NEW YORK—Philips Electronics announced the signing of an exclusive three-year agreement with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Inc. to provide Philips’ latest range of SmartPower energy efficient televisions to Starwood’s 460 properties across North America. The deal, which could be worth up to $100 million with existing opportunities and expected growth, will see industry-leading energy efficient televisions installed in new hotels and existing Starwood properties looking to convert to LCD TV technology for the first time. In what is believed to be the biggest ‘green TV’ deal to date, this agreement is also expected to save the premier global hotel company...

TAMPA, FLA.—Patricia L. Roberts, president of Global PBS, Inc., has been issued a U.S. Patent for a Polymodal Biological Detection System. Besides improving targeted pest detection, it greatly enhances pesticide reduction efforts. A Gainesville, Fla., USDA entomologist is coordinating with scientists and engineers at North Carolina State University on developing Global PBS’ prototype bed bug sensor for the hospitality industry. Global PBS is also planning a rodent sensor for food storage and kitchen areas. Future considerations include mole crickets and grub detection for the turfgrass industry, and spittlebugs, coffee borers, and pine beetles for forestry and agriculture. Many other applications...

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—ASTA’s Green Guides for Travel Agents and Suppliers have undergone their first extensive update since the program’s launch in April 2008 to keep up with the ever evolving sustainable travel industry. Among the updated sections are those focusing on ground transportation, accommodations, green resources and marketing. As an added benefit, those who complete the Green Member program and have their Green Member applications approved now receive a customizable press release they can use in promoting their new designation to their local media and community. “There is no better time to become an ASTA Green Member,” said ASTA president...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes RMB Group, LLC as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. RMB Group’s Rest Easy bedbug spray is a green, all-natural spray used to kill and repel bedbugs and other small insects such as dust mites. Rest Easy is ideal for hotels and motels. It is cinnamon scented and includes natural essential oils. Rest Easy is available in up to one-gallon containers. It kills 90 percent of bedbugs within five seconds of contact and the rest within 30 minutes. The product provides a repellency effect for as...

FAIRFIELD, N.J.—As a division of Nouveautes, Inc., Better World Brands will be making its hospitality debut at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in booth 2965. Better World Brands distributes top chocolates from around the world for in-room hospitality and incentive gifts. Besides being among the world’s favorite gourmet brands, those companies that are part of Better World Brands will sponsor various environmental initiatives for a better world. Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate A pioneer in organic and fair trade products, Green & Black’s uses only the very best USDA-certified organic ingredients to make its chocolate. Green & Black’s is the...

DALLAS—Motel 6 is saying “goodbye” to carpet and “hello” to a clean, green, wood-effect laminate flooring in its new Phoenix Prototype and property renovations (retrofits). Motel 6’s new flooring is made of 80 percent pre-consumer recycled material, including an inner wood core comprised of oak and cherry wood chips that would otherwise be burned or thrown into a landfill. The new flooring is also a critical component of the updated Motel 6 design. As the literal foundation of the room, this flooring plays a major role in defining the feel of the space, giving it an updated, larger, and...

HILLSBORO, ORE.—Caroma, a leader in dual flush toilets, urinals, and bathroom sinks, announces the newest high efficiency waterless urinal (HEU): H2Zero. The H2Zero urinal utilizes breakthrough technology to use zero water for optimum performance and water conservation. The vitreous china urinal addresses key challenges that have been associated with other waterless urinals, including performance, operation, odor management, durability, and waste build-up, ensuring a consistently superior product. The H2Zero’s unique patented cartridge technology does not use an oil-based seal, as is traditionally used in waterless urinals. Within the cartridge is a Bio Fresh deodorizing block that is activated during use....

HASTINGS, MINN.—The Minnesota Bed & Breakfast Assn. (MBBA) is taking steps to add green criteria to its quality assurance inspection process. The program will be discussed at the association’s conference that will be held April 20 to 22 at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, Minn. The conference will be followed by workshops that will be held throughout the state to help explain the new program. According to Pam Thorsen, MBBA has not yet decided whether or not to tie a tiered rating system to the QA process. The Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild, for example, awards one, two or...

PITTSBURGH—Hotels and other multi-unit facilities battling bedbugs now have an effective, chemical-free alternative with the ThermEx Heat Remediation Solution developed by Chromalox, a leading manufacturer of electric heat and control products, and Massey Services, a leading service provider in the pest management industry. Research shows that heat is more effective than traditional pest management approaches in eliminating bedbugs, because they hide in cracks and crevices and do not come in contact with residual products. However, bedbugs are vulnerable to high temperatures sustained over a short period of time. ThermEx Heat Remediation Solution includes a Chromalox custom heating unit and comprehensive...

NIANTIC, CONN.—The luxurious Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa has become the first Hyatt property to upgrade its energy management system with the environmentally-friendly ecoMODE option from INNCOM. Niantic-based INNCOM develops, manufactures and markets integrated room automation systems for the international hospitality industry. Situated on 40 acres along a three-mile stretch of the Ka’anapali Beach coastline, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa features guest suites accentuated with plantation-style wood furniture and Hawaiian elegance, and 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space. The property is on Conde Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” of Best Places to Stay in 2008...