LOS ANGELES—EcoChic Lifestyles, an eco-friendly wood and metal furnishings company founded in 2012 by Megan Risdon, has moved its corporate headquarters from Vancouver, B.C. to Los Angeles. The company designs and manufactures furniture and home furnishings from reclaimed wood sourced from tropical fishing boats and iron from former bridges.“From homeowners to hotel designers and restaurateurs, our customers love the rich history, super quality and vibrant color of our reclaimed teak and metal furnishings,” said Risdon. “In just two years, we’ve demonstrated a tremendous market potential for our distinctive, stylish look and sustainability edict. Now, we’re ready to take advantage...

LOS ANGELES—Located near Riviera Nayarit on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, IBEROSTAR Playa Mita has marked its first anniversary since opening with certification by Green Globe. This award for sustainable management now brings all IBEROSTAR properties throughout Mexico under Green Globe certification. The comprehensive sustainability audit process conducted at IBEROSTAR Playa Mita has recognized the efforts of IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts to operate a responsible tourism development while minimizing impacts on the environment.“Actions like this make our operations more sustainable, taking care of resources so that future generations can continue to enjoy the natural wealth of the country,” said Jordi Solé,...

KALAMAZOO, MICH.—Landscape Forms introduces the next generation of products in the company’s 35 Collection, a family of site furniture elements with a youthful spirit and a mission to promote social life in outdoor spaces. The new additions are all in the family, created in collaboration with design partner frog design, the innovation powerhouse renowned for the SONY Walkman, the Apple computer, and software applications and mobile products for Microsoft and Disney. The results are three designs that continue the collection’s subtle integration of natural and architectural forms and take 35 fast forward.“The 35 Collection has been extremely successful,” says...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Judson Uhre, owner of Hotels for Humanity, an American hotel supply company, is the new organizer of the meet-up group, No Tolerance for Human Trafficking. The meet-up group is aimed at continuing the conversation to generate awareness to prevent and protect victims of trafficking while prosecuting trafficking criminals.“As this industry continues to rise, we need fresh ideas on how to prevent the crimes from happening and outsmart the vicious criminals that exploit children, spread disease and enslave thousands,” Uhre stated. No Tolerance for Human Trafficking will hand out human trafficking indicator cards and ask hotel managers to place...

DALLAS—Guests of The Highland Dallas can now take advantage of the newly-available PURE guestrooms. Specially-treated to provide the highest purity in air quality, PURE rooms, with hypoallergenic elements, ensure ultimate comfort for health-conscious guests and their families.“Enhancing the guest experience at The Highland Dallas is a top priority and PURE rooms truly raise the bar in terms of comfort and peace of mind,” said General Manager David Lemmond. “Asthma and allergy-sensitive travelers will sleep soundly knowing the quality of the air has been improved for their comfort, and really any of our guests will awake feeling energized in our...

ATLANTA—The Westin Buckhead Atlanta has implemented an INNCOM Energy Management System as part of a comprehensive strategy to support its Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ “30/20 by 20” environmental initiatives. The 358-room property installed e4 Smart Digital Thermostats with the patented ecoMODE feature, INNcontrol 3 Central Room Management software, and a full INNCOM property management system interface. “The goal of Starwood’s “30/20 by 20” program is to reduce energy use by 30 percent and cut water consumption by 20 percent by 2020 at every property,” said Robert Attaway, Director of Engineering for The Westin Buckhead Atlanta. “We implemented INNCOM’s guestroom...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Sleep On Latex as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Sleep on Latex offers quality natural latex mattresses, mattress toppers and pillows. Latex mattress toppers and pillows come in a large variety of sizes and firmnesses. The Sleep on Latex website features one of the most comprehensive online directories for locations to recycle mattresses. Call (312) 380-1960 for a quote, e-mail sales@sleeponlatex.com, or go to www.sleeponlatex.com for more information. The company’s warehouse is located in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Champion Industries, manufacturer of a full line of commercial warewashing systems, announced its newest innovation, the Phoenix Dehydrator, for commercial food waste.The Phoenix Dehydrator can process all organics including: produce, fruits, cut flowers, meats, fat trimmings, fish, paper napkins, coffee grounds, spoiled milks, deli products and some soft plastics, reducing organic waste by as much as 95 percent. The dried remnants are produced as a sterile biomass soil amendment that is easily collected and diverted. Champion’s proprietary technology features accelerated dehydration for shorter processing time and can process up to two batches of food waste a day.The Phoenix...

ANAHEIM, CALIF.—Master-Bilt will showcase a new line of vertical and horizontal open air merchandisers in the What’s Hot! What’s Cool! New Product Gallery at The NAFEM Show, February 19 to 21, at the Anaheim Convention Center, and in Master-Bilt booth #1608. These models offer easy access, contemporary styling, increased capacity and quiet operation.With a total of 16 models available, the HOAM and VOAM series offer the variety to meet practically any sales space requirement. All models offer significant energy savings over legacy models and already meet 2017 Department of Energy standards. VOAM vertical models offer greater pack-out thanks to...

WHEELING, ILL.—The Brentano Design Studio, led by Iris Wang, celebrates 25 years in 2015. The textile house has grown from a modest eight patterns in 1990 to an international design leader. “I feel very blessed,” says Wang, founder of the company. “So many people have helped Brentano get to this point. My husband E-Kwan and I have two sons, and with this company, it’s like we’ve raised a third child. Brentano holds a unique place in the industry, and I’m thankful, as an artist and businesswoman, that our point of view has been so well received.” Wang often...