CALIFORNIA—Guests of the Fairmont San Jose, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, Fairmont Miramar Santa Monica and the Fairmont Newport Beach can breathe easier thanks to the region’s comprehensive “Clean Air” initiative. Hybrid-driving overnight hotel guests now get free parking at all California Fairmont properties. “As one of many green programs our brand has embraced, we are pleased to offer our like-minded ‘green guests’ complimentary hybrid vehicle parking at all the California Fairmont hotels and resorts,” says Francisco Gomez, regional vice president of operations and general manager of the Fairmont San Francisco. “As leading environmental...

BOSTON—The Saunders Hotel Group (SHG) and its Four Diamond Lenox Hotel in Boston have received two of travel’s most prestigious awards. The Lenox Hotel was selected as the top urban hotel in the world on Conde Nast Traveler’s Annual Green List. The Saunders Hotel Group received a second prestigious award at the Skal International Ecotourism Awards Ceremony held in Thailand. Conde Nast Traveler’s exclusive list identifies the world’s top 12 crème de la crème hotels, destinations, and tour operators. Chosen by a panel of experts, the winners are judged for their commitment to environmental initiatives, their local communities...

CHICAGO—For the second year in a row, the Green Restaurant Assn. will have a Green Restaurant Products Pavilion at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago. The event will take place May 19 to 22 at McCormick Place. “The 2007 Pavilion will be 40 percent larger than 2006 and will be located in a new, central location,” says Michael Oshman, executive director of the Green Restaurant Assn. (GRA), Boston. “The Pavilion will feature the best environmental solutions for the restaurant industry.” Some of the vendors that will participate in the Pavilion include: Sloan Valve Co., Excel Dryer Inc., U.S. Huhtamaki, Earth Alive...

Many business owners and managers are well aware of the problems caused by hard water—from clogged pipes and iron stains to spotty glassware and inferior drinking water. What they’re not always aware of, however, is the impact of hard water on energy use and the associated costs. In hotels there are several types of equipment that can be affected by hard water, in terms of impaired efficiency and wasted energy: boilers, hot water heaters, cooling towers, humidifiers, washing machines, dishwashers, and shower heads to name a few. Let’s take a look at how hard water affects the energy efficiency of boilers....

WINTER PARK, COLO.—Winter Park Resort is stepping up its efforts to ensure good stewardship of natural resources through its new environmental initiative, Connexion. The Connexion program’s goal is to inform, involve and educate resort employees, guests and the community about the environment. Connexion includes energy reduction efforts with the purchase of sustainable wind energy credits, the utilization of single-use items made from renewable resources in the resort’s on-mountain restaurants, and an expanded recycling program. The new Eagle Wind chairlift is the latest beneficiary of wind energy, continuing Winter Park’s commitment to power all future lifts with renewable energy....

CLEVELAND, OHIO—The historic 1926 Federal Reserve building in Birmingham, Ala., will soon be part of Vantage Hospitality’s Lexington Collection and the only four-star hotel in the downtown area. The Federal Reserve Renovation and Tower is located at 4th Avenue North and 18th Street North, across the street from the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse and the historic former Federal Courthouse. Phase one will involve restoring the 1926 Federal Reserve building and annex into an office and retail facility, including multiple dining establishments. Phase two will create a new office tower, the top floors of which will be home to...

QUITO, ECUADOR—Two eco-lodges in Ecuador—San Jorge Eco-Lodges and Botanical Reserves, and San Jorge de Milpe—are taking advantage of their tropical location and robust bird population to build new business. Located in northwestern South America, the country of Ecuador is rich with bird life. With more than 1,600 species of birds (roughly 20 percent of the world’s total), Ecuador is a birder’s paradise. Less than 20 minutes from the Quito airport, San Jorge is both a birding epicenter and an ecological masterpiece. Home to the Magic Birding Circuit, San Jorge offers their birding guests the unique opportunity to visit...

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND—Earlier this month, the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) won the Swiss Ethics Prize for 2006, which is organized by the Haute Ecole d’Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD) and its department known as Unit e²co. The jury, chaired by the President of the Council of State of the Canton de Vaud Pascal Broulis, rewarded EHL for the efforts it has made since 1996 in the field of renewable energy. The school’s heating and power system, the solar cells and the small wind turbine are consistent with sustainable development, and also allow EHL students to familiarize...

NATIONAL REPORT—Flat screen TVs are creating quite a dilemma for the lodging industry. Most hotels today have armoires but the new TVs will not fit. One chain is trying to figure out what to do with its 400,000 armoires. Do you throw them away? Give them away? Recycle them? If Mario Insenga, principal with The ReFinishing Touch had his way, every one of those armoires would be refinished. Insenga’s Alpharetta, Ga.-based company has devised a method to convert armoires to useable pieces of furniture. In short, what The Refinishing Touch does is remove the top of the armoire and refinish...

NATIONAL REPORT—Over the past few years we have heard a lot about the dangers of mold and mildew and especially what has been termed “toxic mold.” The danger is real. In fact, there are an estimated 64,000 types of mold and fungi, and 90 percent of them have airborne spores. They are present in every breath we take. Fortunately, there is lot you can do to control this problem. Fungi can cause health problems to both humans and animals by several different biological mechanisms: infections, allergenic or hypersensitivity reactions, irritant reactions, toxic reactions, and in certain cases they can even...