the completion of phase I of a multi-phase, multi-million dollar energy efficiency upgrade project. Phase I included a major lighting retrofit in 1,839 guestrooms and the installation of energy-saving fan coil motors in all 2,860 guestrooms. The incentive will help Hilton offset its phase I project costs of more than $1.91 million. Hawaii...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—What do HEI Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, MGM Resorts International, Wyndham Worldwide, and Hilton Worldwide have in common? They are all participants in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, a program that had its hard launch three years ago last month (December 2011). As part of the Challenge, each of the hotel companies has made a commitment to assess their building portfolio to determine energy efficiency opportunities and publicly pledge to improve the energy intensity of their building portfolio by at least 20 percent over 10 years. Challenge Partners also have pledged to announce...

HALF MOON BAY, CALIF.—The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay is welcoming Tesla owners to pull up and plug in at the resort’s new Tesla Wall Connector. The connector supplies power at 20 kW allowing guests and visitors the ability to replenish the battery at a rate of 58 miles of range per hour at maximum power.“We are thrilled to be able to offer this service to guests and visitors to Half Moon Bay, the most beautiful place to charge your Tesla,” said General Manager George Munz. “So many of our guests drive to the coast to spend a relaxing day...

SPOKANE, WASH.—Ecova, the total energy and sustainability management company, released a report with the results of its second annual survey, 2015 Energy and Sustainability Predictions: Findings from Leading Professionals. The report aggregates findings from a survey of more than 500 energy, facility, finance and sustainability professionals at U.S.-based companies and reveals an important shift in the way companies are approaching and viewing energy and sustainability management.As energy and sustainability management become more complex and essential to operations, professionals are increasingly focusing on the bigger picture. While cost savings is still the number one driver of energy and sustainability management...

PHILIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN—The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten made its mark as a game-changer in the hospitality industry by completing a landmark solar installation earlier this year that allows the resort to produce six to eight hours of its own power during peak times. The resort has harnessed the power of the Caribbean sun for more than a year and reached an environmental milestone by generating one gigawatt hour of solar power, or one billion watt-hours. The resort also just installed a completely oil-free Smardt Chiller to further conserve energy; the Chiller is used in the...

CLINTON, MD.—The TownePlace Suites is located across Old Alexander Ferry Road from Joint Base Andrews. A large segment of the hotel’s guest base is military personnel on temporary duty at Joint Base Andrews. The hotel prides itself on providing a “home away from home” and an inviting atmosphere to support troops. Both as part of participating in the military’s mission expanding the use of renewable energy, and as a way to cut costs and maintain affordable rates, the hotel started looking into a solar photovoltaic energy system last year.“We thought that solar would enhance our ability to offer a...

ATLANTA—New requirements to further reduce energy and environmental impacts of buildings are contained in the 2014 version of the green building standard from ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Illuminating Engineering Society.ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, addresses the areas of site sustainability; water-use efficiency; energy ef¬ficiency; indoor environmental quality; and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources.The 2014 standard incorporates 67 addenda, reflecting changes made through the public review process since the standard was last published in 2011. Appendix H gives brief descriptions and approval...