WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Verve Living Systems, developer of wireless, battery-less room controls and one of the brands of Masco Corporation, announced that they have signed a preferred vendor agreement with Hospitality International, a privately held company that has offered inexpensive franchising alternatives for hotel owners and developers since 1982. The new agreement establishes Verve Living Systems as the preferred supplier of energy saving room controls for Hospitality International’s franchisees. Hospitality International hotel brands include Red Carpet Inn, Passport Inn, Scottish Inns, Master Host Inns, and Downtowner Inns across the United States, Canada and the Bahamas. The network of 300 hotels will now...

ATLANTA—Atlanta Marriott Marquis has implemented several high-tech energy saving management systems. Beginning this month, all 1,569 guestrooms and 94 suites will feature a door switch and a motion detecting thermostat that are tied into the central energy management system server (EMS). Upon door switch activation, the motion detector looks for movement. Once movement is detected, the room goes into occupied mode and the guest has full control of the guestroom heating and cooling. When the door switch is activated upon the guest leaving the room, the motion detector automatically searches for movement and if none is detected, the temperature...

NEW YORK—The Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium announced that Ramsey Purchasing has joined the Consortium as a Contributing Member. Ramsey’s membership furthers the Consortium’s goals of establishing the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSP Index) as the de facto performance measurement solution for industry suppliers. With more than 4.5 million hotel rooms in the United States, FF&E is a major investment for all hotels, brands and owners—and it has a substantial impact on the guest experience and the environmental footprint of a hotel. “The HSP Index enables us to compare the sustainability performance of suppliers and the products they sell, so we in...

COMMERCE, CALIF.—With the addition of a new 4-inch fixture, Nora Lighting now offers a complete line-up of LED retrofit recessed downlights for new construction, remodels or retrofits. Known as the Diamond Series, the fixtures include 4-inch (10W), 5-inch (12W) and 6-inch (12W) models. The Series is Energy Star-rated and offers up to 50,000 hours of performance. The 5-inch and 6-inch fixtures are backed by a seven-year Nora limited warranty. The 4-inch model has a five-year Nora warranty. The downlights can be installed in existing Nora (or other manufacturer) housings and present an energy-efficient LED alternative to incandescent light sources. All...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes The Green Garmento as a Product & Service Directory partner. The Green Garmento is a laundry bag that transforms into a hanging garment bag, eliminating hotel employees’ needs to use single-use plastic and paper. The Green Garmento also replaces the single-use drycleaning plastic when used in guestrooms; allowing guests to use it there or take them home, creating a profit center. The new KangerHanger pouch bag (with a pouch for hangers) is an IHMRS 2011 Editor’s Choice Finalist. The Green Garmento compliments many hotels’ green initiatives. Not only...

LOS ANGELES—AtmosAir Solutions, which markets and installs green, clean indoor air devices for hotels, homes and businesses, announced that it has opened a Western Regional office to meet the growing demand and interest for its air purification products. Steve Levine, president and CEO of AtmosAir Solutions, also said that Edward Plascencia, Western regional account executive would operate the office located in Pico Rivera, Calif. AtmosAir Solutions, based in Fairfield, Conn., markets and installs bi-polar ionization air purification devices that significantly reduce mold, dust, odors, controls bacteria and the spread of airborne viruses, particles and germs that get past normal ventilation and...

RYE BROOK, N.Y.—American DG Energy Inc., a leading on site utility offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality, is now operating a 375 kW combined heat and power (CHP) system at Doral Arrowwood Hotel and Conference Center in Rye Brook, N.Y. The company estimates the total revenue from this project to be approximately $10 million over the term of the agreement. “As a premier hotel in Westchester County, N.Y., we are dedicated to providing our guests with the highest quality experience; we believe this includes delivering an eco-friendly approach our guests can feel good about,” said...

MIAMI—Hotels using MTech’s HotSOS (pronounced hot sauce) for managing workflows and tracking/reporting guest incidences and requests will be able to create preventive maintenance work orders to run faucets in rooms that remain vacant for a specified number of days in order to protect against Legionellosis. This form of pneumonia, more commonly known as Legionnaire’s Disease, can easily be contracted by hotel guests over the age of 50 who smoke or suffer from lung disease or a weakened immune system and who come in contact with stagnant water that has remained in sink pipes. According to a recent article in The...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added a new case study to the Vendor Case Studies section of Green Lodging News. The case study focuses on the Tremont Plaza Hotel in downtown Baltimore and its installation of compact fluorescents (CFLs) from Osram Sylvania. The 300-guestroom property replaced 2,200 60- and 100W incandescent lamps with more energy-efficient CFLs. Energy savings was the primary goal of the lighting replacement, but it was equally important to Tremont Plaza Hotel that the suites’ aesthetic appeal and guests’ comfort not be sacrificed. A number of solutions were evaluated,...

TORRANCE, CALIF.—Enagic introduces the Kangen Water cleaning system. It features electrolyzed water and can be used to sanitize bathrooms and countertops, clean windows, floors, carpets and can be added to the laundry to cut down on laundry detergent. It can be utilized in the kitchen for food preparation, cleaning of kitchen utensils, cutting boards and sanitizing, thereby decreasing the possibility of spreading e coli, salmonella, listeria, staph, etc. The water is created from one machine that produces seven very different grades of electrolyzed water. The system has been approved by U.S. regulators, the Water Quality Association (WQA), giving it their...