CLEVELAND, OHIO—The 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown officially opened its doors to the public. To commemorate this milestone, Hilton Worldwide executives, Hilton Cleveland Downtown management and employees, city and county officials, community representatives and invited guests gathered for a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony and reception. The LEED Silver certified building incorporates sustainably-minded features such as smart thermometers and occupancy censors.“The opening of Hilton Cleveland Downtown signifies not only a historic occasion for the city of Cleveland, but for Hilton Hotels & Resorts,” said Shawn McAteer, Vice President, Global Brand Management, Full Service Brands, Hilton Worldwide. “This is the first hotel...

CARY, N.C.—CBC Flooring, a sustainability-focused flooring company, will showcase its portfolio of commercial resilient flooring products—including luxury vinyl tiles and planks, homogenous vinyl tiles, indoor/outdoor sheet flooring and stair treads, PVC-free advanced PET thermoplastic flooring, and accessories, such as maintenance and installation products—at NeoCon 2016, which will take place June 13 to 15 at The Mart in Chicago.Globally recognized as one of the most respected and well-attended trade shows dedicated to commercial design, NeoCon 2016 is expected to welcome 50,000 design professionals from the healthcare, hospitality, retail, education, government, public space, and workplace markets, and will feature 445 exhibitors,...

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF.—CSL (Creative Systems Lighting), manufacturer of high performance, energy-efficient lighting solutions for commercial and residential projects, announced that their LED Cylinders have been awarded the 2016 Green GOOD DESIGN Award, presented by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The Green GOOD DESIGN’s goal is to bestow international recognition to those outstanding individuals, companies, organizations, governments, and institutions—together with their products, services, programs, ideas, and concepts that have forwarded exceptional thinking and inspired greater progress toward a healthier and more sustainable universe.“The Green...

PORTLAND, ORE.—McMenamins has built a reputation in Oregon and Washington for revitalizing aging structures by converting them into useable spaces. It began its journey back in 1983 and now has 70 pubs and restaurants, 25 breweries, two distilleries, a winery, and 10 hotels. The hotels once had other uses. For example, McMenamins Anderson School in Bothell, Wash. was once Bothell Junior High. The historic Edgefield in Troutdale, Ore. was built in 1911 as the county poor farm. The Hotel Oregon in McMinnville, Ore., built in 1905, was once home to a restaurant and lounge, banquet hall, Greyhound bus depot,...

NEW CASTLE, DEL.—Speakman, the maker of high-performance showerheads and plumbing products, announced a collaboration with Wynn Resorts to create custom bath fixtures for the Wynn Palace Cotai, which is scheduled to open this year.The result of the Speakman-Wynn collaboration is The Opera Collection by Roger Thomas, launching exclusively through Speakman. Available first for hospitality customers, the product line will be available to commercial residential and consumer home customers, exclusively through Speakman, later in 2016.A new $4.1 billion floral-themed resort, Wynn Palace Cotai is the third luxury resort from Wynn Resorts on Macau. The property’s 28-story hotel features gaming spaces,...

SAN FRANCISCO—Recognizing the depth and rigor of the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Methodology, the U.S. Green Building Council added the Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute as a leading standard under its Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, Material Ingredients credit. As a result, architects will be able to earn credits under LEED v4 by specifying products carrying a Material Health Certificate. Full Cradle to Cradle certification has long been a preferred standard within LEED; the addition now includes products carrying only the Material Health portion of certification, which recently became available as a...

ATLANTA—Interface, the world’s largest commercial modular carpet company and a sustainable business pioneer, announced a significant milestone in the company’s Mission Zero journey: the Interface Americas manufacturing sites now operate using 96 percent renewable energy, bringing the company’s global renewable energy usage to 84 percent. This milestone is being achieved with the addition of directed biogas to meet the thermal energy needs of the company’s flagship operations in Troup County, Ga.“Getting our factories in Americas to near 100 percent in renewable energy is a significant achievement—one that is a first for our industry and likely for industry in general,”...

STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced it will significantly expand its Element Hotels portfolio in North America due to growing demand for the eco-focused brand. On track to more than double its North America footprint over the next three years, Element will open another 22 hotels across the United States and Canada by 2018 including debuts in Philadelphia, Charleston and Nashville.“Element Hotels is experiencing unprecedented growth momentum throughout North America, as well as in a number of key global markets, due to the widespread appeal of the brand’s distinct lifestyle positioning,” said Brian McGuinness, Global Brand Leader,...

In today’s marketplace, there is a plethora of product certifications, labels and declarations that manufacturers and builders use to communicate a product’s value to clients. However, owners, product specifiers and building occupants all have different interests and motivations. Just as each person’s background and experience varies, so do their beliefs when it comes to sustainability. The good news? Studies show we are all becoming more aware of and concerned with issues surrounding social and environmental health and sustainability. Making use of product labels, including declarations and certifications, is one way to make more informed choices; however, deciphering the claims...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hospitality designers from around the world are invited to submit their best work in this year’s Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design competition. Now in its 36th year, HX: The Hotel Experience’s Gold Key Awards competition, sponsored by Boutique Design, recognizes the most influential and innovative design work in every sector of the hospitality industry. Categories this year include: Best Eco Conscious or Socially Conscious Hotel; Best Lobby Budget/Focused Service; Best Lobby Midscale; Best Lobby Upscale; Best Lobby Luxury; Best Guest Room Budget/Focused Service; Best Guest Room Midscale; Best Guest Room Upscale; Best Guest Room Luxury;...