Our industry’s leading technology trade show, HITEC, is set to take place June 18 to 21 at the LEED Silver George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. I will be attending the event this year. Be sure to watch for coverage here on Green Lodging News. HITEC will be thin on green educational content this year with just one session but the trade show floor is worth the trip with a significant group of companies highlighting their latest guestroom energy management technologies—technologies that can help save you a lot of money while reducing your carbon footprint at the same time. Of course, HITEC is a great networking opportunity and a chance to get up to speed on the many other technologies impacting our industry. The HITEC website currently lists 400 exhibiting companies.
The educational session I will be attending on Monday, June 18, “Saving Energy While Others Pay the Bill: Sustainability and CSR,” has the following description: “Hospitality organizations that implement and maintain corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are in a position to better attract, improve and retain business; making an environmental sustainability plan crucial to corporate strategy. Discover CSR as a company initiative and hear real life examples from industry experts.” The moderator will be Diane Estner, President at DANNI Enterprises. Panelists will include: John Picard, 2016 USGBC nominee, a sustainability expert and founder of JPA; Henry Shields, Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Sustainability at MGM Resorts International; and Lyle Worthington, CHTP, CIO at The Student Hotel, a member of the HITEC Advisory Council and the HFTP Global Immediate Past President.
From a guestroom energy management perspective, HITEC companies to pay attention to include: Control4; Evolve Controls; Goodman Co., LP – Amana PTAC Sales; Honeywell – INNCOM; Onity; Telkonet; and Verdant Environmental Technologies Inc. There will be other companies at the show with energy-saving products outside the guestroom energy management category—Minibar Systems, for example. Many of the suppliers will be offering technologies that result in significant paper savings.
I am looking forward to seeing the George R. Brown Convention Center, a venue that first began seeking opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint in 1998. The Center earned its LEED Silver status in 2011 and has since renewed it through 2021. The Center diverts more than 42 percent of its waste from landfills. The Center regularly partners with local organizations to recycle, reduce and reuse waste from events.
Green Lodging Trends Report Survey Coming Soon!
The Green Lodging Trends Report 2018 survey (the third annual report) will be launched by Greenview on July 9. (The survey will close on August 10, 2018.) Be sure to watch for details on the Green Lodging News and Greenview websites. Interested in gaining recognition as a Supporter of the Report survey? Contact Greenview’s Grace Kang at grace@greenview.sg.
How to Search on Our Website
Like other search engines you find online, a search using one word will produce articles with that word included. If you would like to search for something that is more than one word long—ozone laundry, for example—you will need to put quotation marks around the words or phrase. Ozone laundry would then be “ozone laundry” in the search.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Planning Advertising for 2018?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2018. Many excellent spots are available on our new website, in the weekly e-mail newsletter, and Green Lodging Survey. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2018 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 8,437. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail editor@greenlodgingnews.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,798 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 901 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
