VISTA, CALIF.—Surprisingly, one area often overlooked as a facility becomes greener and more sustainable is the restroom. Yet more water is used in restrooms than virtually any other area of a facility, and because water and energy are interconnected, water consumption increases the amount of energy necessary to power a facility.In addressing this issue, Klaus Reichardt, CEO and president of Waterless Co Inc., offers the following suggestions to make commercial restrooms greener and more sustainable: •    Lighting: Restroom lighting is often on 24 hours a day. Install motion sensors to turn off lights when the restroom is not used.•    Lightbulbs:...

NEW YORK—Concept Amenities, a supplier of environmentally responsible guest bath amenities, will introduce an array of new retail brands at this year’s International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS). The event, which is scheduled for November 13 to 15 at the Javits Center in New York City, will also include a special appearance by world-renowned explorer and environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau. Jean-Michel Cousteau will be on hand for the November 14 launch of Concept Amenities’ The Luxury Collection, which includes six new and established brands of guest amenities. Among the new products are Linden Leaves, French Connection and Australian Organics. The...

NIANTIC, CONN.—The Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa recently upgraded its guestroom temperature control system to a networked energy management system utilizing the Deep Mesh Network (DMN) architecture from INNCOM. Since the 1,310-room property converted to this wireless environment nearly eight months ago, energy consumption has dropped by 21 percent without requiring the 40-year-old facility to undergo an extensive or costly installation effort. “Over the past few years we have witnessed the need for a robust and reliable wireless architecture that is available at a lower installed price than traditional wireless systems, and that has the capability of adapting to...

NEW YORK—Protect-A-Bed, a leading supplier of bedding protection products for the hospitality industry, will focus on hygiene and showcase sustainability solutions in the company’s expanded booth (#3132) at IHMRS.  Protect-A-Bed, an established leader in the continual fight against bed bug infestations, is encouraging hoteliers to also think about another ongoing challenge. “While bed bug infestations will continue to cause problems for hotel owners and operators, there’s actually a more consistent threat that is universal: the human contamination of mattresses,” says Sandra DiVito, vice president of Hospitality at Protect-A-Bed. “Hoteliers are challenged every day to maintain clean mattresses for their guests,”...

MILWAUKEE, WIS.—Telkonet, Inc., developer of the EcoSmart energy management platform incorporating patented Recovery Time technology, announced that New York City’s Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan has become the latest hospitality leader to select Telkonet’s cloud-based EcoSmart energy management platform. This 770-room, full service hotel located on Broadway in Times Square is one of New York’s leading and most successful hotels.The Crowne Plaza Times Square selected PAC Consultants to deploy Telkonet’s EcoSmart System throughout the property to optimize guest comfort while reducing energy consumption and operating costs.“We installed a number of test rooms and Telkonet performed exceptionally well throughout the...

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...