NASHVILLE—Leading interior design firms from across the United States teamed with INNCOM by Honeywell to showcase their best creations for guestrooms and public spaces at the HI Connect design event in Nashville held March 25 to 27, 2015. Award winners, designONE studio, VOA Associates, and Chipman Design Architecture featured INNCOM’s Integrated Room Automation Systems (IRAS) with Evora and Modeva switches for hotel lighting and comfort controls in their displays.  INNCOM partnered with several interior design companies with vignettes at HI Connect to provide solutions and suggest lighting controls and other guestroom automation. “INNCOM worked closely with the design community...

BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIF.—Cwc La Casa Del Zorro LLC, the owners of the upscale 42-acre, 67-key La Casa del Zorro resort in Borrego Springs, Calif., recently decided that spending $1.3 million a year on utility costs was unacceptable. Given the resort’s desert location—the busiest time of the year, thanks to the desert heat, is from November 1 until the end of May—the owners decided that investing in solar technology for heating water and generating electricity made sense. So far just a portion of $3 million committed to solar has been spent but the resort is already experiencing energy savings.The first...

If you had to stay in a hotel room with an unpleasant smell, poor air circulation or loud noises from the air-conditioning unit, you would likely want to change rooms. You might even vow to avoid the hotel or add negative feedback to a review site to warn other travelers. Today, it’s easier than ever for hotel guests to share details of their unpleasant experiences on the Internet using social media. Negative reviews can be extremely damaging to a hotel’s reputation and the bottom line. A successful hotel operation will ensure that service and customer satisfaction are at the forefront...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—WiSuite, a leading provider of guestroom energy management systems for the hospitality industry, announced the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk implemented its WiSuite Intelligent Network (WIN) and WiStat-SS Smart Screen thermostats, following a review of available solutions. WiSuite’s technology helps hoteliers capture energy cost savings by monitoring guestroom occupancy in real time and provides the Hyatt property improved profitability, environmental sustainability and guest comfort.“Hyatt is an industry leader for comprehensive global energy and water data tracking across its properties,” noted Jimmy Yarbrough, Hyatt Area Director of Engineering. “WiSuite’s technology gives us the power to accommodate guest preferences...

NATIONAL REPORT—Water treatment for systems such as cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers and evaporative condensers has traditionally been one that has required the use of hazardous chemicals—e.g. chlorine, bromine, isothiazolinone, molybdate, phosphonate—to control calcium, bacteria, algae, scale, corrosion and biofilm. Because of the toxicity of the water treated with chemicals, it cannot be reused on property. A number of suppliers, however, have developed chemical free or similarly safe treatment systems that allow for the reuse of blow-down water while still providing a means to keep systems clean and running efficiently. Chemical free treatments vary from the introduction of atomic...

NEW YORK—The luxury Park Hyatt New York has opened with an advanced Integrated Room Automation and Energy Management System from INNCOM by Honeywell. The system automates guest comfort with intuitive temperature and drapery controls and communicates with door locks to enhance guest security. INNCOM is a leader in integrated room hotel automation with energy-saving solutions used in more than 1.5 million guestrooms worldwide. “The INNCOM networked energy management platform is a smart system,” said James Rodgers, Director of Engineering, IT and Telecommunications at Park Hyatt New York. “Its intelligent energy sensors and software monitor room occupancy to save on...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is increasing the options for refrigerants used in various kinds of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment in the United States that offer better climate protection without harming the ozone layer. This final action addresses refrigerants under the Climate Action Plan that calls on EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program to identify and approve additional climate-friendly chemicals. “Today’s rule is an example of how we can turn the challenge of climate change into an opportunity to innovate our way to a better future,” said EPA Administrator...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—The new Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel has checked in its first guests. Among the 200 new Haitian hotel workers who welcomed them were young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Haitian-Americans who want to share their hospitality skills to help boost Haiti’s tourism economy. The stories of these new associates include Luccardo, who was recruited to work at the hotel’s front desk from the Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs orphanage, and Hermine, who was part of the hotel’s intern program and will be an entry-level supervisor. In addition to members of a Haitian-American executive team, the Haiti Marriott is led...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it has achieved World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Savers Program targets, reducing its operational CO2 emissions by 20 percent below 2006 levels. In doing so, the luxury hotel brand known for its industry leading sustainability programming becomes the first hotel brand to meet this ambitious environmental goal.WWF’s Climate Savers Program was designed to inspire companies to change their thinking about climate solutions, while also encouraging them to transform themselves into low-carbon leaders. This leaves member companies better placed to avoid carbon-related risks while realizing opportunities within their long-term business strategies. Fairmont joined Fortune...

LOS ANGELES—Energy Smart Lodging has launched a website to cater to multi-hotel operators who want to reduce their energy costs. Energy Smart Lodging provides guestroom HVAC and lighting controls, Energy Star rated LED lighting fixtures and Energy Star rated LED light bulbs. Energy Smart Lodging has partnered with Lodging Technology, one of the leading developers and manufacturers of guestroom HVAC and lighting controls. Lodging Technology has sold its products across the United States for more than 30 years. “We are pleased to partner with Energy Smart Lodging because they truly understand the needs of hotel management companies,” said William Fizer, President...