DIAMOND BAR, CALIF.—SteamSuite, a high-end steam shower manufacturer, has created an amenity that provides guests with a relaxing spa environment in the privacy of their own room, while also enabling hotels to save exponentially on their water bill while adding an up-charge to guests’ overall room charges. “Steam bathing is clinically proven to release toxins from the body, improve respiration and circulation, and ease tense muscles,” says SteamSuite president Jari Ristola. “The benefits of steam not only improve a guest’s experience at your hotel, but encourage them to return.” It is a fact that the steam shower is a more functional...

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO—The San Juan Marriott has joined forces with Sustainable Travel International (STI) on its pioneering TravelGreen program, which will allow it to offer carbon neutral accommodations—the first hotel in Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, to do so. Carbon neutral means the point at which greenhouse gas emissions have been identified, measured, reduced where possible, and 100 percent of the remaining emissions have been offset through high quality renewable energy or energy efficiency projects. TravelGreen allows San Juan Marriott guests the opportunity to do something proactive and help offset greenhouse gas emissions. A typical one-night hotel stay...

KO OLINA, OAHU, HAWAII—The JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina is the first property in Hawaii and one of the first in the nation to adopt the PURE system which creates an allergy-friendly environment. All of the hotel’s 13 guestrooms and Presidential Suite on its 17th (top) floor have been converted to the system, and indoor meeting facilities and the Ihilani Spa will be converted by the end of the year. The allergy-friendly environment can help ease respiratory problems, asthma and allergies that affect more than 70 million Americans. “By providing PURE allergy-friendly hotel rooms and conference...

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—Friday the thirteenth was a lucky day for participants in the Florida Green Lodging Program, an effort by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to encourage the lodging industry to conserve and protect Florida’s natural resources. It was on that day that Governor Charlie Crist issued an Executive Order that will require all state agencies and departments under his direction to do business only with Florida Green Lodging Program participants as of January 1, 2008. Crist issued the order during a speech outlining his direction for Florida’s energy future. Twenty-five Florida hotels are currently certified as Green Lodging...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Editors’ Choice Awards competition at the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) is going green, as an eco-friendly counterpart is added to each of the five categories presented annually—décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant and technology. A total of 10 Editors’ Choice Awards will be presented at the 2007 IH/M&RS, recognizing the most innovative new products—and environmentally sound products—for the hospitality industry. In addition, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award will spotlight the overall best new product introduced at the market, taking place November 10-13, 2007, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Would Al Gore forget to turn off the lights before running out the door? Maybe, if that door led to a hotel room. Travel can turn even the most Prius-like consumer into a gas-guzzling SUV, according to a survey of frequent travelers commissioned by element Hotels, a new Westin-inspired extended-stay brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. In fact, a majority of frequent travelers—59 percent—admit to letting their “green routines” slip when on the road. For example, a majority of people—60 percent—are more likely to leave a bathroom light on overnight in an unfamiliar hotel room...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) as a Founding Sponsor. The IH/M&RS is the premier marketplace for the hospitality industry, featuring 1,250 exhibitors showcasing products and services for lodging and culinary buyers and attracting more than 35,000 in total trade attendance. Exhibitors—organized into vertical market categories—showcase the newest products and services available to the hotel and restaurant industries, including furnishings, technology, foodservice equipment, food & beverage, linens, amenities, tableware, cleaning and more. The hospitality industry’s most influential buyers from hotels, restaurants, purchasing companies, owner groups, design firms,...

ANNAPOLIS, MD.—In an era of smoke-free spaces, green energy, eco-friendly products and environmental health, Thayer Lodging Group, a privately held real estate investment company with a portfolio of 14 hotels and over 2,800 guest rooms, recently announced it will offer allergy-friendly guest accommodations at 10 of its hotels and 99.9 percent allergenic-free meeting facilities at four of its Executive Meeting Centers (EMC) and Conference Centers. “Thayer Lodging Group has emerged as an industry leader in offering travelers healthy alternatives to meeting and sleeping accommodations,” says Haley Payne, director of wellness for Thayer Lodging. “By offering PURE allergy-friendly hotel...

SAN FRANCISCO—Sally Robb Haims Public Relations has launched one of the country’s first public relations practices specializing in media relations for sustainable spas, hotels, and beauty companies. The Green Spa Network (GSN) recently named Sally Robb Haims Public Relations as their agency. The GSN is a group of prominent North American spas dedicated to bringing sustainable design and operating practices to the spa industry and to promoting the natural connections between personal well-being, economic sustainability, and the health of the planet. Based in San Francisco, Sally Robb Haims Public Relations will initially assist with strategic counsel and media...

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—In support of a companywide initiative for a Sustainable Summer—a new program that will encourage the company’s colleagues from all corners of the globe to put the concerns of the planet at the forefront on Friday, June 22, 2007—the employees of the Fairmont Newport Beach will do their part by staging a “sleep in” for the inaugural Dream in Green-Summer Solstice Sleepover, 2007. “Southern California and the OC are such a car-driven culture that it would be nearly impossible for some of our employees to consider walking, biking or taking public transportation to work,” says general...