CLEARWATER BEACH, FLA.—Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), Page Development Group and Choice Hotels’ Ascend Hotel Collection announced the first ever Winter the Dolphin’s Beach Club Hotel. With the conversion expected to be unveiled in the spring of 2020 and sitting on America’s number one beach with 91 rooms, this eco-friendly hotel will be dolphin and marine life themed, featuring the inspiring dolphin made famous by the Dolphin Tale movies—Winter. “The opportunity to partner with Clearwater Marine Aquarium is unique and special,” said Page Development Group President Steve Page. “Our eco-friendly hotel will not only provide a great guest experience, but will...

WILMINGTON, MASS.—In the heart of the fashionable Garment District in New York City, LEDVANCE LLC, the makers of SYLVANIA general lighting, announced its new SYLVANIA Natural Series of LED lighting products with TruWave Technology. This LED portfolio offers the best alternative to natural light by mimicking the natural light spectrum to deliver Natural Light for Natural Living. In addition to supporting an improved sleep/wake cycle, this robust industry-first LED portfolio delivers superior dimming and less intense blue light for reduced eye strain. It also helps you see realistic vivid colors and enhance your color experience with high CRI and...

WEST CALDWELL, N.J.—Adding to a comprehensive portfolio of LED products that support California Title 24 residential lighting applications, MaxLite introduces new JA8 listed G9 base lamps for use in miniature decorative luminaires. Available in 2700K and 3000K color temperatures, MaxLite G9 base lamps consume just four watts of power and emit 400 lumens of light (an output equivalent to that of a 40-watt incandescent bulb). UL listed, enclosed-rated and dimmable, the lamps measure approximately two inches long, making them ideal replacements for halogen bulbs in chandeliers, bath bars, wall sconces and other decorative luminaires. These price-effective miniature LED lamps are...

NATIONAL REPORT—Advancements in textile technology are making it easier for hoteliers to incorporate towels and robes into a property’s sustainability program—product that requires less water and detergent to wash and less time to dry. The textile fiber type can vary but suppliers are currently offering material ranging from Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton, to microfibers derived from plastic bottles, to TENCEL+Plus Lyocell derived from eucalyptus and other botanicals. In just the last few months, Majestic International began selling earthright towels and robes made from ELS cotton. According to Wendy Thompson, President, Majestic International, towels come in bath mat, wash cloth,...

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILL.—It’s official: VITO Fryfilter has a clearly structured quality management, certified by the ISO 9001 standard. This means that the processes are systematically organized and therefore obviously understandable for every employee. Continuous improvement is the basis for a sustainable company development. When consequently implementing this principle, the company can increase its potential of overall performance. Therefore, the quality of service, products and projects significantly improves—customers profit from a faster processing and high standard manufacturing. In addition, all the necessary requirements that define environmental management according to ISO 14001 were met. This is a central component of corporate environment...

CHICAGO—A year and a half ago, Great Wolf Resorts announced it would replace plastic straws at all 17 of its indoor water park resorts with more environmentally friendly paper straws. That step completed by the end of 2018 stopped more than 5 million plastic straws from entering local landfills annually. Bob Holesko, Corporate Director of Engineering at Great Wolf Resorts, said there were very few complaints about the switch. Eliminating plastic straws is just one of many of the steps Great Wolf Resorts has taken to reduce its environmental impact as part of its Green Wolf program. Great Wolf Resorts...

MINNEAPOLIS—When it rains on the 1.6 million square foot Minneapolis Convention Center, that water is collected in an underground rainwater storage area that holds up to 250,000 gallons of water. According to Jessica Klimisch, Marketing Manager for MCC, that water is used for irrigation around MCC and diverts an estimated 5.4 million gallons of runoff annually from the Mississippi River. The rainwater collection system is just one of many green initiatives at the LEED Certified MCC. For example, kitchen areas and restrooms have been upgraded with fixtures that use 50 percent less water. Atop the center are 2,613 solar panels...

MANCHESTER, N.H.—In an effort to save on energy costs and reduce its impact on the environment, the Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa is building on its energy efficiency partnership with Eversource with plans to continue upgrades over the next few years. When guests visit the iconic Whitefield resort, they often have an unforgettable experience surrounded by the White Mountains of New Hampshire—but what they might not realize is this energy efficiency partnership with Eversource is saving the award-winning hotel more than $22,000 a year while also reducing its carbon emissions. “With the average U.S. hotel spending more than $2,000...

TURKU, FINLAND—In preparations to host the 2022 World Cup, Qetaifan Projects, a Katara Hospitality owned company signed a memorandum of understanding with ADMARES; the world leader in alternative real estate with pioneering construction methods. Qetaifan Projects continues its series of local and international partnerships that would add to Qetaifan Island North and serve the tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sectors in Qatar. The Memorandum of Understanding includes the construction and operation of 16 floating hotels on the shores of Qetaifan Island North to provide accommodation for the masses within the fan villages during the 2022 World Cup. The hotels have...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The expensive and marginally successful traditional methods of cleaning HVAC cooling coils are now becoming outmoded due to the introduction of an innovative coil restoration process that returns coils to like-new performance and offering a simple payback of as little as six months. Provided by AQUIS, a premier name in air handling unit (AHU) refurbishment, this new coil restoration process utilizes a unique probiotic technology to clean coils at a microscopic level, unlocking like-new system performance along with energy savings that users can literally calculate. “Traditional coil cleaning, which typically utilizes pressure washers and steam cleaners, fails to treat entrenched...