ATLANTA—The Rittenhouse, a AAA Five Diamond luxury hotel on Rittenhouse Square in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, has selected The Refinishing Touch, a world leader in providing environmentally-safe, on-site furniture refinishing and re-upholstery services, to refinish more than 700 pieces of furniture in its 98 rooms. While planning an upgrade of the televisions in its guestrooms, The Rittenhouse discovered that the rooms’ existing armoires would be unable to house new 42-inch screens. Rather than go to the expense and waste of replacing them, the hotel worked with The Refinishing Touch to modify the armoires by removing the top of each...

LAS VEGAS—NaturesCast, Inc. of Las Vegas, a member of the Sustainable Furniture Council, has entered the U.S. hospitality market with a line of chic and modern furniture, and décor accessories made from agro-forest waste. A Filipino-based eco-friendly master furniture and décor accessories manufacturer, NaturesCast functional and artistic décor products are unique in that they are constructed from agro-forest waste including dry leaves, dead twigs and barks from the forests around Compostela, Province of Cebu, Philippines. The collected materials are shredded through a special machine and bonded together using an odorless water-based binder and then shaped into a variety of unique...

CINNAMINSON, N.J.—Quickie Manufacturing Corp., the largest maker of cleaning tools in the United States and inventor of the Automatic Sponge Mop, has unveiled “Green and It’s Clean,” a line of eco-friendly cleaning tools. Made from recycled, natural and sustainable materials, these new “green” cleaning tools are designed to enhance cleaning while protecting the environment by reducing landfill and the need for harsh chemicals. The “Green and It’s Clean” line of cleaning tools, which consists of stick goods like mops and brooms, and smallwares such as scrub brushes, utility and dish brushes, etc., is made in two distinct eco-friendly variations. ...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Pacific Hospitality Design, Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Pacific Hospitality Design manufactures quality custom furniture and furnishings for the hospitality and high end residential industries. Pacific Hospitality Design has made a long term commitment toward sustainable manufacturing in seating and case goods. Products are manufactured in various species of kiln-dried Forest Stewardship Council lumber. The company also offers kirei board and kirei bamboo for exposed areas as an optional design element. Other components include: foam which is a 100 percent recycled rebound material, upholstery...

INDIANAPOLIS—Continuing its dedication to water conservation and energy efficiency, Delta Faucet Co. announced that it has added a water-efficient showerhead to its product line. Designed with the hospitality industry in mind, The Water-Efficient Showerhead with H2Okinetic Technology uses only 1.6 gallons of water per minute (gpm) as opposed to the standard 2.5 gpm, while still delivering a superior shower experience. H2Okinetic Technology provides greater control over the showering experience by managing the water droplet size and velocity, spray coverage and thermal dynamics. Its water-conserving properties deliver the feeling of a standard showerhead at a lower flow. Standard showers deliver 2.5...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Roebic Laboratories as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Roebic Laboratories manufactures a full line of natural cleaners and treatments for drains, grease traps and plumbing. Roebic products contain patented bacterial cultures that produce powerful enzymes to eliminate fat, grease, oil and soap without using toxic chemicals. Roebic’s products help meet environmental standards. For additional information, call (203) 795-1283, e-mail lgifford@roebic.com, or go to www.roebic.com.

APPLE VALLEY, MINN.—The new Climate Control Zoning System from Uponor uses the latest wireless technology for complete radiant control in every room of a building—offering users a system that is more convenient to control and requires less time for contractors to set up and install. “When designing the new Climate Control Zoning System, we wanted to offer our customers a convenient way to control room temperatures while providing a system that would be faster and easier to install,” says Mark Hudoba, senior product manager, Heating and Cooling, at Uponor. “By eliminating the hassle and expense of running thermostat wires through...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Control4 Corp. and LG Electronics announced plans to co-develop an integrated automation system for HDTV sets that will allow hotel guests to control lighting, room temperature, draperies and entertainment systems through the television with a single remote control. The companies are collaborating on a card, based on the proven Control4 Operating System, which will be integrated with LG Electronics’ hospitality HDTVs via their unique interface port—eliminating the need for a separate controller box. “Integrating our automation operating platform with LG hospitality TVs represents a new chapter for Control4 and the industry,” said Will West, chief executive officer...

SHEFFIELD, MASS.—Cypress Hotel & Spa, a leading designer and manufacturer of luxurious bathrobes, towels, slippers, and sheets for the hospitality and spa industry for more than 25 years, announced that their exclusive MicroCotton Green Earth towel has been re-engineered to be more absorbent, durable and eco-friendly. “In today’s eco-economy, it is critical for hotels to reduce energy usage and expenditures,” stated Gene Faul, Cypress founder and CEO. “However, most hoteliers have been reluctant to implement the use of ‘green’ or organic linens because they are typically not as soft, durable or luxurious as traditional ones. Our new Green Earth...

MONSEY, N.Y.—Unique Amenities, one of the nation’s leading sources for guest amenities for the hospitality industry, announces the launch of a reusing drive to help change the direction of the hotel industry’s approach to going green. Unique Amenities is committed to its mission of a greener and cleaner earth, and to keeping toiletry bottles out of the nation’s landfills. Unique Amenities is therefore offering an unprecedented rebate on all its returned cartons and bottles, which will be processed for reuse. Unique Amenities’ 100 percent pure New Zealand-made products are vegetarian based and contain GE-free ingredients. The packaging is all 100...