ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Go Green Planters, Inc., St. Petersburg Fla., recently announced the nationwide launch of its “Go Green For FREE” initiative for hotels and motels. It involves the placement of lush live plants in guestrooms at no charge to hoteliers. This program is made possible by the company’s patented technology of growing live plants in an eco-friendly soil substitute so that plants don’t require watering for two to three months, and the costs associated with the plants are covered by “Go Green Vendor Sponsorships” and advertisements that appear in the upscale Plexiglas planter vessels. The company has also announced the...

HIGHLAND PARK, ILL.—Hotels looking to go “green” have typically been at a loss to find attractive recycling containers for their high profile areas. According the Steve Tilkin, principal of T2 Site Amenities, “hospitality distributors have not offered attractive recycling containers and manufacturers of aesthetic recycling containers have not targeted hospitality.” T2 Site Amenities is bridging that gap by introducing a wide array of upscale recycling solutions from an assortment of top manufacturers. Hotel guests who recycle at home expect to recycle while traveling. Moreover, surveys have shown that the majority of hotel guests will use recycling containers if given the...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—One hotel is located in the heart of Manhattan. Another caters to steel workers in northwest Indiana. One in Toronto gets guests from all over the world. Despite the different cultures and geography, all three hotels have one big thing in common: They are all completely smoke free. As members of FreshStay, the online hotel directory with integrated booking, all three hotels have pledged a 100 percent smokeless experience to their guests. Guestrooms, hotel lobbies, and meeting rooms are clean and free of the lingering odor and health risks of smoke, making it easier for guests to...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Harris Pillow as a sponsor. Harris Pillow Supply is a family-owned business that has specialized in manufacturing high-end pillows for quality conscious customers in the hotel and motel industry since 1958. Harris also manufactures the Pillow-Vac©, a machine used to renovate pillows in hotels and motels, eliminating much of the pillow replacement cost for a minimum investment. To learn more, go to www.harrispillow.com, call (800) 845-8240, or e-mail harrispillow@charter.net.

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Simmons Bedding Co. as a sponsor. Simmons is the maker of the EverNU™ Top. The EverNU™ removable top, available on select Beautyrest® and Beautyrest Black™ mattresses, allows hotels to maintain the original comfort of a bed for the life of the mattress by replacing the top upholstery layers. This design guarantees guests the comfort and cleanliness of a fresh mattress, and also makes economic and environmental sense—by keeping mattresses out of landfills. The EverNU™ top can be replaced at a fraction of the cost of a new...

NEW YORK—Standard Textile, a leader in textile manufacturing and distribution, recently launched two new lines of sheeting developed and manufactured using its patented Centium Core Technology. Based on the success of its ComforTwill sheeting—the first line of bed linens available using Centium Core Technology—the company expanded the range of the Centium Core Technology products to include Centima and Centium Satin. According to Gary Heiman, president and CEO of Standard Textile, the new products broaden the choices and ensure that there is an appropriate Centium Core Technology sheeting option for virtually all hotels, regardless of market segment. “Standard Textile is always looking...

LOS ANGELES—Staron Surfaces, a division of worldwide technology leader Samsung, has announced an expansion of its Tempest product line by adding 10 new colors, bringing the entire Tempest palate to 20 color options. The new colors series, branded Tempest Stylist, exudes rich, natural color tones. The series provides an upscale, designer-grade product to professionals and homeowners who are seeking a unique surface for any project. “Like the existing Tempest colors, those in the Stylist series include larger, translucent particulates, which create a look that rivals quartz and natural stone,” said Dale Mandell, Staron’s national sales manager. “In several of the...

KENNESAW, GA.—The Mohawk Group announced that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) National Furniture Center (NFC) honored the global flooring manufacturer for the second time in four years with the coveted 2007 Evergreen Award during a recent reception in Washington, D.C. The environmental accolade affirms The Mohawk Group’s ongoing dedication to reducing waste by improving energy and resource efficiencies through innovative products, processes and services. “Receiving the GSA Evergreen Award is a shining achievement in The Mohawk Group’s history,” said Al Kabus, president of The Mohawk Group. “Environmental responsibility is a cornerstone of our corporate character, and this honor only...

OSHKOSH, WISC.—Continental Girbau has unveiled the new M-Series hard-mount line of washer-extractors, available in 25-, 40- and 55-pound capacities. The new M-Series Washers deliver improved energy efficiency and higher G-force extract speeds than many hard-mount washers on the market, according to Joel Jorgensen, vice president of sales and customer services at Continental. “M-Series Washers are built using the same manufacturing platform as our high-performance E-Series Washers,” Jorgensen said. “They share many of the same components including the control systems—resulting in a higher performance hard-mount washer with unrivaled energy efficiency. This will save on-premise laundries gas, water and electricity. Superior programmability...

LAGRANGE, GA.—Milliken Hospitality’s Lucerne modular carpet collection received the Editors’ Choice Award for green décor during the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) last month at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. This year, the awards program was expanded to include a green equivalent to each of the competition’s five traditional categories of décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant and technology. Editors from leading hospitality trade publications reviewed nearly 150 submissions of cutting-edge, new products, and selected winners based on innovative product design, how a product answers a particular industry need, creative use of material or...