NEW CASTLE, PA.—Berner International, North America’s leading manufacturer of air curtains, announced the launch of its newly redesigned Intelliswitch digital controls across the entire Architectural Series. The updated controls replace the traditional push-button interface with a sleek, touchscreen display and smart control capabilities offering effortless operation, streamlined setup, and energy-saving features. Engineered in-house by Berner’s controls and Internet of Things (IoT) experts, the new Intelliswitch digital controls represent a significant advancement in how air curtains are installed, configured, and managed. With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, seamless integration with the Berner AIR Basic app, and support for BACnet/Modbus BMS protocols,...

HUNTINGTON, N.Y.—Emerald Ecovations, a leader in sustainable solutions for foodservice and janitorial industries, announces the launch of over 50 additional compostable molded fiber and clear PLA Plant to Plastic foodservice items. This innovative lineup furthers Emerald Ecovations’ commitment to supporting green practices across foodservice industries. “We are thrilled to introduce these groundbreaking products, each designed with the dual goals of environmental responsibility and performance excellence,” said Ralph Bianculli, CEO of Emerald Ecovations. “Our molded fiber and PLA solutions help our customers significantly reduce their environmental footprint, directly contributing to measurable savings in trees, water, plastics avoided, and compostable waste diverted from...

If you happen to have a 150-million-year-old cave to use for dinner and a show, why not use it? In Vietnam’s north, such a cave has become the extraordinary setting for an immersive theatrical show and a fine dining celebration of hyper-local Vietnamese cuisine. On May 30 this year, Asia Premier Cruises (APC) Corp. welcomed its first guests to the 2.5-hour cave dining and entertainment experience at the majestic 4,000-square-meter Dragon Pearl Cave, about a 30-minute drive from Halong City. At 45 meters above sea level, Dragon Pearl Cave is one of the largest caves in the Bai Tu Long area of...

KETCHUM, IDAHO—Coulée Coffee Co., a purpose-driven coffee company dedicated to crafting high-quality, sustainably-sourced coffee, is introducing the Coulée SWIRL System, the world’s first automated pour-over coffee maker, and EcoPour Filters, the first compostable single-serve pour-over filters preloaded with premium 100 percent Arabica coffee. Coulée Coffee provides café-quality coffee without the waste and disposable plastics found with typical single-serve coffee pod systems. The compact Coulée SWIRL captures the artisan coffee experience with a proprietary automated moving swirl-arm, heating water to optimal brewing temperature, using intelligent self-adapting water pour patterns to extract every flavor note. Users simply load a 100 percent compostable...

MIAMI—Amerikooler, a U.S. based leader in commercial refrigeration solutions, announces the launch of the AK Series 3 Quick Ship Walk-In, setting a new industry benchmark for performance, efficiency, and rapid delivery. Designed for businesses that demand rapid solutions without sacrificing performance, this walk-in is engineered to keep operations running smoothly by delivering quotes in just 24 hours and offering the fastest lead times in the industry with minimal downtime and seamless installation. Built with 4-inch-thick AK-XPS insulation, the AK Series 3 achieves R-29 for coolers and R-32 for freezers, providing superior energy efficiency and exceptional temperature retention that translates into...

NATIONAL REPORT—“A healthy mind in a healthy body”, “food as medicine”, “you are what you eat”—these insights into food and well-being have been around for millennia, but today they are gaining more traction as consumer trends shift towards an increased demand for healthy, ethically-sourced food. Post-pandemic attitudes coupled with easy access to nutritional information have contributed to this rise in health awareness and new expectations. Nowadays, food has become more than a source of sustenance or pleasure—there is a growing demand for practices (from recipes to food production) that support personal and planetary well-being. The hospitality industry is set to play...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces the official opening of 1 Hotel Melbourne. This nature-inspired property marks the brand’s long-anticipated debut in Australia, redefining the future of luxury hospitality in the heart of one of the world’s most forward-thinking cities. Developed in partnership with Melbourne-based Riverlee, the hotel is set along 220 meters of uninterrupted Yarra River frontage in the revitalized North Wharf precinct. The building is a celebration of Melbourne’s storied past and a blueprint for a more sustainable future, brought to life through biophilic design principles and a commitment to living in harmony with nature. The...

Whenever my family eats out and we are automatically offered plastic straws for our drinks, we tell the server we do not need them and to take them back. With what we know about plastic straws—they are non-biodegradable and take hundreds of years to decompose and break down into microplastics—you would think they would no longer be used…but no. They are still all too common in hospitality. Numerous hotel companies have pledged to stop buying plastic straws. Six years ago, Marriott phased them out. Five years ago, Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. eliminated single-use straws from its branded properties as part of...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Hilton announced the results of its Green Ramadan 2025 initiative, revealing a 26 percent reduction in post-consumer plate waste during the holy month. The month-long effort helped avoid more than 2.6 tons of food waste, the equivalent of more than 6,000 meals—reinforcing Hilton’s commitment to reducing food waste across its hotels through consistent, measurable impact. Building on the momentum of previous years, the program marked the initiative’s biggest rollout yet, scaled across 45 hotels in 14 countries in EMEA and APAC, and served more than 340,000 guests during iftar and suhoor—traditional meals during Ramadan. Participating hotels in Saudi Arabia, the United...

ATLANTA—Eco-minded Walmart shoppers can now find innovative sustainable beverage supplies on shelves across the country with marine biodegradable, home and industrial compostable phade hot drink paper cups, as well as new phade Flex straws, created by WinCup, Inc. The phade brand’s unparalleled sustainable characteristics are due to PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a groundbreaking new biopolymer derived from the fermentation of canola oil that safely biodegrades in a matter of months. The phade hot beverage cup is the world’s first-ever paper cup lined with PHA rather than a plastic film, allowing it to quickly return to earth, whereas the plastic lining in traditional...