PARIS—Euro Disney S.C.A. Group (“Euro Disney”) and Groupe Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs (“Pierre & Vacances”) recently unveiled their new concept of a vacation destination based on the search for harmony between man and nature. The destination would be, in its design and in its operations, a unique model of sustainable development for tourism and be called Les Villages Nature de Val d’Europe (Villages Nature). As a mixed-use resort, Villages Nature will work with visionary landscape architects to develop new lodging and leisure experiences that will provide multiple opportunities for visitors to interact with nature. These activities would be...

WESTPORT, CONN.—Solar products, trends and technologies and their role in the HVACR marketplace will take center stage at the 2011 AHR Expo in Las Vegas, January 31 to February 2. In addition to many new solar products on display, there will be more than a dozen seminars focused on solar topics, as well as demonstrations of solar technology, provided throughout the three days of the world’s largest HVACR exposition and conference. “Solar is one of the fastest-growing segments of the many sustainable technologies featured at the show,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company, which produces and manages the...

ATLANTA—The world’s biggest HVAC Expo and the largest membership-based HVAC&R engineering society have chosen Las Vegas as the site of the ASHRAE 2011 Winter Conference and AHR Expo. The extravagant setting of Las Vegas serves as a unique contrast to ASHRAE’s Winter Conference theme of A Safe Bet: Zero-Energy Design. It is sure to highlight the importance of finding the balance in design. The 2011 Winter Conference takes place January 29 to February 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo, held in conjunction with the Winter Conference, will run January 31 to February 2....

WILMINGTON, DEL.—American Hometec, Inc., a pioneer and leader of Coilless Technology for tankless water heaters, announced the expansion of its sales team to meet escalating demand for its tankless water heaters. The company has added three new regional sales managers and two marketing associates to its staff, adding more than 40 years of industry experience to the growing company. “The tankless water heater industry is booming,” said Dave Millilo, American Hometec’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Our patented Coilless Technology presents an efficient and practical solution for commercial and residential tankless water heaters, and the interest level in our...

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—The Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park announced that it has been awarded LEED Silver certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. “The Hilton Asheville is a great example of how to combine sustainability with exceptional features and amenities to create a memorable guest experience,” said Ron Storto, vice president of hotel development with Biltmore Farms LLC. “From a destination spa and fine dining to eco-conscious products and operations, this new addition to...

VICTORIA, B.C.—When the Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification—its application is in the final stages—it will be one of just three lodging facilities in North America to earn the Platinum honor. The other ones include the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., and the Bardessono in Yountville, Calif. The 126-suite, two-tower property in Victoria, British Columbia was built to be approximately 50 to 60 percent more energy efficient than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. According to Jim Pearson, CEO of Aviawest Resort Group, the developer and manager of...

TORONTO—A three-floor, 114-bed hostel in Toronto that will open within the next couple of weeks could very well be the most energy efficient lodging establishment in North America. Incorporating solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal and heat capture technologies, the “low carbon” hostel will produce 75 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable building its size. The hostel’s name is the Planet Traveler and co-developer Tom Rand says the property is by far the best in class for hostels and was built to the standards of a boutique hotel. The cost for the energy-saving systems was $200,000, just 5 percent...

ACTON, MASS.—The parking lot adjacent to your building may soon be good for more than just parking cars. If Acton, Mass.-based Novotech, Inc. is successful in the development of its new technology, the heat energy in the pavement in your lot could soon be used to heat hot water or be used in absorption chillers to provide cooling (see illustration below). According to Tracy Snelling III, vice president of business development for Novotech, the company is currently testing its technology that incorporates plastic PEX tubing that is located about an inch below the pavement. The tubing, arranged in a serpentine pattern, carries...

WALTHAM, MASS.—American DG Energy Inc., a leading on site utility offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality facilities, has reached an agreement to supply clean energy to the Doubletree Guest Suites Boston, a premier, all-suite hotel in Boston. Under the terms of the agreement, the Doubletree will soon receive a significant portion of its energy from a 75 kW combined heat and power (CHP) system, which will be owned and operated by American DG Energy. The hotel will receive a discount on the energy produced by the CHP system and reduce its carbon emissions by...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has just added a new case study to its website. The case study focuses on the 130-room  (Ala.) and its installation of a 17-unit tankless water heating system from Noritz America. The original specification for the hotel called for a pair of 750-gallon, 750,000 BTU per hour (BTU/h) boilers, each measuring roughly five feet by 12 feet. The mechanical room where they were to be squeezed into could accommodate both pieces of equipment, but with just a few inches of clearance between each unit and the surrounding walls. Contractor Anthony Crouch, owner of Crouch & Sons...