LOS ANGELES—With the holiday season upon us, millions of people across the United States will be on the move, either returning home, visiting friends and family, or enjoying a well-earned vacation. They may also be bringing unwanted travel companions with them, in the form of bed bugs. Media interest in the current bed bug epidemic may have diminished a bit in recent months, but the problem continues to grow and holiday season travelers are likely to help the pests spread farther and wider. “Travel is one of the easiest ways for bed bugs to spread,” says Holly Walker, vice president...

ROSEMONT, ILL.—Hyatt Regency O’Hare announces the introduction of 34 hypo-allergenic rooms. Designed for all travelers but especially suited to guests with asthma, allergies and other respiratory sensitivities, the Respire by Hyatt Hypo-Allergenic Rooms, powered by PURE Solutions NA, are designed to eliminate up to 98 percent of airborne viruses and bacteria, as well as pollen and other irritants commonly found in indoor environments. Respire by Hyatt rooms will be available at all Hyatt Resort, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, and Andaz properties across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, with most of them available to reserve by...

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS—Philips Wide-Lite, a leading manufacturer of sustainable lighting products, unveils a new family of indoor and outdoor RGB LED floodlights that allows users to simply “paint” with light—thanks to four levels of dynamic color-mixing control. Designers seeking to better integrate lighting solutions with dynamic color mixing schemes now have the flexibility and diversity to do so, thanks to the innovative Color-Tune technology that TAG offers. Color-Tune allows the user to control everything directly at the fixture. Simply power up a TAG luminaire for the first time and 16 million color possibilities are available. Push the Color-Tune button to...

SMITHBURG, MD.—Noventri recently announced their latest digital signage product offering—packaged digital signage systems for menu boards that are used by hotels, convention centers, and restaurants. The Eco-Menu Board digital signage packages contain all the needed hardware and software for a complete digital signage application that is up and running quickly. The Eco-Menu Board package provides dynamic pricing and food item updates as well as FDA compliance. Both offer streamlined convenience for customers and staff. Each digital signage package is a simple ‘plug and play’ solution and includes: LCD Display, 32”, 42”, 52” or 55” options; a display mount; an Eco-Series...

PHOENIX—Phoenix-based Easy Energy just announced the completed installation of a solar water heating system at the Orange Tree Golf Resort, one of Arizona’s finest luxury golf resort destinations. The solar water heating system is designed to offset the natural gas usage in the nine large boilers throughout the Scottsdale Golf Resort. It is estimated that the new system will save 465 tons of CO2 annually, which equates to planting 34,500 trees each year. The new system provides all 160 Orange Tree Golf Resort guestrooms and on-site laundry facilities with water heated by the Arizona sun. “Solar water heating is the...

FEDERAL WAY, WASH.—iLevel by Weyerhaeuser will soon provide builders and dealers with an easy way to recognize that all of its manufacturing facilities are certified to the SFI Certified Fiber Sourcing standard. In addition to a plan to include an SFI Certified Fiber Sourcing logo on product wrap, the company will be stamping the logo on each lumber and engineered wood product piece by the end of January. Builders can quickly spot these products in lumberyards and visibly demonstrate during construction their commitment to using responsible materials. The SFI Certified Fiber Sourcing Standard indicates that iLevel knows where all of...

BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—Whirlpool Corporation announced the opening of its new flagship brand and product experience center in Chicago’s Reid Murdoch Center. With nearly 30,000 square feet, the “World of Whirlpool Corporation” facility will become a destination for designers, trade customers, sales associates, industry influencers and media. The new space is designed to create excitement around Whirlpool Corporation brands by creating a destination environment that attracts and engages trade customers, designers and influencers to experience the brands in interactive, state-of-the-art environments. The facility will be used for training and continuing education for trade customers, designers, key influencers and top sales associates....

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—For the second time in three years, Valley Forge Fabrics received Editors’ Choice distinction during the opening ceremony of the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show in New York City. The awards program recognizes products within the categories of design, equipment & supplies, guest amenities, linen, technology, as well as an eco-friendly equivalent to each of these categories. Valley Forge won in the Linens category for the Expand-A-Grip bedding product. Valley Forge Fabrics, A leader in sustainable textiles and the largest producer of decorative fabrics for hospitality, introduced the Expand-A-Grip product earlier this year. Featured on the Valley...

BOULDER, COLO.—The Responsible Travel Report, an online magazine focused on sustainable tourism, has gone live. Created by nonprofit Sustainable Travel International (STI), the Report provides travel and tourism professionals, travelers, and the travel media with comprehensive and up-to-date news and information on all aspects of the ever expanding sustainable tourism movement. The Report features breaking regional and trade news as well as original feature articles, profiles, interviews and guest commentary on emerging trends and best practices within the travel industry. The site also provides in-depth coverage on topics like sustainable tourism certification, voluntourism, traveler philanthropy, community development, climate change,...

NEW CASTLE, DELA.—Speakman Company has introduced its latest plumbing innovation, the SentinelPro T/P Shower Valve. The SentinelPro T/P is a dual element thermostatic and pressure balanced valve that is certified to meet ASSE 1016 at 1.5 gallons per minute. The SentinelPro T/P Shower Valve offers a variety of unique benefits when compared to other valves in the marketplace: • Dual element design allows the valve to protect against both scalding and thermal shock at flow rates as low as 1.5 gallons per minute.• SentinelPro T/P Valves offer T/P Valve protection at pressure balanced valve prices, creating the industry’s highest value ratio.• Ability to...