SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Marriott International, Inc. announced the first hotel to open as part of its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment) Volume Program—The Courtyard Scottsdale Salt River in Arizona. The hotel is also the first Marriott-branded property built on U.S. tribal land in cooperation with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, creating nearly 30 jobs.“This partnership is a symbol of Marriott’s commitment to working with diverse business partners,” said Eric Jacobs, chief development officer, North American Lodging, Marriott International. “Our business thrives on partnerships with organizations that share similar philosophies and values. We believe that we have found a great...

TORONTO—Luxury hotel brand Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Manchester Texas Financial Group LLC (MTFG) announce the signing of an agreement for Fairmont to manage a new city center hotel slated to open in 2015. The Fairmont Austin will be located directly east of the Austin Convention Center, at the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez and Red River Streets.The $350 million concept will be crafted by the project’s architect, Gensler Austin, to accommodate additional upscale features reflective of Fairmont’s luxury design and service aesthetics. For example, the planned number of rooms will likely be reduced from 1,035 to approximately 1,000—allowing...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Refinishing Touch, a leader in on-site environmentally safe and sustainable furniture refinishing, re-upholstering and armoire modification for private and public organizations, has extended its operations with a new division in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, The Refinishing Touch Canada is the company’s first international company and administrative division. It will support the company’s refinishing, reupholstery, and remanufacturing crews located in Canada. The office staff will report directly to The Refinishing Touch headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga. The new division will service The Refinishing Touch’s new hotel and hospitality clients across Canada. “Canada has a robust hospitality industry, with an estimated 270,000...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to concerns raised by members, core LEED users and stakeholders, and in an effort to provide the marketplace a view of the full LEED program experience prior to ballot, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it will delay ballot on LEED 2012 until June 1, 2013 (or potentially earlier in 2013 if USGBC members and the market indicate readiness for ballot). Because of this date change, LEED 2012 is being renamed LEED v4. “LEED pushes the envelope to bring transformation to the market—that’s what we do,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president, LEED. “We...

DALLAS—The Omni Dallas Hotel, which opened its doors last November, has received LEED Gold New Construction (NC) certification, making it the first and only LEED Gold hotel in Texas and the largest LEED Gold hotel in the United States outside of Las Vegas. This designation was made possible by the development and execution of a highly disciplined plan that included the use of recycled and regionally-sourced materials, reduced construction pollution and water conservation initiatives. Upon opening, the hotel has also instituted practices to operate at LEED Gold standards.“The Omni Dallas Hotel is living up to its expectations in every...

CROSSVILLE, TENN.—Crossville, a maker of sustainable tile products, introduces Origins Glass mosaics, a new take on Old-World craftsmanship. Made of post-consumer recycled glass, Origins Glass requires a minimal amount of materials for production, yet its textured, swirled and iridized surfaces create great visual depth and give the appearance of hand-made glass. The line comprises 20 colors in five groupings: Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Universe—all inspired by nature.Designed by one of the industry’s most respected color forecasters, Barbara Schirmeister, ASID, DC, CAUS, the line has a clear, luminescent quality.“Specifiers and homeowners alike may mix, match and blend these hues...

ATLANTA—Hanwha Surfaces, a global manufacturer of quartz and acrylic solid surfaces, highlighted their commercial focus as well as the launch of five new colors in their HanStone Quartz line at the recent HD Expo in Las Vegas.“With Hanstone’s May launch of five new colors, including the revolutionary six-color, Rolling Stone design and the post- consumer recycled Homebrewed design, HD Expo connected today’s design community with the color options they demand,” said Bob Paradiso, Hanwha Surfaces vice president of sales and marketing.  Homebrewed adds a neutral, earthy element to the existing five recycled products in the HanStone line that can...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Saint-Gobain has achieved GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification for its Grenite series of engineered stone surfaces. In order to become GREENGUARD Certified, the entire Grenite line met stringent certification requirements for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). “These certifications reinforce our commitment to producing quality products that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also help set an industry standard of sustainability and ongoing health and safety,” said Diana Ohl, product manager engineered stone at Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. “By meeting the strict standards provided by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, specifying Grenite for commercial and...

INDIANAPOLIS—CityWay, a transformative new 14-acre neighborhood in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, is incorporating a number of sustainable initiatives into the new community, including plentiful green space, energy and water efficiency, a recycling program, enhanced indoor environmental quality, carpooling and electric vehicle support. It is also pursuing LEED certification for the new Alexander Hotel, a Dolce Hotel, affirming CityWay’s support for environmentally-conscious design, construction and living for downtown.“Sustainable living and working are central to the vision for CityWay,” said Scott Travis, senior development director of Buckingham Companies. “From the construction phase through its completion, CityWay will remain on the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson has sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, urging changes to the treatment of forest products under the Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2012 rating system. LEED, widely used by building owners and operators to certify their materials and operations are energy efficient and environmentally friendly, plans to release a revised rating system, LEED 2012, in November of 2012.The bipartisan letter, signed by Thompson and seven other Members of Congress representing districts with significant rural or forestry interests, urges USGBC to “accept...