PHILADELPHIA—AKA University City recently launched a new “gardening program amongst the clouds.” Set atop the building’s exclusive Level 28 overlooking the Philadelphia skyline, this new amenity will be the city’s tallest communal herb garden, rising over 400 feet in the sky. Custom-made garden boxes have been installed and will be available for residents to help plant, maintain, and use for personal cooking or cocktails in their full kitchens—giving residents and guests yet another sense of home during their stay at AKA, the world’s most livable hotels. Herbs such as mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, and more will also be harvested and...

CHICAGO—As inflation, supply chain challenges, labor issues, and increased food costs bedevil operators, many are seeking ways to control expenses. Reducing back-of-the-house food waste is one of them. From using technology to track the amount of waste they produce to monitoring how much food they purchase to using up the ingredients stored in their pantries and walk-ins, restaurateurs are getting more creative about operating more efficiently. Swapping Supplies Chad Langston, District Manager for a Zaxby’s franchise in Clarkesville, Ga., says his group of 12 stores controls costs by communicating regularly and swapping supplies. Each store purchases what they need, and then trades and shares...

If you have an f&b operation in your hotel, even if it is just serving breakfast, you will benefit from a new guide from an organization called Beyond Plastics. The guide is titled, “Hold the Plastic, Please: A Restaurant’s Guide to Reducing Plastic.” The 47-page guide, which is free and available online for anyone to access, states that a shocking 44 percent of plastic litter in the ocean consists of takeout food and drink containers. (The second biggest source is fishing gear.) The Guide not only states the problem with plastics; it offers plastics reduction suggestions as well. The Guide begins...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Jumeirah Beach Hotel is saying goodbye to single-use plastic bottles by installing a top-of-the-range Nordaq glass bottling plant at the resort. With roughly 300 million tons of plastic produced each year and nearly 8.8 million tons dumped directly into our oceans, the Dubai family resort is contributing to the fight against discarded plastic by replacing single-use water bottles in its rooms and suites with reusable glass bottles. The hotel’s in-house water treatment and bottling operations will eliminate single-use bottles and give guests an eco-friendly alternative. This is in-line with the Dubai Can initiative from His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin...

SAN DIEGO—Hotels and resorts struggling with loss of towels have a new option for their guest’s makeup removal and hygiene needs. Continuing in its spirit of innovation, Nimbus has debuted a new plant-based towel that can be used on the face, body, and even surfaces to clean away dirt and germs while also carrying several eco-friendly credentials including being FSC Certified, compostable, reusable, plastic-free, and flushable. These towels come in a compressed form when shipped and expand when water is added so companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their ESG ratings stand to benefit by replacing...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Scandic has opened Scandic Nørreport, a boutique hotel located in central Copenhagen, providing guests with a new type of hotel experience featuring 100 stylish rooms and a rooftop bar overlooking the city. Scandic Nørreport will also be the first Danish hotel to be certified according to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new, stricter requirements. Located next to Nørreport Station and Kongens Have, Scandic Nørreport is Scandic’s ninth hotel in downtown Copenhagen and 29th hotel in Denmark. The hotel has been designed with a focus on providing an ultra-comfortable stay in the heart of the city and features a rooftop bar with spectacular...

BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—When people think of Whirlpool Corp., they think about washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, cooking, and small appliances for the home; but the company also manufactures commercial laundry machines that are used in a number of environments including hotels, fire stations, apartment buildings and laundromats. Whirlpool Corp.’s commercial laundry team works very closely with the Coin Laundry Association (CLA), which was founded over 60 years ago and has become the largest trade association for the self-service laundry industry. CLA members include laundromat owners, prospective laundromat owners, equipment distributors and manufacturers. “CLA is a very strong ally of ours,” said Commercial Laundry...

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO—AMATTE Wellnest Community is the newest lodging proposal in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. With a design that incorporates the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, or acceptance of imperfections, each of the spaces in this “nest” was created with how guests will experience it in mind, from the timeless beauty of its architecture to daring corners that fill common areas with sensuality and the comfortable guestrooms. The purpose of the property is to transmit a state of well-being to guests from the moment of their arrival. The facilities have an intrinsic sense of sustainability, being built under the...

RIPON, WIS.—UniMac, a leading brand in the on-premises laundry market and part of Alliance Laundry Systems, a global leader in commercial laundry equipment, announces the release of its next generation control platform. UniLinc Touch builds on the advantages of its popular UniLinc control and puts them in a touchscreen. “Our UniLinc control’s advanced functionality and ease of use were revolutionary when we launched it years ago. Today, I’m excited to take it next level,” said Eric Meyers, General Manager of laundromat and on-premises laundry segments for Alliance Laundry Systems. “We’ve added on to a platform that was already successful to...

NEW YORK—The Javits Center announced the creation of Jacob’s Harvest, a new line of pickled produce from the convention center’s new one-acre rooftop farm. The bottled produce is harvested directly from the rooftop farm—which was completed last year as part of a 1.2 million square-foot expansion—and will be distributed to customers and visitors to raise awareness about the venue’s roof-to-table culinary program. Managed by urban farming company Brooklyn Grange, the rooftop farm is in its first full season and is expected to generate up to 40,000 pounds of annual produce. From arugula to zucchini, the various crops being grown...