MADISON HEIGHTS, MICH.—SAFLOK has announced a collaboration with Control4. As a leader in electronic locking systems and part of the Kaba Group, SAFLOK has integrated some of its best-selling Messenger technology on the Control4 Suite Systems for “smart rooms” at hotel properties. “This integration will be a winning technology venture for SAFLOK, Control4, and most importantly the hotels,” says Kerry Hirschy, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Kaba Lodging Systems. “The integration between our two systems is proof of the smart room interoperability concept as a significant benefit to a hotel property.” The SAFLOK lock essentially becomes part...

ABU DHABI, U.A.E.—The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has revealed that more than 90 percent of the hot water at its 408-room Aloft Hotel will be supplied through energy harnessed from solar panels. Aloft Hotel became the first hotel in Abu Dhabi to make such use of solar energy when it launched on October 25. A total of 560 solar panels, covering an area of 2,300 square meters, have been installed on the roof of ADNEC Car Park A. These panels heat water for the hotel’s 408 guestrooms, two production kitchens, food and beverage outlets, hotel offices and the...

NIANTIC, CONN.—INNCOM International Inc., based here, and Exceptional Innovation (EI) of Columbus, Ohio, announce a joint partnership that will give hoteliers a one-stop shop for integrated hotel technology solutions. As part of the partnership, INNCOM will incorporate its guestroom-control systems (which include digital thermostats and fully integrated energy management, lighting control and communication systems) with EI software (featuring multiple graphical user interfaces and dashboards for all aspects of a hotel’s infrastructure). The joint solution connects all guest-facing control systems with integrated on- and off-site amenities and the hotel’s front- and back-of-house systems to equip the hotel with energy-management capabilities...

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—WattStopper announced that its Birmingham, Alabama, office has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy performance. WattStopper improved its energy performance when remodeling the facility, which had previously contained both office and warehouse space. The warehouse half was transformed into offices, and the whole building was upgraded. By managing energy strategically across the entire facility, the company held its energy consumption at pre-remodel levels despite increasing the connected load and intensifying the use of its building. The Energy Star designation signifies that the building’s energy performance...

ALSIP—Litetronics International, Inc. has expanded its Spiral-PAR collection with the addition of 9-watt PAR20 and 23-watt PAR38 lamps. The 9-watt PAR20 replaces a 35-watt halogen lamp, and the 23-watt PAR38 replaces a 90-watt halogen lamp. Both are available in 2700K, 3500K, and 4100K. All three 23-watt PAR38 models and the 2700K 9-watt PAR20 are Energy Star qualified. “These new additions to the Spiral-PAR family provide our customers with more energy-efficient choices when searching for a PAR replacement lamp,” said Bob Sorensen, vice president of marketing of Litetronics International. “Our customers have successfully used Spiral-PAR lamps to reduce energy costs in...

DORCHESTER, ONT.—EnerWorks announced third quarter bookings that more than triple the value of orders for the same period in 2008. “We’re, of course, delighted by the exponential growth in bookings over the past three months,” says Dr. Phil Whiting, President and CEO, “and equally as heartened by the diversity of these solar water heating projects. As clear evidence of the value of our efforts to expand our channel partnerships, orders have come in for residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial installations, from new distributors of our products as well as long term partners, and from across North America and...

TROY, MICH.—ilumisys, Inc., developer and producer of next-generation solid-state lighting technology, announced that it has granted a license for patents on its light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescent tube replacement to LED Lighting, Inc., of Northbrook, Ill. “LED Lighting has had the privilege of being an ilumisys channel partner and participating in the development stages of ilumisys T-8 replacement lamps,” said Bill Hood, CEO and founder of LED Lighting, Inc. “This licensing agreement allows us to extend and strengthen our relationship with ilumisys, now giving us the ability to offer both premium and value-engineered products to our customers under the LED Lighting...

NEW YORK—The 1,980-room Hilton New York has been awarded the 2008-2009 Environmental Recognition Program “Green Street” Award by the Avenue of the Americas Association. The award was presented at a gala reception held recently at the hotel’s Trianon Ballroom in celebration of the organization’s 83rd Anniversary Dinner/Dance. The Hilton New York received the award in recognition of its environmentally-friendly energy fuel cell, which sits atop the building’s fifth floor roof. The Green Street Award was created to recognize members of the Association and other owners and tenants along the Avenue of the Americas for their efforts in adopting...

LAS VEGAS—Crystals, the retail and entertainment district at CityCenter, has achieved LEED Gold Core & Shell certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the world’s largest retail district to receive this level of recognition. Opening in December, CityCenter was created with a vision to introduce a new level of environmental consciousness to the world-famous Strip and has emerged as a leader in sustainable urban development. Crystals’ achievement marks the fourth LEED Gold certification for CityCenter; previous recipients included 1. ARIA Resort’s hotel tower, 2. ARIA’s convention center and theater, and 3. Vdara Hotel & Spa. CityCenter...

BOSTON—Magnum Energy Solutions recently put their Verde wireless and batteryless energy control system, powered by EnOcean, to the test in an independent study conducted at a Wyndham hotel. The test sought to measure the HVAC and lighting energy savings that could be realized by utilizing sensor and control devices that respond to hotel room occupancy statuses. The field test concluded that hotel rooms controlled by the Verde Energy Control System consumed 33 percent less energy than rooms without the energy harvesting controls. The Verde hotel room energy system determines if a hotel room is vacant or occupied according to the...