GLENVIEW, ILL.—ITW Food Equipment Group announced that effective January 2026, it will introduce its new ITW Total Kitchen Solutions Project & Design Team to support foodservice consultants and specifier partners. Dan Montgomery, previously Director of Design & Project Business at Vulcan, Laura Gutkowski, previously Director of Marketing at Traulsen, and Shayne Varnum, previously Director, Consultant Services & Government Sales for the ITW Food Equipment Group will each serve the role of Director, Design & Consultant Support. Montgomery will cover the Western U.S.; Gutkowski will be responsible for the Central U.S.; and Varnum will cover the Eastern U.S. Combined, this team...

NATIONAL REPORT—Commercial lodging facilities handle massive water volumes daily. Daily wastewater output from guestrooms, kitchens, and laundry services places continuous pressure on aging or undersized sewer infrastructure. When sewer issues emerge, the fallout often disrupts revenue, damages brand reputation, and requires costly emergency responses. Identifying repeat failure points and infrastructure risks can help facility operators take preemptive action before problems escalate. Undersized or Outdated Infrastructure Many hotels operate in buildings constructed decades ago with sewer systems designed for a lower capacity. As facilities expand services or add more rooms, outdated plumbing often fails to keep up with the demand. Pipe diameters that once...

WILMINGTON, DEL.—Diversey, a Solenis company and global leader in cleaning and hygiene solutions, has launched Suma D-GREAZEE D9.9, a new degreaser designed for professional kitchens. The aluminum-safe, caustic-free formula eliminates the need for protective gear and removes grease and carbonized soil from ovens, grills and fryers. Suma D-GREAZEE D9.9 enables faster, easier cleaning with enhanced operator safety and sustainability. Developed with input from marketing, R&D, and regional teams, the product meets both customer needs and stringent regulatory standards. “This launch reflects a collaborative, cross-functional effort,” said Kathryn Berry, Global Strategic Marketing Director for Diversey. “By listening to our customers and incorporating market insights into product development, we’ve...

MALDIVES—Green Lodging News was recently approached to learn more about the environmental efforts at the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort. The following are the results of questions presented by Green Lodging News to Shoaib Siddiqui, Assistant Chief Engineer at the resort. 1. In what year did the property open? 2019 2. How many employees? 290 3. What plastics have been eliminated to qualify the resort as being free of single-use plastic? For example, is water now available in glass bottles? Another form? Are bathroom amenities available in pump dispensers? What other single-use plastics have been eliminated and why is it so important to do that? From...

I attended The Hospitality Show in Denver this past week. The event is a production of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Questex, the publisher of Hotel Management. It was a great chance to touch base with suppliers I have gotten to know in past years and to make many new contacts. It would be impossible for me to highlight all the companies I interacted with in this column but here is a list that caught my attention: Two companies—CMP Water and AquaFlow Technologies Inc.—both featured valves that compress the air before it reaches the meter, so you only pay...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Leanpath, a leader in enterprise food waste management, announced the launch of its new, fully touchless AI floor scale tracker for high-volume kitchens. Data from this new tracker integrates with Leanpath’s existing AI-powered platform, which automatically analyzes food waste and delivers recommended operational changes to address a kitchen’s unique challenges. Designed for speed, accuracy, and simplicity, the Floor Scale AI uses embedded machine vision to instantly recognize food waste items. The system automatically captures photos and key operational details with no user input required. This data feeds the Leanpath food waste dashboard to provide analytics, reporting, and guidance, so chefs and managers...

MIAMI—SMARTLINEN, the hospitality industry’s leading RFID-enabled linen management solution, continues to redefine hotel operations through its advanced technology, real-time data intelligence, and measurable financial impact. With more than 250 properties now actively using the SMARTLINEN platform, the company is transforming how hotels manage, protect, and optimize their linen assets globally. SMARTLINEN’s proprietary RFID platform provides real-time tracking across every stage of the linen lifecycle from guestrooms to laundry and back. By eliminating manual counts and reducing overstocking, SMARTLINEN enables hotels to lower costs, optimize par levels, and improve operational efficiency. Recent case studies illustrate the solution’s proven impact: 464 Room Historic Hotel with In-House Laundry—Reduced linen investment by 44 percent,...

BOULDER, COLO.—Eco-Products, a Novolex brand and leader in sustainable foodservice packaging, has been named the 2025 Balpex Innovation Center Award winner for its Veda reusable containers. Designed for cafeterias, campus dining halls and other on-site foodservice operations, the new Veda line makes reusable containers simple and trackable while supporting more sustainable foodservice operations. “We see reuse as the next frontier in sustainable foodservice,” said Wendell Simonson, General Manager of Eco-Products. “Veda pairs smart technology with durable design to make reuse easy for customers and achievable on a large scale.” The Balpex Innovation Center Award recognizes products that demonstrate an innovative approach, measurable business...

MIAMI—Beyond Oil USA, a food-tech innovator with patented oil purification technology, announced a strategic partnership with Eazy Grease, a leading used cooking oil recycling company that is currently contracted with more than 6,700 customers. This collaboration delivers an end-to-end solution that transforms restaurant frying oil management from extended use to responsible recycling. The partnership combines Beyond Oil’s FDA-approved filter powder, which extends frying oil life from two to three days to 35 to 45 days, with Eazy Grease’s multi-state collection and recycling services. Together, they’re establishing a new sustainability standard, enabling restaurants to dramatically reduce oil consumption while ensuring used...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Frontline International, which engineers and manufactures innovative solutions for FOG (fats, oils, and grease) management in foodservice kitchens, announced that Valerie Moreland has joined the company as customer care manager. Moreland will lead Frontline’s customer care team, helping to ensure a consistent, high-quality customer experience by developing standards and procedures, coaching team members, and analyzing customer feedback and support metrics to identify trends and drive improvements. It’s all about advancing a customer care department that responds quickly to customer needs with on-target resolutions. “I look forward to identifying opportunities to streamline processes, so we operate in the most efficient...