GREENWICH, CONN.—Starwood Capital Group announced the launch of two new hotel brands, the luxury brand Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, and the lifestyle eco-brand 1 Hotels & Resorts, with five hotel openings scheduled under the group’s hotel brand management company, SH Group. The initial five hotel openings will occur over the next 24 months and include: Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York, N.Y.; Baccarat Hotel Rabat, Morocco; 1 Hotel & Residences South Beach, Fla.; 1 Hotel Central Park, N.Y.; and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Park, N.Y.“With two revolutionary hotel brands entering the marketplace and five hotel openings in the next...

LAS VEGAS—Governor Brian Sandoval has awarded MGM Resorts International the 11th Annual Nevada Governor’s Points of Light Award for its employee volunteer initiative. The recognition comes on the heels of MGM Resorts’ announcement that in 2012, employees donated more than 113,000 volunteer hours to the community, far surpassing the corporate goal of 100,000 hours set by Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts. A total of 850 charitable organizations benefited from the employees’ community service last year. The value of time donated by MGM Resorts’ employees is estimated at more than $2.1 million, according to the Independent Sector,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Seal, the nation’s oldest nonprofit environmental certification organization, announces the publication of GS-51, a new standard designed specifically to address the life cycle impacts of laundry care products for institutional and industrial settings.Traditional laundry products are significant contributors to water pollution, and both manufacturers and users risk exposure to harmful chemicals through inhalation and skin contact when using many of these products. In addition to minimizing or eliminating the use of many hazardous ingredients often found in these products, GS-51 provides an important benchmark in terms of product concentration. The standard establishes minimum requirements for concentrated (2X)...

While “green” cleaning in hotels is common, less is known about green carpet care. This is unfortunate because, in many facilities, carpet is the largest surface used on a daily basis, and some carpet cleaning methods have the potential to negatively impact the environment. Let’s define green carpet care to help facilitate the discussion. A working definition may be as follows: “Green carpet care involves using systems, products, and procedures to help keep carpets clean and healthy with the least impact on the cleaning worker, building users, and the environment.” The goal of green carpet cleaning can be accomplished when the...

STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that it has completed the sale of Aloft and Element Lexington to Rockwood Capital for $36 million. As part of the agreement, the dual-hotel development in Lexington, Mass., will be managed under long-term license agreements by Paramount Hotel Group and continue to fly the Aloft and Element flags. In 2008, the Element Lexington was the first Starwood property to earn LEED Gold certification. The hotel has often been used as a working green laboratory by Starwood. “This sale is consistent with Starwood’s asset-light strategy as we continue to seek opportunities to...

CHICAGO—George McKerrow Jr., co-founder and chief executive of casual-dining restaurant chain Ted’s Montana Grill, recently signed a straw-free pledge that would require diners at his restaurants to ask for drinking straws instead of automatically being given one with their beverage orders.McKerrow, a longtime proponent of sustainability and sustainable business practices at his restaurants, signed the Be Straw Free pledge January 29, as a way of educating the public on how the use of plastic straws impacts the environment.The campaign is the brainchild of 11-year-old Milo Cress, a Boulder, Colo., resident who started the campaign in 2011. He is encouraging...

VANCOUVER, CANADA—Led by the Sustainable Tourism Unit and with the support of Small Planet Consulting, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism recently launched their first-ever birding tourism development plan. The preparation of the plan was championed by Earlston McPhee, head of the Sustainable Tourism Unit. McPhee is well known for his work for more than 25 years in promoting sustainable tourism development in the Caribbean and around the world.The Bahamas depends heavily on its natural environment and has taken many steps to protect it. The country is one of the first in the world to establish a Sustainable Tourism Unit...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Sage Hospitality and Optima Fund Management announced that The Westin Cleveland Downtown will open in Spring 2014 after the completion of a $64 million renovation. The contemporary 484-room hotel is located in Cleveland’s downtown financial district adjacent to the new Cleveland Convention Center and Medical Mart and just steps from Brown’s Stadium and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Ohio-based Marous Brothers Construction, design/builder on the project, began remodeling the property in December; plans include the renovation of all public areas, event space and guestrooms. The new exterior façade will feature metal panels and LED lighting that rotates...

RALEIGH, N.C.—Concord Hospitality Enterprises, one of the top-ranked hotel developer/owner/operators in North America, announced that it has stepped up its growth strategy for 2013 to include opportunistic acquisitions/divestments and third-party management in addition to continuing its aggressive development program. In 2012, the company committed more than $500 million to new development, and opened two hotels, while breaking ground on an additional six. For 2013, Concord expects to triple that performance by opening six hotels and breaking ground on 10. Looking ahead to 2014, Concord expects to open 12 newly developed hotels.“We have a very aggressive pipeline of 17 LEED-designed...

CHICAGO—The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) announces the return of the WHAT'S HOT! WHAT'S COOL! new product gallery at The NAFEM Show, February 7 to 9, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.The NAFEM Show celebrates innovative thinking in the new product gallery, a one-stop-shop spotlighting more than 125 new products—the largest gallery yet—in the areas of labor savings, sanitation, “green,” energy efficiency, food safety, life cycle costs and more.“WHAT'S HOT! WHAT'S COOL! has quickly become an integral part of The NAFEM Show because it provides a tremendous value for all foodservice professionals, buyers and sellers alike,”...