NATIONAL REPORT—Standing out as a small business is all about setting yourself apart, highlighting the things that make you better than competitors. A great way to do that today is to be ecologically responsible. One of the best things about taking an eco-friendly approach to operating your hotel is that it can become a marketing tool for you. Travelers today, like consumers of all kinds, have expectations beyond simply the products and services they consume. They have particular issues that they care about, and they want to support companies that feel the same way. The environment is a major one. While...

ATLANTA—In a city known for its southern hospitality, Honeywell is helping one Atlanta hotel virtually eliminate temperature-related guest complaints using the latest in connected technology. Honeywell installed its INNCOM guestroom automation and energy management system in January 2017 at Grand Hyatt Atlanta in the Buckhead district, operated by Hyatt Hotels Corp. and owned by Host Hotels, which has already made a significant impact. “For hospitality guests, home away from home should be perfect, and few things in a hotel room are more important than comfort,” said Thurman Melson, Vice President/General Manager—Commercial Control Systems at Honeywell. “Advanced connected building technologies like...

Best Hotel Products Call or Click for Big Savings on New & Used HVAC Equipment One call or click for the best prices on new and used Amana, LG, Frigidaire PTACs, TTWs, Verticals, splits, very green EMS’s (energy management systems), Used & New Furniture, New Mattresses, TVs, carpet, drapes, soft goods, and much more. With years of hands-on experience, Best Hotel Products can meet all your FF&E needs for franchised and independent properties. We make it easy. We even offer financing to help you make the improvements needed. We aren’t the biggest…we’re the Best! Call (847) 749-0800. Best Hotel Products » Email for...

Telkonet Reduce Energy Consumption, Improve Guest Experience Telkonet, Inc. provides intelligent energy reduction and automation platforms at the forefront of the Internet of Things. Helping the hospitality industry better manage operational costs, the EcoSmart platform utilizes a full-suite of connected devices that work together to reduce energy consumption by scheduling and automating HVAC runtimes for only when the guest is present. The operator dashboard provides in-depth and actionable energy usage insights, and remote operation allows for unmatched flexibility and responsiveness. The platform also allows for the creation of immersive and connected guest experiences, by automating lighting, window treatments, and other components....

LAS VEGAS—HD Expo 2017 wrapped up in Las Vegas on May 5 after attracting more than 800 exhibitors and more than 10,000 attendees. The reconfigured show floor allowed for 275,000 square feet of show floor space. The annual event was an opportunity for suppliers to display their latest innovations and that they did. Many of the new products and technologies on hand have a green story behind them—whether having to do with the material they are made of or the energy or water they conserve. It would be impossible in this space to include all of the green news...

In an age of environmental consciousness, green building in the hospitality sector has increased by 50 percent from 2011 to 2013 and now represents 25 percent of all new construction today.* Why not 100 percent? The one thing that may be holding the hospitality sector back is the price of green building materials, which can often cost at least 5 percent more than regular materials. While the increase in demand for green lodging renovations offers opportunity, it can also be a challenge from an environmentally conscious standpoint. But believe it or not, when it comes to windows, there is another...

COLUMBIA, MD.—Autani, LLC, a leader in building controls and IoT, will unveil the latest release of its award winning EnergyCenter platform at Lightfair 2017. EnergyCenter 4.0 now supports additional EnOcean devices and third party thermostats, features updated BacNET MSTP and wireless BacNET gateway support, includes enhanced security and a real-time update viewing mode, plus more. Additionally, EnergyCenter 4.0 includes out-of-the-box integration with Open ADR for California Title 24 compliance, with no additional hardware needed. “We are constantly enhancing our EnergyCenter platform to provide our customers with an easy—yet very powerful—way to control energy use, save money, and achieve a great...

WESTBOROUGH, MASS.—Save Energy Systems, an energy-efficiency services company that reduces HVAC expenses for businesses in the commercial and industrial sector, recently completed a comprehensive retrofit of dozens of corporate-owned health clubs across the United States and Canada. The announcement was made at the 2017 Planet Fitness Independent Franchisee Association (PFIFA) Convention. By installing its patented demand-limiting controller (DLC) to control the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) system in each location, Save Energy Systems reduced the energy bill of each location by an average of 18 percent. With 52 installations now completed, the majority during 2016, the combination of the DLC...

WASHINGTON – More than 1,000 U.S. companies and organizations signed a letter to Congress and the administration calling for lawmakers to strengthen the ENERGY STAR program that was recently proposed for elimination under the Trump administration’s budget. “ENERGY STAR is a model for successful collaboration between the public and private sectors,” the letter states. “It enjoys a long track record of success and should be strengthened, not weakened, to ensure it continues providing these important benefits to the public while helping us meet our energy and environmental goals.” The letter, which was sent Monday and can be found here, was led...

BUENOS AIRES—Unmistakably green. There is no other way to describe the 26-suite Palo Santo Hotel in the trendy Palermo Hollywood district of Buenos Aires. The hotel’s facade, terraces, balconies, patio and roof are covered with plants. A specially designed iron structure on the building’s exterior serves as a support for the vertical gardens that reach 90 feet high. In total, more than 900 plants are spread throughout the building. The plants provide a natural insulation against climate extremes, absorb excess water, and help reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint by 80 percent by providing oxygen and absorbing CO2. The plants are...