NATIONAL REPORT—An airplane turbine in your hotel? Not quite but the microturbines now being installed in hotels around the globe are smaller versions of an airplane turbine. Microturbines are reliable cores of combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems, generate one-tenth the emissions of an internal combustion engine, and are helping hotels save big time in energy and dollars.Darren Jamison, CEO of Capstone Turbine, a leading manufacturer of microturbines, says a microturbine is like a power plant in a box. “The efficiency comes from how the combustion is processed,” he says. Microturbines are highly efficient, quiet, require no oil...

CHICAGO—Evolve Controls has been selected to provide their integrated solution for guestroom controls for climate, lighting and shading for the Microsoft Connected Room solution. The Connected Room, which brings hotel services such as in-room dining, spa reservations and other hotel experiences into the digital era, is currently being piloted in two guest suites at The Cromwell, Caesars Entertainment’s boutique hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Microsoft highlighted the Connected Room solution at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) in New Orleans to show how Microsoft technology is helping hospitality companies make digital transformations to improve the guest...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes AspirEnergy to its Green Product & Service Directory in the Energy Services category. AspirEnergy is a full service Energy Services Company that specializes in prescribing and implementing energy efficient and renewable energy solutions to lower operating costs and maximize return on investment. It focuses on return on investment for its clients with the maximization of government and utility incentives while keeping the customer experience at the forefront of its recommendations. AspirEnergy offers LED lighting and controls, energy management systems, solar PV systems, financing and incentive administration. Learn...

Until recently, fixing leaky ventilation shafts has been a non-starter for most hotels, motels and other hospitality facilities. The expense and disruption typically involved in finding, accessing and sealing leaky ductwork made remediation measures impractical at best. As a result, a tremendous number of U.S. lodgings across the country are plagued by the poor indoor air quality issues and high-energy bills that come from improper ventilation. That is changing. A new approach to duct sealing developed by the U.S. Department of Energy is helping solve this near ubiquitous problem. Case in point: While the JW Marriott hotel in Atlanta’s affluent Buckhead...

Name: Wes Shirley Title: Director of Engineering Hotel: Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead Years with hotel: Six Primary responsibilities: “It’s my responsibility to make sure every single guest that stays in our hotel has a flawless and enjoyable stay. I do that by making sure that my employees are happy, well trained and completely engaging with our guests. It’s my responsibility to the owners to ensure that their building is well maintained. At all times it should look and run like a new hotel. It’s also my duty to spend their money wisely, always looking for new, inventive ways to lower their costs...

NEW ORLEANS—Control4 Corp., a leading global provider of automation solutions, introduced the new Control4 Hospitality Solution. Offering hotels in-room automation functionality, along with back-end management software, hotel staff are provided extensive guestroom status updates, whether that is a need for new batteries for a remote control or a mini-bar requires a restock. With Control4, hotels can greet guests with automated lighting, shades, entertainment and climate control as soon as they enter their rooms. The Control4 Hospitality Solution maximizes operational efficiencies gained through hotel room automation throughout the property.“From doors to drapes, Control4 provides a complete automation solution for the...

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIF.—The new Commercial Water Heater System from Noritz America is designed to speed and simplify the installation of multiple tankless water heaters for plumbing and mechanical contractors. Noritz combines commercial-grade tankless units with system controllers, manifolds and other necessary components and accessories into fully assembled metal rack systems for shipment anywhere in North America. The prefabricated system significantly reduces the burden on the installer, who needs only to connect the water and gas lines, build the vent runs and set up the pre-wired system controller.“Our goal is to reduce installation time and expense while maximizing safety, performance...

PLANO, TEXAS—NexRev LLC, experts in improving energy efficiency and reducing utility and operational costs for retail, entertainment, commercial, industrial and institutional facilities, announced the company’s flagship HVAC energy reduction solution—DrivePak—has saved customers $100 million since its introduction to the market in 2008. This amount represents a savings of nearly 1 billion kWh and 700,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of removing 140,000 cars off the road for one year. “One hundred million dollars in savings is a significant milestone for NexRev as it reinforces the proven energy reduction technology behind DrivePak and its substantial contribution to our clients’...

One of the big factors for success in any industry is customer care and satisfaction. In the hospitality industry it takes precedence over everything else. Customer experience in hospitality is what drives the popularity and hence, the revenue. So the more the customers are comfortable in the environment the better experience they will have. The biggest driver for their comfort is the feeling of being safe. However, recent incidents have marred the hospitality industry with health concerns over water safety. If the Global Risks 2015 Report by Global Economic Forum is to be believed, the spread of infectious diseases is...

PALMA, MAJORCA, SPAIN—Meliá Hotels International recently announced three new hotels in Africa, Indian Ocean and Central Asia. The property in Africa, the Meliá Serengeti Lodge in Tanzania, scheduled to open in June 2017, will be Meliá Hotels International’s first green hotel. Located on the natural terraces on the southern slopes of Nyamuma, with spectacular views over the peaceful valley of the Mbalageti River, the hotel will be 45 minutes from Seronera Airport in the Serengeti National Park, the oldest and most popular National Park in Tanzania, on the western border of Lake Victoria, considered a World Heritage Site. To...