CANCUN, MEXICO—Luxury hotelier veterans and Esencia developers Alberto Remirez, Nicolas Dominguez and Federico Carstens have joined forces to form HAMAK, a hotel group in Mexico promising to bring a new dimension of accommodations to the region. Formerly of Prohotels Management and Hotel Ikal del Mar (currently known as Tides Riviera Maya), the trio launches this new endeavor with a focus toward the creation and operation of eco-conscious hotels throughout Mexico. Together, the three hospitality professionals combine more than 50 years’ first-hand experience operating luxury boutique hotels and resorts throughout Mexico. Remirez, Dominguez and Carstens are known for incorporating local cultures...

SHANGHAI, CHINA—URBN Hotels & Resorts is collaborating with Vanke, China’s largest residential real estate developer, to construct and operate what could be the most forward-thinking, sustainably-built and green-operated hotel in Asia. The 20,000-square-meter boutique hotel is part of a larger project which will become a 200,000-square-meter commercial, retail and residential development in the Sanlin district of Pudong in Shanghai, China. URBN’s $46.7 million project will include 55 hotel rooms, 50 URBN serviced residences, and 4,500 square meters of dining, wellness and art spaces.Vanke has engaged URBN Hotels & Resorts to bring its philosophy of inspiration, sustainability and connection to...

ATLANTA—In order to move the industry forward toward more energy efficient design, ASHRAE is making it easier than ever before to access its flagship energy standard, 90.1, available as a free download for a limited time. Through a funding contract with the Department of Energy, copies of the I-P edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, are being offered as a free downloadable PDF. “Standard 90.1-2007 is widely used throughout the design community, and the download version makes it available to users at their own computers for ready and easy access,” ASHRAE president Lynn...

MCLEAN, VA.—Home2 Suites by Hilton, the newest and fastest growing brand in the history of the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands, announced it will build its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified hotel in Lexington Park, Md. As the brand’s fifth U.S. property to break ground, this will also be the first LEED certified hotel in Southern Maryland. Scheduled for completion in Q1 2012, the 100-suite, four-story hotel will be owned by Lexington Park Hotel Partners III and managed by Cherry Cove Hospitality Management, LLC. The hotel will be constructed by Herman/Stewart Construction of Lanham, Md., one...

HALEIWA, HAWAII—Hawaiian Hospitality Group, Inc., a growing provider of sustainable land use solutions and event services, announced that its newly acquired submarine tour business will add to the company’s spectrum of green service offerings. Wholly owned Submersible Technical Services LLC will provide unique undersea adventures using quiet, electric-powered submersible vehicles with near-zero environmental impact. Hawaiian Hospitality Group operates an eco-friendly destination wedding site, has partnered with a solar distributor to provide solar energy systems, and is pursuing additional sustainable property development opportunities on Oahu’s North Shore. Hawaiian Hospitality Group’s Submersible Technical Services LLC will operate the SportSub III, a state-of-the-art...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Forever Resorts, an industry leader in environmentally sound best practices, recently unveiled and dedicated its award-winning Forever Earth houseboat at the Diablo East Marina on Lake Amistad. Forever Earth is a 67-foot floating environmental classroom that represents a public/private partnership between the Lake Amistad National Recreation Area and Forever Resorts, which donated the vessel through the Big Bend Natural History Association. It was designed to support and encourage environmental education and study at Lake Amistad as well as to improve and enhance understanding of the history and environmental importance of the lake by school groups. Through its “Lessons on...

ATLANTA—The world’s biggest HVAC Expo and the largest membership-based HVAC&R engineering society have chosen Las Vegas as the site of the ASHRAE 2011 Winter Conference and AHR Expo. The extravagant setting of Las Vegas serves as a unique contrast to ASHRAE’s Winter Conference theme of A Safe Bet: Zero-Energy Design. It is sure to highlight the importance of finding the balance in design. The 2011 Winter Conference takes place January 29 to February 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo, held in conjunction with the Winter Conference, will run January 31 to February 2....

CHICAGO—A forest of family fun is “fall-ing” in the Windy City, as the “Exploring Trees Inside and Out” traveling exhibit plants its roots and opens at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Presented by Doubletree Hotels and the Arbor Day Foundation, this environmental education outreach project on display through January 30, 2011, offers young children a dynamic and interactive opportunity to explore the beauty of the great outdoors through the incredible wonder of trees. “Doubletree Hotels and the Arbor Day Foundation have worked together to successfully encourage more than one million kids and adults to visit ‘Exploring...

NASHVILLE—As part of Tennessee’s ongoing Sustainable Tourism initiative, a green certification workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. November 30 in Memphis at Marriott Memphis Downtown. Sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, this workshop, the final of five scheduled throughout the state this year, will facilitate discussions and solicit partner input regarding the development of a state green certification program for the tour and travel industry. In addition, the events will provide continued sustainable tourism resources, case studies, best practices and access to leading experts. This initiative will...

CHICAGO—Architects, designers, retailers and consumers now have an American National Standard that helps identify sustainable and environmentally-preferable wallcoverings: NSF/ANSI 342: Sustainability Assessment for Wallcovering Products. NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to protecting public health and the environment, announced the adoption of the first American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved wallcovering standard at Greenbuild 2010. The NSF/ANSI 342 sustainable wallcovering standard was developed through the National Center for Sustainability Standards, which was founded by NSF to develop national standards and protocols for measuring sustainability attributes and conformity assessment programs to help verify sustainability claims. The Center is helping to eliminate...