FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIF.—Plumbing and mechanical contractors should find it far easier and faster to install multiple tankless water heaters in commercial applications with the new, prefabricated MR-2 Commercial Racking System from Noritz America. Beyond time and labor savings, the rack also offers the added advantage of installing multiple units in the middle of a space, rather than having to affix them to a sidewall. Designed for both outdoor (flat rooftops) and indoor (mechanical room) applications, the new multi-rack system holds two tankless water heaters back to back and is precisely designed to match the mounting points for all Noritz products....

ROANOKE, VA.—Lodging Technology announces the addition of their newest team member, Susan deRosas, as Northeast sales representative. Susan will be responsible for all sales and marketing of the company’s room energy management products in the Northeast territory, consisting of the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Susan has more than 20 years experience in the sales and marketing field. She has worked as a corporate recruiter for a national hospitality management company, and most recently as an energy sales advisor focusing on viable clean technologies for businesses and educational institutions. Susan has been...

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa announced that it has entered into a partnership with FLS Energy to add solar panels to the resort’s modern Sports Complex. The 12-panel solar thermal system at the Sports Complex will provide about 600 gallons of hot water a day for use in the locker rooms. The project is being developed using an innovative solar Power Purchase Agreement, in which FLS Energy will design and install the system on the roof of the complex with no up-front cost to The Grove Park Inn. Grove Park Inn will in turn purchase the thermal...

TETIAROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA—Located on the French Polynesian island of Tetiaroa and a product of the late Marlon Brando’s vision, construction on The Brando is progressing steadily with completion slated for late 2012. Pacific Beachcomber S.C. is developer of the resort. The president of French Polynesia, Gaston Tong Sang, recently made an official visit to Tetiaroa for a tour of The Brando construction site. Organized by Richard Bailey, CEO of Pacific Beachcomber S.C., and friend of the late actor, the trip was designed to share progress of the project’s construction with the president and his Minister of Environment, Jules Ienfa,...

EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA—Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts has added a new feature to its expansive environmental program: INNCOM’s Glass Series Guest Interface Device Suite. The device is an eco-friendly, central control system that allows guests to opt in to the resort’s conservation program with just the touch of an aptly named “Green Button” that controls the lights, thermostat and humidity of guestrooms. The fully automated system uses motion detectors and door sensors to identify when the room is occupied and unoccupied and adjusts energy settings accordingly. For example, when the sensor identifies that a guest has left the room, lights...

DALLAS—Until the recent growth of the green building industry under the LEED program, the cost and time involved with using carbon dioxide sensors in commercial buildings often outweighed the perceived benefits. “Today, building owners and designers see more reasons than ever to include CO2 sensors in building design and remodels, as the cost and reliability have improved with the maturation of the technology over the last two decades,” says Jeff Hartnett, commercial split systems product manager for Lennox Industries.  While a certain level of CO2 is natural in buildings—humans produce it with every breath exhaled—high levels can cause a...

NEW YORK—The International Copper Association (ICA) announced a new heat exchanger coil technology that benefits from smaller diameter copper tubes. The new product designs and associated manufacturing processes are a culmination of years of research. Heat transfer from the refrigerant to the tube wall is more effective inside copper tubes with diameters smaller than the conventional diameter. Consequently, coils can be made less bulky and air conditioners with higher energy efficiency can be made smaller and lighter. “It is true that highly efficient air conditioners currently are being made with conventional copper tubes,” says Nigel Cotton, global leader of OEM Initiative...

NATIONAL REPORT—The American Hotel & Lodging Association is about to release the results of its 2010 Lodging Survey. Green Lodging News was provided with a copy of the survey results prior to the survey’s official release. The survey, which is conducted approximately every two years, was funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation and prepared by Smith Travel Research. A total of 48,954 hotels were polled. The response rate was 18 percent (more than 8,500 participants). The survey report covers 14 green-related areas: Allergy-Free Rooms, Air Purifiers, Liquid Soap Dispensers, Linen/Towel Reuse Program, Energy Management Sensors in...

DENVER—Sage Hospitality has upped its own ante on helping the environment with its new Green Choice program. The “opt in” initiative offers guests the choice to decline daily housekeeping to reduce their carbon footprint while saving hotels money on energy, water and other costs. Introduced in March 2010 and currently offered at 18 Sage hotels across the country, such as The Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel and the Nines in Portland, Ore., Green Choice reflects a growing trend as hotel groups seek innovative solutions to save money—and the planet—amid challenging times for the travel industry. Green Choice has seen great success...

MT. VERNON, N.Y.—ICE AIR, the developer and manufacturer of a wide variety of HVAC units, has released ExactFit  PTACs (Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners) for demanding renovation or retrofit applications in the hospitality industry where existing cooling and heating units need to be replaced. PTACs, which are self-contained, individually- controlled air conditioners, installed through the wall of rooms with an outside wall, are found throughout the hospitality market. The ICE AIR ExactFit PTACs include the RS, RSC and RSMK Series, and replace existing equipment from various OEM PTAC manufacturers common in this market, including Carrier, Heil Quaker, ZoneAire, McQuay, Applied Comfort...