DENVER—Xanterra Parks & Resorts announced that it will install one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in the country—and the largest system in the U.S. tourism industry—in Death Valley National Park, the sunniest place in the country. The one megawatt (MW) system will harness the sun’s energy to generate more than one-third of the annual electricity needs for Xanterra’s operations there, comprised of the Furnace Creek Inn, Ranch, golf course and employee offices and housing. Xanterra’s system in Death Valley will be one of the largest privately owned PV energy systems in the country, and easily the largest...

NEW YORK—Industry experts chimed in on the state of the lodging industry and panel discussions provided valuable insights into green building design and operations at this year’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant show held at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The event wrapped up on Tuesday, November 13. The lodging industry had a good year in 2006, said Mark V. Lomanno, president of Smith Travel Research, with 75,000 new hotel rooms added to U.S. inventory (net growth of 10,000 rooms). There are currently 200,000 hotel rooms under construction. The luxury and mid-scale without food and beverage segments are experiencing...

CHICAGO—Architects, designers and end users will now have one Standard to identify carpets that have a reduced environmental impact. The first multi-attribute American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved Standard—NSF 140-2007, Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard for environmentally preferable building materials—was introduced at Greenbuild 2007. The unified Standard for sustainable carpet is voluntary, inclusive, based on life cycle assessment (LCA) principles, and offers three levels of achievement for attaining various levels of reduced environmental impact (silver, gold and platinum). By defining environmental, social and economic performance requirements, the Standard provides benchmarks for continual improvement and innovation within the building industry. “The Standard provides enormous...

NEW YORK—Ten exhibitors were honored with Editors’ Choice Awards during the Opening Ceremonies of the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), Sunday, November 11, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. This year, the awards program was expanded to include a green equivalent to each of the competition’s five traditional categories of décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant and technology. From the 10 winners, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award was selected. The 2007 IH/M&RS Editors’ Choice Award winners are: Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show”—INNCOM International (Niantic, Conn.) for the e4 Smart Digital Thermostat with ecoMODE,...

CHICAGO—For hotel developers in search of everything necessary to build smart, high performance buildings, Greenbuild was the place to be this week. Approximately 850 vendors offering everything from environmentally friendly cinder block to roofing materials to carpeting were on hand. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council, was held here in Chicago at McCormick Place. Here are just a few of the vendor announcement highlights: • As a part of its continued commitment to sustainable practices, Osram Sylvania announced its participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program. By participating in Climate Leaders, Sylvania has pledged...

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Built to use 40 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a comparable hotel, Proximity Hotel offers a glimpse of the future while celebrating the past. Sustainable practices, custom-designed furnishings, commissioned art and innovative design await guests in every corner of the 147-room luxury hotel and the adjacent Print Works Bistro. Proximity Hotel’s sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. With the goal to attain Platinum...

JACKSON HOLE, WYO.—Terra Resort Group, the Jackson Hole, Wyo.-based hotel management company, announced that Bruce Grosbety will serve as vice president of operations for Terra Resort Group and general manager of Hotel Terra Jackson Hole, its flagship eco-boutique hotel opening in January. In addition, the company has selected Afsi Behnam to be hotel manager for Hotel Terra. Both Grosbety and Behnam bring a wealth of luxury hotel experience to the new hotel, underscoring the company’s commitment to the highest service standards and guest amenities amidst an environmentally sustainable operation. Bruce Grosbety draws on more than 20 years of experience...

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYO.—It has never been easier or more affordable to take advantage of the world’s best opportunity to observe wolves in the wild. The Yellowstone Association Institute, Yellowstone National Park’s official educational partner, is offering the four-night “Winter Wolf Discovery” featuring accommodations, some meals, expert instruction and more. “Everything comes together in winter to make Yellowstone the best place in the world to see wolves in the wild,” says Jeff Brown, director of education for the Yellowstone Assn. “Wolves are spotted every day in the Lamar Valley. They follow the elk and other prey to the lower elevations near...

NATIONAL REPORT—No matter what size your facility is, chances are great that it can benefit from the latest window film advancements. In fact, some window films can help generate up to 30 percent savings in heating and cooling costs. Once questioned because of stories about bubbling or fading—mostly untrue according to experts—window film today is a reliable product that can provide many benefits. “Window film saves everybody money,” says Jeff Cohen, owner of Kustom Options, a window film installer based in Murrieta, Calif. The first benefit is energy savings. Window film, typically installed on the inside of window glass, rejects heat,...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The historic Heathman Hotel, Portland’s premier, full-service luxury hotel, was recognized by PacifiCorp recently for its efforts toward becoming a green hotel. PacifiCorp honored the Heathman as well as 14 other Oregon businesses that have worked with Energy Trust of Oregon on increasing energy efficiency and committing to sustainable practices. PacifiCorp (known as Pacific Power in Oregon) hosted approximately 100 Portland-area CEOs from their service territory in Oregon. Among the notable list of speakers talking about the future of energy were: Pat Reiten, president of Pacific Power; Greg Abel, chairman and CEO of PacifiCorp and president of Mid American...