BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA—InterContinental Resorts French Polynesia recently announced that InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa has successfully achieved “EarthCheck Silver Certification.” This award places InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa as one of the leaders in the ever-increasing market for environmental sustainability.  EarthCheck is a leading sustainability program used by the travel and tourism industry. EarthCheck is a science-based approach to sustainability that establishes a system to track and measure resource use and waste output, and encourages design and operational effectiveness. The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa team has made continuous efforts to remain environmentally,...

NEW YORK—The Israel Ministry of Tourism entered into a new partnership last month with ASTA, the American Society of Travel Agents, as the exclusive travel destination sponsor of the association’s Green Program. The partnership comes shortly after Israel launched its One Hundred Years of Green tourism campaign promoting eco-friendly tourism sites around the country. ASTA’s Green Program consists of educational and promotional resources that enable travel agents and suppliers to increase their knowledge of travel’s impact on the environment and highlight their commitment to keeping travel an environmentally friendly business to consumers.  “We are excited to enter a partnership aiming...

MCLEAN, VA.—The Knowland Group, the world’s largest data firm in the global meetings and conventions industry, published a white paper cataloging the timeline and effects of the gulf oil spill on the region’s hospitality industry. Following the April 2010 spill, Knowland conducted numerous surveys with hoteliers. These surveys, along with insight and data linked to the spill response, are analyzed in the document. Knowland’s white paper shines light on how hoteliers can maintain sales in times of crisis. “Through examination of the survey data and responses, the numbers reveal the vast majority of hoteliers were left without guidance as to...

LAGRANGE, GA.—EHS Today magazine has recognized Milliken & Company for a second time as one of America’s Safest Companies. First recognized in 2004, Milliken is the first U.S. company to receive this distinction twice. Award winners cannot be recognized again for five years. Only 12 companies were recognized in 2010. Honors have highlighted Milliken’s standing as a good corporate neighbor: five times a FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and four times an Ethisphere Institute “World’s Most Ethical Company.” “What better gift to a community than to provide a place of work where people go home each day in the...

NORTH WALPOLE—For designers who appreciate textures, Surface iQ wallcoverings by Len-Tex offer three new choices all derived from nature. Providing a distinctive aesthetic appeal, these designs are as at home in hospitality as they are in commercial, healthcare and retail settings. Callahan Reproduced to simulate the look and feel of fine leather, Callahan features a classic stitched-leather block pattern in a PVC-free construction. This new design in the Surface iQ offering takes the traditional leather look to a whole new level by incorporating the sophisticated shimmer of pearlescent inks in its palette of 12 fashion-forward colors. An elegant luster enhances the...

TORONTO—Global voluntourism organization Planeterra announces a new partnership with U.K.-based STA Travel, the world’s largest student, youth and budget travel organization. STA Travel is committing $1 million over five years to a responsible tourism program led by Planeterra which will develop mutually beneficial volunteer travel and community projects targeted to STA Travel’s more than 6 million passengers who travel annually to 90 countries.  “This is a significant partnership with STA Travel, a key industry player,” said Richard Edwards, Planeterra director. “The scope of their commitment signifies a major shift as more and more travel companies are now adopting full-scale...

TEMPERANCE, MICH.—MTS announced that Ian King has been promoted to national sales manager-Lodging. In this role, King will be responsible for leading MTS Seating’s efforts with major lodging and convention customers, as well as select lodging distribution customers.  “Ian’s previous successes as an MTS sales manager, combined with his passion for excellence, will provide the foundation for success in his new role,” said John Menas, senior vice president of sales, MTS Seating. “We are confident in Ian’s ability to build relationships, understand customer needs and deliver superior service.” A graduate of Miami University, King joined MTS in 2004 as a...

NEW CASTLE, DEL.—Speakman Co. introduces the next generation of its Speakman shower products, Anystream Massage. The Anystream Massage product family was designed to provide luxurious, full-body sprays from ergonomically designed fixtures. By simply rotating the showerhead faceplate, users can transition effortlessly through gentle rain, full-flood and therapeutic, pulsating massage sprays.Like many of its predecessors the Anystream Massage products use precision-engineered Speakman components and materials that resist sediment buildup and are self-cleaning. The five adjustable stream nozzles and 12 center pulsating massage jets combine to produce 50 invigorating full-body sprays under any water pressure. Each Speakman showerhead is equipped with...

NEW YORK—Humanscale’s groundbreaking Element LED Task Light received a 2010 Green GOOD DESIGN Award. Among thousands of submissions from more than 46 countries, Element was selected as an outstanding example of green design. The Green GOOD DESIGN Awards are organized by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Green GOOD DESIGN’s goal is “to emphasize the importance of sustainable design and to develop a public awareness program for the international general public about which companies are doing the best job in sustainable design for our environments,” said Ioannis...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Consumers searching for the latest hybrid can soon look beyond their local car dealership. Beginning in 2011, GE Lighting will bring hybrid technology to the lighting aisle in the form of a unique, new incandescent-shaped light bulb that combines the instant brightness of halogen technology with the energy efficiency and longer rated life of compact fluorescent (CFL) technology. The initial product launch will bring U.S. and Canadian consumers GE Reveal and GE Energy Smart Soft White varieties that offer significantly greater instant brightness than current covered CFLs, while preserving the energy efficiency and long life attributes that have elevated...