NEW YORK—The panelist lineups for the green sessions that will be part of the inaugural HX: The Hotel Experience (formerly International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show) and Boutique Design New York (BDNY) have been finalized. The HX sessions will take place over three days, November 8 to 10, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The BDNY sessions will take place also at the Javits from November 8 to 9.
Planned for Sunday, November 8 from noon to 12:45 p.m. is “The Numbers Behind the Trends—Gauging Traveler/Hotelier Reaction to the Greening of Lodging.” As awareness of sustainability has grown among business and leisure travelers in recent years, hoteliers increasingly have put green practices in place to reduce their environmental impact, increase profitability, and have a positive impact on their communities. Knowing exactly what green practices appeal to business and leisure travelers and how they react to them, and specifically what best practices hoteliers are adopting and finding of most value has been a challenge. The travel industry’s leading experts, representing STR (Smith Travel Research), Cornell University and Greenview will share research they have conducted that will shed light on consumer and hotelier reaction to sustainability trends in recent years. The experts will also make predictions for 2020. The moderator will be Glenn Hasek, Publisher & Editor, Green Lodging News. Panelists will include: Lindsay Culbreath, Senior Director of Business Development & Marketing for STR; Eric Ricaurte, Founder & CEO, Greenview; and Rohit Verma, Ph.D, Executive Director, Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures.
On Monday, November 9 from 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the session, “C-Level Strategy—What’s Driving Lodging’s Leading Companies to Invest in Sustainability”, will be held. For people, planet, profit? Or, another reason? C-level representatives of some of lodging’s leading companies and hotels will explain their companies’ rationale for investing in sustainability. Is the ROI measurable? In regard to energy, water and waste it certainly is, but how do you measure the goodwill that is created among investors, employees, meeting planners, guests and other stakeholders? Panelists will explain why making sustainability a part of a company’s DNA is a smart strategy and give specific examples of initiatives that have worked very well. The moderator for the session will be Glenn Hasek, Publisher & Editor, Green Lodging News. Panelists will include: Faith Taylor, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Wyndham Worldwide; Michael Laas, Corporate Director of Impact, SH Group (for 1 Hotels); and Maxime Verstraete, Vice President Sustainability & ADA Compliance at Hilton Worldwide.
Innovation in the Laundry
On Tuesday, November 10, from 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m., the session, “You Want Me to Do What?…in the Laundry?”, will be held. Advances in technology—controls innovations, higher extract speeds, water recycling, ozonation, even the use of polymer beads by one supplier—have made it easy to cut wash and dry times while saving energy, water and chemicals. Meanwhile, at least two major suppliers have rolled out chemical programs that allow one to wash in colder temperatures—without sacrificing linen quality. What makes the most sense for your laundry operation? Don’t miss what is expected to be a “heated” debate among lodging’s leading suppliers. Expect to walk away with a “laundry” list of ways to reduce your hotel’s environmental impact. The moderator for the session will be Glenn Hasek, Publisher & Editor, Green Lodging News. Panelists will include: Bob Beddingfield, President, Water Energy Technologies and Laundry Consulting; John Rasimas, Regional Sales Manager, Pellerin Milnor Corp.; Joe Bazzinotti, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Xeros, Inc.; and Arturo Pimentel, Section Head for North America P&G Professional Business.
The three green sessions will take place on the show floor of the Javits Center in a new area called HX: ONSTAGE. Attendee registration, travel arrangements and all other event information can be found on the HX website at www.thehotelexperience.us.
Boutique Design New York Sessions
At BDNY on November 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. is “Innovations in Energy and Water.” The moderator for the session will be Lorraine Francis, Regional Director of Hospitality Interiors for Gensler. Speakers will include: Brian Hassig, CEO, High Touch Design Science; Kirby Brendsel, Associate Director Sustainability, Global Citizenship, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.; and Randy Gaines, Vice President Operations & New Project Development Americas, Hilton Worldwide.
From 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. on November 8, David Mahood, Co-Principal, Olive Hospitality Consulting, will lead a discussion on “Urban Landscaping, Community Gardens, and Central Parks: How to Add Value To Your Urban Hotel From The Experiences Of One Of The World’s Greatest Cities: New York.” The presentation is part of the NEWH Green Voice Conversations series. On November 9, from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., also as part of the NEWH Green Voice Conversations series, the topic will be, “Designing to the Human Experience.” The moderator will be Lorraine Francis. The speaker will be Debra Duneier, Founder and President, EcoChi, LLC.
To learn more about BDNY and all other educational opportunities, click here.
