WEST ORANGE, N.J.—The Inn at the Manor, a 128-suite Marriott Residence Inn, has completed the installation of a solar electric generating system. The solar arrays are installed on southeast and southwest facing roofs, and include 700 Sharp and Sanyo photovoltaic modules. The Solar Center, a Denville, N.J.-based solar energy company, was selected to design and install the 108 kW system. “The system was recently started and it worked flawlessly,” says Dennis Wilson, the president of The Solar Center. “Over the system’s 30-plus-years lifespan, it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 3,000 tons, equivalent to planting 43 acres...

NATIONAL REPORT—Foodservice operations are notorious for generating a lot of waste. Oftentimes, this can mean higher hauling fees, labor costs associated with trips to the dumpster, poor indoor air quality and a greater likelihood for pests and their related costs. Fortunately, equipment such as disposers and in-kitchen composting machines are available to reduce foodservice waste. According to Bill Sobanski, general manager for InSinkErator, Racine, Wisc., most hotels with some type of foodservice operation use disposers. Larger facilities often will have multiple disposers for food waste. With running water acting as the means for removal, disposers pulverize the waste. It ultimately...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) announces the launch of the GMIC Green Meetings Discussion Forum. The discussion board for green meeting professionals can be found at: www.greenmeetings.info/forum/. The GMIC is providing these moderated forums as a means for meeting professionals to network with each other to share information and expertise in support of a greener meeting industry. Meeting professionals are invited and encouraged to seek help and provide assistance to each other through these forums. To view the forums, click on the “Register” link in the top toolbar, left-hand side and fill in your information....

MILL VALLEY, CALIF.—Opening in June 2007 in Napa Valley, Solage Calistoga will prove that pampering guests and sustainability can go hand in hand. The first property from Auberge Resorts’ fresh new luxury brand will reflect a philosophy of eco-consciousness that focuses not only on environmental stewardship, but also personal health and wellbeing. “Solage Calistoga will give us an exciting opportunity to put our environmental beliefs into action,” says Mark Harmon, CEO and managing partner, Auberge Resorts. “We think it’s possible for a resort to operate sustainably without sacrificing style or luxury. We’re confident that our guests and staff...

Respiratory illness, allergies and asthma. Most hotel operators would consider these ailments to be unwanted guests. But hoteliers who do not pay close attention to their HVAC air filtration system may be placing these disorders on their room service menus. More than one-quarter of respiratory illnesses in the United States can be traced to poor indoor air quality (IAQ). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air is often two to five times more polluted than outdoor air—a statistic that becomes more shocking when you consider that Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Unfortunately, poor IAQ...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Phase one of the Hope Lake Lodge in Cortland, N.Y., is scheduled to begin construction within the next 60 days. The year-round family resort will include the renowned Greek Peak Ski Resort, a new 106-room Lexington Resort and Villas, an indoor water park, restaurant, and a Cascades International Spa. The Lexington Resort and Villas is being designed to comply with U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will include geothermal heating and cooling elements. “This is a very exciting time for us,” says Sam Kryger, vice president of Peak Resorts Inc.,...

VANCOUVER, WASH.—The Hilton Vancouver Washington—one of the country’s first green, environmentally sustainable hotels—has been certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, the nationally accepted benchmark for green buildings. This coveted certification recognizes buildings’ superior performance in areas such as water savings, low-impact landscaping, reduced energy use and indoor air quality. The Hilton Vancouver Washington is the first LEED-certified Hilton in the world and one of only a handful of LEED-certified hotels in the United States. “We are obviously very proud to have a hotel in America’s Vancouver receive this prestigious certification,” says Mayor Royce Pollard. “It is...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marriott International Inc. announced that it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 70,000 tons in one year—the equivalent of removing 10,000 cars from U.S. streets. As the first hotel company to proactively join the prestigious U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Leaders Program, Marriott has set a five-year goal to reduce greenhouse gases by 6 percent per guestroom by 2010 and launched Marriott’s Retro-Commissioning (MRC) initiative last year to maximize energy in all U.S. hotels. As a result, Marriott reduced greenhouse gases in 2006 by 2 percent in each guestroom. Today, the company has been awarded...

NASHVILLE—In an ongoing effort to respond directly to client feedback as well as provide healthy environments for their guests and STARS (employees), Gaylord Hotels will become completely smoke free as of February 12, 2007. This includes the brand’s existing properties—Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Fla., and Gaylord Texan on Lake Grapevine near Dallas—as well as Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland, which is slated to open in 2008. The announcement was made by John Caparella, executive vice president and COO of Gaylord Hotels. “We pride ourselves on offering extraordinary environments...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Mirage’s $7 billion City Center project, an 18-million-square-foot development that will encompass 76 acres of the Las Vegas Strip between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts, is moving closer to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification one big bucket of dirt at a time. Construction has been underway for nine months now and foundations have been poured for each of the project’s seven towers. Set to open in late 2009, the mixed-use project will include the following: a soaring 60-story, 4,000-room hotel tower, casino and convention center; a five-star, 400-room Mandarin Oriental; 400-room Harmon...