HOLLYWOOD, FLA.—Digital tipping platform youtip was named “Most Innovative Startup of the Year” during the 27th Annual Phocuswright Conference. youtip Co-Founder and CEO Doug Miles presented the solution to a panel of judges during the event’s Innovation: Summit Awards program. Vying against seven other companies, youtip emerged as the leading “innovation poised for major breakout in the next year and beyond.” “It’s an honor to be recognized as the most innovative startup disrupting the travel and hospitality landscape,” Miles said. “youtip Co-Founders Sarah Taveprungsenukul, Nicholas Okuley, and I are proud that our digital tipping platform is having such a positive impact on businesses and filling the void in the...

This past week the National Restaurant Assn. released the results of its What’s Hot Culinary Forecast for 2022, which offers a detailed look at the topics, trends, and products expected to drive restaurant menus in the coming year across a variety of categories including daypart occasions, menu categories, beverages, flavors, global inspirations, packaging/off-premises trends and industry macro-trends. The What’s Hot survey was conducted in October 2021. More than 350 professional chefs of the American Culinary Federation rated 109 food items and culinary concepts compiled by Association experts and Technomic’s Menu Research & Insights Division. Download the full report here. After demand for comfort...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Green Theme Technologies Inc., a global leader in innovative and sustainable textile finishing, announced that new third-party testing shows the brand’s EMPEL platform provides robust stain release and creates a protective PFC-free treatment that outperforms other currently available options. GTT launched the EMPEL platform in 2018 with the goal of eliminating toxic PFCs (perflurocarbons) from textile processing. In addition to being highly sustainable, EMPEL delivers the highest water repellency and longest lasting protection available. The EMPEL Stain Release product encapsulates each fiber inside a yarn with a molecular protective polymer, which creates a barrier preventing stains from sticking to fabrics. According...

BANGKOK—Encompassing three private islands—two deserted neighboring islands and Kanuhura itself—this laid-back retreat is the epitome of white sands, turquoise lagoons, lush tropical greenery and gently swaying palm trees to doze under. This second collaboration with Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) will adopt the Six Senses brand in late 2022 as a northerly sister to the popular Six Senses Laamu. Until then, it is available for bookings through www.kanuhura-maldives.com and www.ihg.com. When it adopts the Six Senses brand, the resort will offer 80 private overwater, beach and spacious family villas offering sunset or sunrise views. A 40-minute seaplane flight from the main international airport...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Organic kombucha and tea leader Brew Dr. has expanded its popular Uplift yerba mate product line with a new “Sweet Mint” flavor, now available in select markets nationwide. Like all Brew Dr. products, Uplift Sweet Mint is crafted with certified organic ingredients. As a B Corp, the company is committed to business done with thoughtful care for people, ingredients, and the planet. Brew Dr.’s Uplift product line combines high-quality and ethically sourced Ecuadorian yerba mate, Agentinian guayusa leaves, Chinese green tea, and the addition of millions of gut-healthy probiotics. Each 16oz can contains 150mg of clean and natural plant-derived...

SAN FRANCISCO—FiveADRIFT has announced the launch of their sustainably crafted towels. The company is on a mission to remove ocean plastic and end consumption of single-use plastic—one towel at a time. FiveADRIFT’s luxurious, fast-drying, and lightweight beach towels are made from all-natural hemp and cotton fibers with 100 percent of profits going to the removal of plastic from the ocean; about 75 plastic bottles are removed from the ocean for each purchase. The beach towels are now available for purchase via their website and newsletter subscribers get access to an exclusive discount. More Than a Towel: The FiveADRIFT Mission FiveADRIFT believes that every decision and...

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.—The marriage of Vero Water and Quench is good news for hoteliers and good news for the environment. Quench, a Culligan company, announced the acquisition of Vero Water earlier this month. Vero Water and Quench both offer filtered water systems that eliminate single-use plastic bottle waste, significantly reducing carbon emissions and minimizing overall environmental impact. Quench is a leader in providing point-of-use water dispensers, ice machines, sparkling water machines, and coffee machines that offer users many consumption choices, including quenchWATER+ alkaline water, RO water, chewable ice, sparkling water, flavored water, and coffee. Vero Water offers on-site purification...

It is not something you put on your calendar, but this week is Rodent Awareness Week. A big thank you to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) for sharing some tips on how to deter rodents. Perform regular rodent inspections. Knowing where to look and what to look for can help solve a rodent issue before it gets worse. The top sign of a rodent issue is seeing a live or dead rodent. Some other common signs of a rodent infestation are droppings, gnaw marks, nests, urine stains, and tracks or rub marks. It is also important to inspect...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that bans the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from paper, paperboard or plant-based food packaging, utensils and paper straws, effective January 1, 2023. Authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), the law also requires manufacturers to label cookware that contains toxic chemicals on product handles or coatings, starting January 1, 2024. Beginning January 1, 2023, manufacturers will also have to make public on their websites a list of those chemicals present in their pots, pans, and other cookware. Cookware companies will also be prohibited from making false marketing claims implying that products are PFAS-free. ‘Sensible Laws’ “Gov. Newsom understands...

NATIONAL REPORT—As with many other aspects of government policy, overfishing and other fishing-related environmental issues are a real problem, but it’s not clear that government intervention is the solution. Indeed, it might be one of the main drivers of overfishing and other conservation and sustainability issues stemming from commercial fishing. Much like drone fishing, there are serious ethical issues of interest to the average angler. There’s another commonality that overfishing has with environmental issues more broadly: The Western companies primarily concerned with serious efforts to curb overfishing are not the ones who are most guilty of overfishing. What this means...