SEATTLE—Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward, announced the summer 2024 opening of Hotel Westland, a carbon positive, adaptive reuse hotel in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood. Construction recently began on the 120-room hotel to modernize the historic structure, giving it a second life and ensuring it lasts for generations to come. Operated by Aparium Hotel Group and architecturally designed by The Miller Hull Partnership with interiors by Curioso, the boutique lifestyle hotel will highlight historic character maintained from the building’s 1907 construction, modern guestrooms and amenities, Pioneer Square’s first rooftop bar, and a signature restaurant, fueled by an authentic connection to...

DURHAM, N.C.—Cree LED, an SGH company, announced that three of its latest product releases have been recognized with BrightStar Awards by LEDs Magazine. The XLamp Element G LEDs and XLamp Pro9 LEDs were recognized in the “LED Light Sources” category, while the Photophyll Select LEDs were recognized in the “Horticultural SSL and Controls Systems” category. In addition, Cree LED was selected as an honoree by a respected panel of judges from the LED and lighting design and manufacturing community. The BrightStar Awards are given based on five key factors: performance, reliability, efficiency, ease of integration/use, and innovation in the design of LED-based lighting products and components. Highlights and distinguishing...

AHLA last conducted The Lodging Survey with STR in 2018. It provided valuable information on numerous trends in lodging, including ones falling under Sustainability. AHLA and STR no longer conduct that survey. A very valuable replacement to that survey is the 2022 Green Lodging Trends U.S. Market Report. It is based on U.S.-specific data gathered for the 2022 edition of the global Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR). The newly available U.S. report from AHLA—representing its Responsible Stay program—is based on data from 17,000 U.S. hotels. There were two data collection methods: direct participation by responding to the GLTR survey on...

NEW YORK—One of Manhattan’s most prominent luxury hotels—the 463 all-suite Conrad New York Downtown—keeps pushing the bar higher for sustainability leadership in the Big Apple. Since opening in 2012, the hotel has maintained its LEED Gold certification, implemented numerous water-, energy- and waste-saving initiatives, and it just recently became the first hotel in the city and one of the first in the U.S. to utilize Power Over Ethernet (PoE) technology. The Sinclair in Fort Worth, Texas also uses this technology. PoE is used at the Conrad New York Downtown to power LED lighting in the lobby, in the newly renovated...

KALAMAZOO, MICH.—Landscape Forms, North America’s leading designer and manufacturer of high-design LED lighting, site furniture, structure, and accessories, announced it is now a gold-level sponsor of the Women in Lighting + Design (WILD) organization. WILD is a volunteer-run organization with approximately 1,500 members across 20 chapters in the U.S. and Canada. Its mission is to provide the lighting community an inclusive and open environment for professional and personal growth by offering networking, mentorship, and knowledge sharing. President of WILD Kelly Roberts is Studio Director at WALD Studio (William Armstrong Lighting Design) in New York City. She has been associated with...

ATLANTA—Acuity Brands, Inc. announced the launch of its DC2DC architecture, a distributed low-voltage DC power and digital controls platform. The architecture eliminates the need to convert AC to DC power at the luminaire, resulting in efficiency gains and increased reliability of the lighting system, leading to reduced maintenance and operation costs. The platform relies on Class 2 cabling to provide power and communications to each luminaire, eliminating conduit, junction boxes, and power packs, while providing greater lighting controls design flexibility with individually addressable luminaires. The DC2DC architecture can also facilitate direct connection to renewable energy sources, supporting buildings converting to...

TUCSON, ARIZ.—The International Dark-Sky Association (DarkSky) invites people worldwide to reconnect with the benefits of a dark, star-filled sky and learn how to reduce the negative impacts of light pollution to humans, wildlife, and ecosystems during International Dark Sky Week (IDSW) 2023, this week, April 15 to 22. From Tucson, Ariz., to Turkey, information on events can be found at idsw.darksky.org. Hosted by DarkSky advocates, delegates, chapters, and DarkSky places, events include night walks, astrophotography lessons, star parties, proclamations, and special presentations about the benefits of dark skies to humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. “International Dark Sky Week provides a wonderful opportunity for...

ATLANTA—Honeywell recently announced a new collaboration with Marriott International to improve in-room comfort and control for guests who stay at hotels across Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of hotel brands. Together, Honeywell and the Marriott Design Lab will explore opportunities to test and deploy personalized and innovative guestroom control offerings building on the Honeywell INNCOM product suite that features leading guestroom automation, energy management and operational efficiency offerings. The effort will take a guest-centric approach to create better experiences. Honeywell will work with the Marriott Design Lab to explore how a guest’s interactions with technology can affect mood and energy, anticipate a...

COMMERCE, CALIF.—Nora Lighting, a leading manufacturer and designer of high-quality lighting solutions, announces the launch of their new Iolite Can-less LED downlights. Based on the award-winning Iolite Series, can-less LED downlights are an innovative new lighting product that provides a sleek and modern lighting solution for residential and commercial spaces. The modular design allows for a variety of options including CCT options, field changeable optics, trims, and filter accessories. What sets the Ioltie Can-less LED downlights apart from other lighting solutions is their ease of installation. The can-less design means that there is no need for a bulky recessed housing, allowing...

DUBUQUE, IOWA—Innovative Ink Publishing, an imprint of Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, has released Sustainable Hospitality, written by green hospitality industry expert Dan Ruben. The textbook provides hospitality professionals and students with the knowledge and resources to make their properties environmentally sustainable. “The target audience is hospitality professionals who work for hotels, cruise ships, and other hospitality sectors, as well as hospitality students,” Ruben says. “Managers of senior living facilities, dormitories, and other lodging facilities will benefit from this book, too. Sustainable Hospitality offers a roadmap to a leaner operation—one where less energy and water are consumed, and where less waste is generated....