CHICAGO—MDC, a leading wallcovering and design solutions company, introduces its Platinum Series Unique Effects Collection. It is the first collection in the company’s Platinum Series—a new selection of high-styled materials designed for luxury interiors. “The new styles infuse grandeur and elegance with shimmering and metallic colorways to create commercial wallcoverings that make a statement,” said Dan Brandt, Director of Product at MDC. “We’re excited to offer our first Platinum Series collection that delivers a range of materials, textures and chic looks that respond directly to designers’ desires. Each style in the collection is as distinct and dramatic as the last.” As...

ORLANDO, FLA.—This month the Art Ovation Hotel Autograph Collection opened its doors in Sarasota, Fla. as an active host, facilitator, patron and partner of the arts. To enhance the hotel’s art gallery experience, the property equipped each of its 162 guestrooms with portable ICEbedside tablets from Intelity. Guests can click on the Ovation Arts icon in the hotel’s mobile app, powered by Intelity, to see objects on display throughout the property, and they are encouraged to take the in-room iPads with them as they tour the gallery. Uploaded videos provide details on each work and its artist, and guests...

If you have a keen interest in furniture, fixtures, flooring, artwork, lighting, fabric and every other item that makes up the design of a hotel, HD Expo is the place to be. The leading tradeshow and conference for the hospitality design industry will take place May 2 to 4 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. In recent years the show has been growing a lot. This year’s event, as of April 27, will feature 875 exhibitors. I have attended the show for many years and it is not getting easier to walk the entire show. Be sure to watch...

GARDEN GROVE, CALIF.—Best Western Hotels & Resorts has added a new sustainable mattress supplier—Sterling Sleep Systems. Sterling Sleep Systems is now an approved mattress vendor. Best Western has more than 4,200 properties located in over 100 countries and territories worldwide (numbers are approximate, may fluctuate and include hotels currently in the development pipeline). See Sterling Sleep Systems at the HD Expo in Las Vegas in booth #3469.

MIAMI—Seventeen-year hotel industry veteran Tatyana Li first started working as a butler for the St. Regis New York. She worked her way up to Director of Sales for several hotel brands and is now founder of LSW Hotels. LSW stands for luxury, sustainable and wellness hotels. Li is still in the process or raising funding for her first hotel—to be in Miami. “I have approached investors, but it is challenging,” Li says. “We are getting closer. The toughest part is finding the right investors.” Li estimates the cost of her first 100-room hotel at $375,000 per key. The property will also...

CROSSVILLE, TENN.—Officials with domestic tile manufacturer Crossville Inc. have announced the company recycled 23,447,883 pounds of fired porcelain in 2017, bringing the company’s cumulative recycling total to more than 114 million pounds since the 2009 launch of the Tile Take-Back program and subsequent TOTO USA recycling partnership. These recycling initiatives are based on the company’s proprietary process for recycling fired porcelain products, including post-consumer materials. Through Tile Take-Back, Crossville is able to recycle previously installed tile collected from its distribution network, as well as scraps that result from tile cutting during installation, sizing or sample creation. Through its TOTO partnership,...

LAS VEGAS—Fiandre (Booth 5521) is showcasing the latest colors in their top-selling Maximum Marmi Italian premium porcelain collection at HD Expo, as well as new offerings from Fiandre’s MUSA+, and other sister brands owned by the group, including Iris Ceramica’s Marmi 3.0 and Ariostea. The new porcelain and ceramic tiles were specially created for the hospitality market to demonstrate its commitment to providing the latest technology and designs in architectural surfaces. Fiandre’s booth design showcases hospitality vignettes in a variety of looks, such as marble, wood, stone, cement and subway tiles. Products displayed include: Maximum Marmi Italian porcelain wall and...

WOODBURN, ORE.—Exceptional surface quality meets durability in RayFleck—the new sustainable material from TorZo Surfaces. Beech hardwood offers superior strength and surface quality, and TorZo’s new RayFleck infused Beech is unlike any other surface material in the world. Formed with new layering and processing technology, panels of Beech hardwood are transformed by TorZo into a unique and stylish material for furniture design, interior finishes, wall-cladding, and many other horizontal and vertical applications. RayFleck is named for the small, naturally occurring wood cells which become visible only after being infused with TorZo ultra-durable acrylic resin. RayFleck is available in eight designer...

NEW YORK—HD Expo, taking place May 2 to 4 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, announced the 2018 panel lineup for its Social Hub. The heart of the show floor, the Social Hub serves as a platform for attendees and exhibitors to engage in a series of conversations about top-of-mind industry topics. In true hospitality design form, the panels will take place in a beautifully crafted space—think co-working meets greenhouse—by Meyer Davis. “Each year, the Social Hub is a favorite spot for attendees to listen in on engaging discussions spanning timely issues such as social media and sustainability,” said...

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—The Specialty Interiors business of Milliken & Company, a leading global innovation company with textile, specialty chemical and floor covering manufacturing expertise, has secured another placement for its popular eco-elegant performance upholstery fabric, Breathe by Milliken. The industry’s first fluorine-free performance fabric available in both natural and recycled fibers, Breathe twill is now available as a performance cotton fabric option on any of Four Seasons’ upholstered furniture or slipcovers. Four Seasons will offer four colors as part of its cotton Twill collection: Natural, Bleach, Dove and Pepper. The company will launch these new options at the April Highpoint Market. Breathe...