AVON, COLO.—The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Vail Valley’s newest luxury resort scheduled to open next summer, is doing everything possible to be sensitive to the environment and “go green” for guests. Situated on a 19-acre site bordering the Eagle River at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain, the property has brought sustainability to new heights with the ultimate in public transportation: its own Riverfront Gondola that will bring guests to the ski area. “We are building this hotel from the ‘green up’,” says Bob Trotter, general manager of The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa. “The new gondola literally at...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Greater Fort Lauderdale officials have named Hilton the winner in a competitive field of hoteliers seeking to build a 1,000-room anchor hotel for the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. Scheduled to be built on the northern edge of Port Everglades adjacent to the 600,000-square-foot convention center, the much-anticipated property will be Greater Fort Lauderdale’s largest hotel and increase its attractiveness as a destination for large conferences, trade shows and other events. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2012. The Broward Convention Center hosts approximately 280 events per year, and the new hotel is seen as...

NEW YORK—The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show may have seen its greenest collection of products in its history, as this year’s collection of exhibitors featured everything from towels with organic cotton and bamboo blends to touch-activated faucet systems that allow one to choose hot, warm or cold water with the touch of a button. Environmental concern was evident in exhibitor booth marketing as well, as vendors used green themes to catch attendees’ attention. The following are just some of the product announcement highlights from the show this past week. HD Supply rolled out its ideallygreen campaign, which emphasizes the environmental...

BALTIMORE—The term “groundbreaking” took on double meaning earlier this week when J.W. (Bill) Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International, Inc. picked up a shovel to herald the construction start of the new, 154-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott-Inner Harbor at Historic Brewers’ Park. The hotel is slated to open in the spring of 2009. The first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified hotel in Baltimore and one of several green Marriott hotels planned for LEED certification company-wide over the next five years, the hotel’s three-pronged ownership includes minority-owned A&R Development, a division of A&R Companies of...

CHICAGO—Architects, designers and end users will now have one Standard to identify carpets that have a reduced environmental impact. The first multi-attribute American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved Standard—NSF 140-2007, Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard for environmentally preferable building materials—was introduced at Greenbuild 2007. The unified Standard for sustainable carpet is voluntary, inclusive, based on life cycle assessment (LCA) principles, and offers three levels of achievement for attaining various levels of reduced environmental impact (silver, gold and platinum). By defining environmental, social and economic performance requirements, the Standard provides benchmarks for continual improvement and innovation within the building industry. “The Standard provides enormous...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes American Atelier, Inc. (AAI) as a Founding Sponsor. AAI is committed to manufacturing furniture products with the most environmentally friendly technology in an efficient and responsible manner while maintaining high standards of excellence. Four generations of ownership at AAI have demonstrated the company’s commitment to excellence by continuously improving its manufacturing processes since its founding in 1920. AAI sources raw materials through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Its manufacturing process uses water-based adhesives, finishing solvents and stains. The company also uses recycled materials as specified by its customers...

CHICAGO—For hotel developers in search of everything necessary to build smart, high performance buildings, Greenbuild was the place to be this week. Approximately 850 vendors offering everything from environmentally friendly cinder block to roofing materials to carpeting were on hand. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council, was held here in Chicago at McCormick Place. Here are just a few of the vendor announcement highlights: • As a part of its continued commitment to sustainable practices, Osram Sylvania announced its participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program. By participating in Climate Leaders, Sylvania has pledged...

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Built to use 40 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a comparable hotel, Proximity Hotel offers a glimpse of the future while celebrating the past. Sustainable practices, custom-designed furnishings, commissioned art and innovative design await guests in every corner of the 147-room luxury hotel and the adjacent Print Works Bistro. Proximity Hotel’s sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. With the goal to attain Platinum...

FAIRFIELD, N.J.—Designed to provide just the right amount of uplight from the most discreet linear profile, Amerlux Lighting Solutions’ new Linea fixture is ideal for indirect, ambient lighting for commercial and retail spaces. Amerlux, a leader in energy-efficient, task-specific lighting solutions, broadens its linear fluorescent systems offering with Linea, giving specifiers and designers more flexibility. This product furthers Amerlux’s commitment to facilitating sustainable strategies recognized by organizations such as the U.S Green Building Council. More effective and appealing than larger obtrusive lighting fixtures, Linea’s diminutive size (1 7/8-inch wide by 2 3/8 inches) integrates a clean, understated look with outstanding...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes CMMI as a Green Product Directory partner. As a provider of architecture and interior design services, CMMI focuses exclusively on upscale lodging, conferencing, spa and ancillary facilities. The Atlanta-based company’s portfolio includes Fairmont, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental, Kimpton, Marriott, Regent, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood properties. CMMI has completed two LEED gold facilities, and has four green hotel projects underway. Call (770) 676-7608, go to www.cmmi-redlines.com, or e-mail pmccue@cmmi-redlines.com for more information.