Energy Management
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Everyone has felt the sting of rising energy costs recently. Savvy hoteliers have implemented plans to address these increases. It could be a simple operational change or a complex capital investment. Green Lodging News covers the latest news and trends pertaining to energy management. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina Adds Fuel Cell Power Plant
SAN DIEGO—FuelCell Energy Inc., a manufacturer of ultra-clean power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, announced an additional 500-kilowatt Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant installation at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. This increases Starwood’s commitment to base load heat and power from DFC power plants to 2.25 megawatts at four hotels in California, New Jersey and New York. The Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina’s original installation of 1 MW of DFC power generation at its East Tower has been increased by 500 kW with a second installation at its West...
Energy Eye Introduces Wireless Radio Frequency Energy Management Solution
ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH.—Energy Eye has introduced a new standalone Wireless Radio Frequency Energy Management Solution. The system’s aim is to help hotels maintain guest satisfaction while reducing room electricity expenses. The Energy Eye System uses a combination of advanced passive infrared (PIR) sensors and wireless technologies to independently control room heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) temperatures while occupants are not in their guestrooms. “As today’s power rates rise, energy management systems (EMS) are a major concern for hotels worldwide,” says Matthew Mrowczynski, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Energy Eye, Rochester Hills, Mich. “The increasing...
INNCOM Hires Jon Stults as Vice President–Midwest Region
NIANTIC, CONN.—Jon Stults has joined INNCOM International Inc. as vice president of sales. He has more than 25 years senior-level sales experience in the hospitality technology sector. His primary concentration will be driving INNCOM sales efforts in the Midwest.
Stults’s background in hospitality communications and networking systems include positions with AT&T, RCA, Williams Communications and EMCOR Technologies. Most recently, he was a regional director of sales for Austin, Texas-based Wayport. Stults earned his Bachelors degree in liberal arts from the University of Denver and his MBA specializing in marketing and finance from Northern Illinois University.
“We are very fortunate to have...
INNCOM Launches New Web site
NIANTIC, CONN.—INNCOM international Inc., a global leader in integrated guestroom control systems, has launched a new Web site at www.inncom.com. The new Web site was developed using input from INNCOM’s customers and hospitality industry experts. It provides a navigation menu that allows site visitors to instantly access the specific information they require. Crisp, clear, attractive photographs enhance the navigation capability of the site; for example, a visitor can click on a photograph of an INNCOM product and receive a detailed description of the product. “The overriding goal of the new Web site is to provide information and...
Green Mountain Energy Provides Renewable Electricity to Two Hyatt Hotels
AUSTIN, TEXAS—Green Mountain Energy Co. is providing a cleaner, 100 percent renewable electricity product for two Hyatt hotel properties in Dallas—Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion and Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport. These two signature Hyatt hotels in Dallas are now the nation’s largest hospitality industry purchaser of renewable energy and one of two of Dallas’ commercial purchasers of 100 percent renewable electricity. This seminal partnership underlines clean electricity’s mainstream acceptance as the economical and responsible source of commercial energy. Renewable energy comes from less-polluting sources and is replenished naturally—examples include wind, solar and low-impact hydro facilities. The energy...
Energy Costs Surge But Shock Absorbed By Revenue
Throughout 2005 we all heard the news of oil prices lingering above $50 a barrel and gasoline exceeding $3.00 a gallon. For long-term lodging industry participants, vivid memories of the gas lines and high inflation of the 1970s resurfaced. Understandingly, hotel owners and operators feared that a falloff in travel would cause occupancy to decline, and rising utility costs would kill profits.
Looking back at 2005, it appears that the U.S. lodging industry was able to withstand the spike in energy costs. By year-end 2005, PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) estimates that U.S. hotels enjoyed significant increases in demand that led...