EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—XLERATOR high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers are now available with ADA compliant stainless steel paper towel dispenser retrofit kits. The new kits provide a simple, cost-effective solution for replacing built-in paper towel dispensers with XLERATOR hand dryers. A stainless steel panel allows the dryers to mount where dispensers existed. XLERATOR completely dries hands in 10 to 15 seconds—three times faster than conventional dryers. It uses 80 percent less energy and delivers a 95 percent cost savings versus paper towels, while creating a more hygienic restroom. “XLERATOR hand dryers and retrofit kits are being specified by facility managers who are...

HOUSTON—Choice Energy Services, a retail energy consultant and broker, announced it has completed a two-year contract to provide the new Trump SoHo Hotel with 100 percent green power. The contract offsets the hotel’s carbon footprint and delivers substantial cost savings for the newest property in the Trump Hotel Collection. Opened in February 2010, the luxury property did not have substantive historical usage data to inform the procurement process. Even without a detailed usage profile, Choice was able to tap its network of more than 20 suppliers in the New York City region and leverage its extensive knowledge of the wholesale...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Low Cost Janitorial Supplies has launched a new section on its website exclusively devoted to 700 green products and supplies. All products are identified with an Enviro-conscious logo, meaning they do not contain hazardous solvents, utilize recycled materials, incorporate recyclable components, or otherwise reduce the impact on the environment. As the company offers more than 4,000 products, finding the environmentally-conscious options could take extra time. According to company president Scott Hays, “We wanted to make it easy for customers to find green products without hunting through dozens of other items.” The company’s green products meet various third-party environmental standards, such...

SAN FRANCISCO–San Francisco’s Orchard Hotels have debuted Eco Pure, a new collection of eco-friendly guestroom toiletries by Concept Amenities. The Eco Pure collection includes liquids and soaps formulated with ingredients to maintain moisture for healthy skin and hair and include shampoo, conditioner; hand and body wash and hand and body lotion; along with an assortment of grooming accessories. The Eco Pure packaging is manufactured with an organic additive that renders polymers biodegradable when disposed of in landfill—minimizing harm to the environment. “The Eco Pure collection proves yet again that you can be green without sacrificing luxury,” says Stefan Mühle, regional director...

NIANTIC, CONN.—When the Bardessono Hotel in Yountville, Calif., deployed the Room Expeditor (REX) tool from MTech in March 2009, it became the first property in the world to equip its room attendants with an iPod Touch to instruct them on which is the next most important “vacant” room to clean, based on a collection of variables. Today, the 62-room luxury property, managed by MTM Luxury Lodging, is first once again to benefit from streamlined technology integration between MTech’s REX and INNCOM’s Integrated Room Automaton System (IRAS) that now alerts staff when stay-over rooms also are ready to be refreshed. “Being...

MINNETONKA, MINN.—Radisson will be the first hotel brand in the Americas to provide its guests with a new line of linens made from eucalyptus. The trees used to produce the new linen line are grown in Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forests, an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Using a new fabric called Tencel+Plus Lyocell from Valley Forge Fabrics, the new linens support the brand’s commitment to responsible business. With this decision, guests will enjoy the benefits of the new linens including: moisture management, natural thermo regulation, reduced bacteria growth, and smoothness...

NEW YORK—EcoLuxury Group (ELG) has been launched to provide full service consulting, design and construction services to residential and commercial clients interested in green, high quality renovation and new construction. The EcoLuxury Group focuses on enhancing occupant health, comfort and productivity while maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts. This collaborative group of architectural design, engineering, environmental health, technology and construction firms provides comprehensive knowledge and hands-on expertise in the rapidly growing field of high performance building.  Available services include architectural design; interior design; mechanical engineering; healthy design and consultation; energy auditing; LEED, NAHB and Energy Star design and consultation;...

NEW HYDE, N.Y.—Evolve Guest Controls announced that it has designed, developed, and implemented the single largest successful Z-Wave deployment of wireless lighting and energy management devices to date. This deployment of Evolve’s LCD Director Series Energy Management System is located at The Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The installation includes more than 65,000 devices residing in more than 2,700 rooms and suites. Using Evolve’s LCD Director Series, each guest has the ability to wirelessly control each room’s motorized draperies/sheers, communicate privacy please/service room to housekeeping, activate various lighting scenes, adjust the temperature, and put the room into energy...

FAIRFIELD, N.J.—Essential Amenities, Inc. has signed on Pineapple Hospitality, St. Charles, Mo., as the master distributor of Tommy Bahama Travelers Collection brand gallon amenities. Licensed into the hospitality industry by Essential Amenities, Tommy Bahama Travelers Collection amenities are a complete line of hotel personal care items. Tommy Bahama Traveler’s Collection is comprised of high-quality soaps, shampoos, conditioners and moisturizer products, as well as accessory items which have been uniquely designed to support the casual lifestyle of the brand for the luxury hotel setting. The Tommy Bahama gallon-sized amenities broadens the line’s appeal by catering to those hotels that have taken...

AURORA, ONT.—CleanRiver Recycling Solutions, a division of Midpoint International, has introduced a public-space waste and recycling bin that is easily configured—and reconfigured—to meet current and future waste stream requirements. Transition Recycling and Waste Sortation Containers use stream-specific openings and internal dividers to accept multiple types of recyclables in a single unit. The unit may first go into service as a single-stream trash receptacle, but as recycling programs are implemented, the trash opening is replaced by a patent-pending adjustable stream feature. Using a combination of multi-stream restricted openings and the ability to add or remove internal dividers the same unit transforms...