CHICAGO—Winnow, the AI food waste technology company trusted by leading hospitality brands including Hilton, Marriott, and Accor, announced the formation of a new Advisory Board with the appointment of two seasoned hospitality executives: Paul Whetsell, CEO of CapStar Hotel Company, and Gregory Maliassas, CEO of Driftwood Hospitality Management. The Advisory Board has been established to bring deep operational and strategic expertise to bear on Winnow’s product development and go-to-market strategy, as the company scales its technology across the global hospitality sector. Paul Whetsell brings more than 45 years of hospitality industry experience. He founded the original CapStar Hotel Company in 1987...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—LG Electronics USA’s Commercial Laundry division made its debut at the 2026 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), the industry’s largest annual technology event, June 15 to 18 in San Antonio—showcasing the company’s purpose-built laundry and garment care solutions for hospitality properties of all sizes. Hospitality operators are faced with meeting rising guest expectations for convenience and garment care. America’s most reliable line of home appliances and No. 1 appliance brand, LG is addressing these demands with a commercial laundry portfolio that spans high-capacity commercial washing and drying—combining convenience for guests and reliability for hotel operators—as well as the...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Europe’s Famous Hostels, Europe’s leading hostel association, announced a partnership with Scope Three Action, a nonprofit organization, to support hostels across Europe in reducing food-related greenhouse gas emissions through protein diversification. The initiative will provide all of Europe’s Famous Hostels member hostels with practical tools, guidance, and training to help them implement food sustainability strategies that have been successfully adopted by hospitality businesses worldwide. Participating hostels will also receive support in setting targets and introducing policies to achieve a more balanced mix of animal-based and plant-based proteins across their food offerings, whether breakfast menus, bar snacks, or shared dinners. Food represents...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—The Austin Convention Center Department (ACCD) is celebrating a milestone in the redevelopment and expansion project, known as UnconventionalATX, having officially entered the first phase of construction. The new $1.6 billion Austin Convention Center will significantly increase the rentable square footage of the existing facility, growing from 365,000 square feet to 620,000 square feet of rentable space. The redeveloped Convention Center will be one of the most sustainable public projects in Austin’s history. The projected $1.6 billion investment is fully funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenues, Convention Center revenues, and the state’s Project Financing Zone—not property taxes. The project has...

BOULDER, COLO.—Eco-Products is introducing a new lineup of beverage cups with compostable, recyclable and reusable options, giving foodservice operators even more ways to reduce waste. The launch includes redesigned World Art hot cups made with FSC-certified paperboard, new aluminum cold cups made with 90 percent recycled content, and additions to the company’s Veda line of reusable products. “There isn’t a single solution that works everywhere when it comes to keeping foodservice packaging out of landfills,” said Wendell Simonson, General Manager of Eco-Products. “In many operations, commercially compostable items like plates and bowls work alongside recyclable beverage cans and cups, while closed-system environments like...

WILMINGTON, DEL.—Diversey, a Solenis company and global leader in cleaning and hygiene solutions, has expanded its offering with ecoSTORM, a fast-acting bio-based drain maintenance program that breaks down fats, oils, grease and organic buildup before it becomes a larger problem. Ideal for commercial kitchens, food service, retail and healthcare environments, ecoSTORM naturally breaks down buildup to help prevent plumbing, drain and odor issues—allowing facilities to operate more efficiently while supporting cleaner, more hygienic conditions. “Customers are looking for options that help them maintain cleaner and more efficient operations,” said Gaetano Redaelli, Global Business President, Institutional Solutions, Solenis. “With ecoSTORM, we expanded our portfolio with a...

LONDON—Six Senses has joined Recipe of Change, a global initiative convened by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and UN Tourism to unite the tourism sector in a shared commitment to halve food waste by 2030. A living expression of the brand’s sustainable ethos and Eat With Six Senses philosophy, the engagement sees Six Senses share its long-learned operational and behavioral solutions through open conversations with guests and industry peers alike to address the near one-third of all food produced globally that is never eaten. A Tool, Not a Trend For Six Senses, sustainability has been driven by collective action since its founding in the...

Add some good wine to your hotel group, mix in some creative marketing, a good portion of a good cause, and bam, you have got a business plan worth replicating throughout the lodging industry. Allow me to explain. Minor Hotels just announced a new partnership with Saving the Wild, a groundbreaking Africa-based conservation charity, with the launch of three “Saving the Wild” wines which will be served in several Minor Hotels properties in Africa. The wines are produced by Hoopenburg Wine Estate, an award-winning wine farm, and feature fine art labels highlighting the need to protect three key species targeted for...

NORTH BETHESDA, MD.—Sleep Inn by Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, is introducing Local Favorites, a new breakfast program designed to bring regionally inspired flavor and storytelling to the guest experience. The initiative invites Sleep Inn hotels to feature one locally relevant breakfast item—such as a pastry from a neighborhood bakery, a regional seasoning or a locally inspired coffee—alongside a short story explaining its connection to the community. Local Favorites is part of the Sleep Inn brand’s broader Morning Medley hot breakfast, a refreshed approach to the brand’s complimentary morning offering designed to balance guest...

NATIONAL REPORT—For many businesses, cold storage protection is as critical as power or shelter during a natural disaster. Walk-in coolers and freezers safeguard everything from food and beverages to vaccines and raw materials. A single breakdown can mean thousands of dollars in lost product, extended interruptions to business, and in some cases, a breakdown of supply chains that communities rely on for survival. As hurricanes become more frequent in the Southeast, seismic activity challenges facilities in the West, and snowstorms weigh heavily on the North, disaster-resilient cold storage has become a cornerstone of business continuity planning. Unlike temporary refrigerated trailers...