MIAMI—The Naples Hotel Group, a leading hotel development and management company, celebrates the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Miami Airport for achieving the LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council under their rating system, which is the most widely used green building rating system. Naples Hotel Group was awarded the development and management contract for the Miami Airport hotel by owners, Hotelex Airport LLC. The LEED certification identifies the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Miami Airport as an example of sustainability and helping to transform the building industry. According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, LEED, or Leadership in...

TEMPLE, TEXAS—A year after launching its educational initiative, Understanding Wood: Sourcing Against the Grain, Wilsonart announces a renewed commitment to help educate architects and designers (A&D) about using responsibly sourced wood materials. To further support the A&D community, Wilsonart is conducting a second National Day of Learning event, launching a cross country education tour, adding new content to its educational hub, and renewing its grant to Interlochen Arts Academy. “We learned from our outreach last year that professionals in the industry are eager to be more informed about the materials they specify,” noted Tammy Weadock, Communications Manager at Wilsonart. “We...

SAN DIEGO—Cali Bamboo, the direct-to-consumer and omnichannel leader in both flooring and decking, has named industry veteran Bob Fish as its new Director of National Sales. Fish spent the last 30+ years at Shaw Industries, and most recently served as an Anderson/Tuftex Regional Vice President. His contributions to the company resulted in consistent sales growth and a stream of accolades, including Tuftex National Regional Vice President of the Year in 2017. He brings to the Cali team a wealth of industry experience in both the United States and Canada, and decades of close relationships with top flooring retailers. Rich Mandel...

JASPER, IND.—Indiana Furniture announced Strategic Furniture Group as its new manufacturer’s representative to manage sales in the southern California region, servicing Los Angeles to San Diego and the surrounding areas. Strategic Furniture Group is an independent rep firm with over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of contract furnishings and finishes, offering a uniquely expert and personal approach to support the needs of commercial projects. With excellent customer service and the ability to meet a wide range of client budgets and requests, Strategic Furniture Group is poised to assist a broad range of vertical markets including corporate, education,...

Recently, a new category of surfacing materials hit the market, and represents what is truly next in engineered surfacing: sintered stone. Sintered stone is the moniker firms like Lapitec and Neolith have chosen to differentiate their products from traditional quartz materials. These products are superior in a myriad of ways: They are stain resistant, scratch resistant, as well as heat and frost resistant; They are ideal for outdoor use and do not fade or yellow like other materials; They can be used as exterior cladding, and in some cases reduce air pollution; and They are incredibly hard and impenetrable. Where...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Scandinavian Spaces together with partner brand Skandiform, are offering three comfortable, sustainable chairs—Deli, Decibel, and Phaze. Delivering furniture with a purposeful sense of personality and harmony, the contract furniture is designed for the modern, minimalistic environment. Collaborating with well renowned designers and architects within the industry, the Deli, Decibel, and Phaze balance modern minimalism with functional detailed design. The Deli offers an organically formed seat shell in a stylish, stackable chair. A happy hybrid, Deli was created to combine function and relaxation into one unique and undeniably poised chair. Lending comfort to the contract world of interior spaces, Deli...

MCLEAN, VA.—Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton’s All Suites portfolio, announced that the brand will open its first hotel using modular construction in early 2019. Developed by Southern Hospitality Services, LLC., and constructed by Akshar Development Inc., brand executives gathered last week at the future site of the Home2 Suites by Hilton San Francisco Airport North for a staging ceremony where pre-fabricated elements of the hotel were put into position. The hotel represents the Bay Area’s first modular build hotel, and the first Home2 Suites by Hilton modular build. Global Head of Home2 Suites by Hilton, Adrian Kurre, joined...

LAS VEGAS—Wynn Las Vegas announced that is has earned Four Green Globes for its dedication to creating and maintaining environmentally-friendly buildings, the highest certification given by the Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit organization that stimulates approaches to creating energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable buildings. To receive Four Green Globes, dozens of key environmental performance metrics were reviewed at both Wynn and Encore covering energy use and efficiency, water conservation, heating and cooling, waste management, emissions and pollution control, and many more. As part of the extensive on-site evaluation process, an independent third party inspected almost eight million square feet of facilities, including...

NATIONAL REPORT—The Third Annual Green Lodging Trends Report Survey will close on August 17, 2018. You can participate in the survey by clicking here. There is no cost to participate. Tens of thousands of green lodging establishments around the planet are being encouraged to benchmark their sustainability practices by completing this survey which last year saw some 2,100 properties participating from 46 countries. The survey encompasses topics ranging from energy management to communication to Health & Wellness. The Green Lodging Trends Report Survey has the support of Green Lodging News, Green Key, Travelife, Green Key Global, Horwath HTL, Green Seal,...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—This past May, Valley Forge Fabrics, the largest supplier of decorative performance fabrics for hospitality, participated in the largest hospitality trade show event of the year, HD Expo. Each year Valley Forge selects a nonprofit organization to support during this event as a part of their yearly Giveback Initiative. Valley Forge strongly believes in nurturing the creative spirit, so for 2018 Art Feeds was selected to be the recipient of donations that were collected through an interactive experience within the Valley Forge booth on the trade show floor. Art Feeds believes all children are artists. They use tools...