CORONADO, CALIF.—Established in 1888, the legendary Hotel del Coronado has achieved another milestone by being the oldest hotel in the United States to receive Bronze Level certification by Green Seal. In accordance to Green Seal’s environmental management system, the hotel has made significant progress against the four pillars: climate change, waste, natural resources, and health and well-being. “The entire staff embraced a culture of environmental responsibility, which supported our efforts to overcome the challenges associated with being a 123-year-old property,” says Donna Gonser, hotel manager. Paper, cardboard, wood pallets, plastic containers, aluminum cans and glass are separated and recycled resort-wide....

SILVER SPRING, MD.—Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced a number of efforts it has undertaken to underscore its ongoing commitment to the environment. These initiatives are in support of the company’s Room to Be Green environmental protection program and in honor of the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, being celebrated Friday, April 22. At the hotel level, the company has significantly increased the number of hotels in its Room to Be Green program to more than 1,300 hotels. Since the program launched in 2009, these hotels have achieved significant reductions in energy and water usage, measurable in billions of kilowatt hours...

A little more than two years ago, while attending the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in San Diego, I had an opportunity to attend a media event at which Hilton Worldwide unveiled its new mid-tier extended-stay brand—Home2 Suites by Hilton. The timing was not the best, just four or five months after the economy took a dive, but the launch has turned out to be a very successful one. Two hotels have already opened—one in Fayetteville, N.C. (see article), and another in Layton, Utah. According to Bill Duncan, global head, Home2 Suites, eight or nine Home2 Suites properties should be...

SAN FRANCISCO—Smith & Fong Co. announced the company has launched a new range of sugar-palm plywood, wall paneling and flooring products. Joining the company’s line of Durapalm coconut palm plywood, flooring, veneers and panels, Smith & Fong’s new Deco palm products feature an almost three-dimensional appearance. “The new Deco palm design is an assemblage of the full range of textures and rich colors inherent to this species of palm,” company founder and president Dan Smith said. “The Deco wall panel product is actually three-dimensional, as the surface is constructed of varying thicknesses of material. Our flooring and plywood sheet products...

DALLAS—An interactive dashboard that integrates in-room electronic systems and status including occupancy, locks, safes, lighting, energy management and more, allows hotel properties to manage subsystems remotely over the hotel LAN or Web-based connection. This software-based system, Integrated Room Control Dashboard, is an integral part of Orion by VingCard Elsafe, the new intelligent energy management solution from VingCard Elsafe. The energy management system was designed to automatically control temperature settings as guests travel in and out of their rooms, thereby reducing energy costs while ensuring guest comfort. As it integrates with a hotel’s wireless online locks, safes, lights and other networked...

DENVER—Atmosphere Hospitality Management, which introduced its full service, 180-suite Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites prototype earlier this year, has added a 112-room select service option for developers called Adoba Eco Inn. Every Adoba Eco Inn, like each Adoba Eco Hotel & Suites, will be required to achieve Gold or Platinum certification through the U.S. Green Business Council’s LEED certification process for new construction. The Adoba Eco Inn prototype features the brand’s green “DNA”—Distinctively New Attributes—such as Adoba Smart Solar Roofing, A-Gemini Alternative Wind Energy Solution, the A-Gemini Total Technology Property Management System, and the Journey Rewards program. “The development and...

WILMINGTON, DEL.—American Hometec, Inc., a pioneer and leader of Coilless Technology for tankless water heaters, announced the expansion of its sales team to meet escalating demand for its tankless water heaters. The company has added three new regional sales managers and two marketing associates to its staff, adding more than 40 years of industry experience to the growing company. “The tankless water heater industry is booming,” said Dave Millilo, American Hometec’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Our patented Coilless Technology presents an efficient and practical solution for commercial and residential tankless water heaters, and the interest level in our...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin L. Powell will give the keynote address at USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo being held November 17 to 19, 2010, in Chicago.  “General Powell has made another career of sharing his lessons of leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “His keen insights and global perspective are especially relevant to our movement in these times of great challenge and change. He exemplifies that leadership is about more than a title: It’s about taking charge during times...

BETHESDA, MD.—Since 2007, Marriott International has reduced its energy consumption by 11 percent, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 10.7 percent, and is on track to meet its aggressive goal of a 25 percent decrease in energy and water consumption per available room by 2017. These results are among those reported to shareholders, customers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), associates and other stakeholders in the company’s first official Sustainability Report using the guidelines set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). “We are committed to being a corporate social responsibility leader, benchmarking with like-minded companies, and providing the information and transparency that our...

MINNEAPOLIS—For the eighth time in recent history, Carlson, a privately held, global hospitality and travel company, has been recognized as one of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” by Working Mother magazine. Carlson repeated the honor—noted for its commitment to the advancement of women; a strong, values-based culture; flexible work schedules; parental leave; adoption assistance, and on-campus child care. The top companies were selected based on an extensive application. This year’s “100 Best” evaluation gave particular weight to benefits, flexibility and parental leave. “We are pleased to be recognized again as one of the ‘100 Best,’” said Hubert Joly, Carlson...