MALVERN, PA.—USA Technologies has been issued a patent for the VM2iQ, a key technology in the EnergyMiser energy conservation product line that targets the nation’s four million vending machines and $46 billion vending industry. The company announced that the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office had issued patent number 7,286,907 for Method and Apparatus for Conserving Power Consumed by a Refrigerated Appliance Utilizing Audio Signal Detection. “The patent protects strategic technology in the VM2iQ which is installed inside a vending machine and switches the cooling system in and out of energy savings mode by monitoring vending machine sales,” said Dan van...

MUSCLE SHOALS, ALA.—Aleco, with 30 years of experience as one of the largest manufacturers in the United States of energy saving impact doors and PVC strip doors for the food service industry, featured its new line of rigid and flexible ImpacDors, the JetStream Air Curtain and Economy Pan Rack Covers, at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York last month. The company’s line of ImpacDors offers an extremely wide variety of features and construction. The FS-250 is specially designed for high-volume traffic between the kitchen and the front of the house in restaurants. It is a lightweight and...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has added its third case study to its new Vendor Case Studies section (click here to go to it). The case study focuses on the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites and its recent transition from traditional PVC plastic hotel keycards to Green-Key™ paperboard keycards. Green-Key™ is an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional plastic hotel keycard. Unlike plastic keycards, Green-Key™ is recyclable, biodegradable and produced from paperboard, a renewable resource. Its paperboard construction also makes it an economical choice by eliminating the cost barrier that many high priced eco-friendly products have. Green-Key™ was developed to address several...

GLENVIEW, ILL.—Protect-A-Bed announced that its innovative mattress protector product, AllerZip, was honored with the 2007 Editor’s Choice Award at the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York. One of 10 awardees, Protect-A-Bed’s AllerZip is a complete mattress encasement that protects against liquids, allergens, mites and bed bugs—a growing problem in hotels across the country. The Editors’ Choice Awards recognize the year’s most innovative new products for the hospitality industry. Protect-A-Bed won the award for the category of “essentials.” “This award confirms that it is vital for all hotels, big and small, to use bedding protectors on...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes the Twig Factory as a Green Product & Service Directory sponsor. The Twig Factory offers a unique selection of willow and birch furniture. Included in the Twig Factory collection are tables and desks, chairs and loveseats, beds and night stands, end tables, baskets and birdhouses, plant stands and signs, picture frames, and arbors and ladders. The Twig Factory is based in Fairfield, Iowa. Call (800) 918-6184, e-mail info@twigfactory.com, or go to www.twigfactory.com.

SAN DIEGO—Cali Bamboo has added paneling and wainscoting to its extensive line of environmentally friendly bamboo products. Also new from Cali Bamboo are marbled flooring and plywood, and all-natural bamboo candles. Cali Bamboo paneling is a simple and affordable solution to covering walls, ceilings, bars and wainscoting. Constructed by securing uniform bamboo slats to a thin mesh fabric, bamboo panels add a rustic sense of nature to any decor or theme. The panels come in a variety of colors and patterns. The panels can be attached to surfaces using standard adhesive products or a brad nailer. Cali Bamboo paneling products are...

CINCINNATI—P&G Professional, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, has launched MyTradeShowToGo.com, an interactive experience allowing users to gain the industry insights offered at a trade show every day of the year. Now, those looking for the latest news and innovations don’t have to wait to gather information they need at the next industry event; they can simply log on to the Virtual Trade Show from the comfort and convenience of their office. P&G Professional created MyTradeShowToGo.com as an innovative response to the lodging industry’s need for constant access to the detailed news, information and offerings presented at trade shows....

EDISON, NEW JERSEY—The one-piece, wall-hung Sanistar Macerating Toilet System from SFA Saniflo Inc. allows a business owner to create a new small bathroom or powder room wherever they need one, while saving both space and water. The space savings derives from the Sanistar’S Euro-contemporary design that combines a macerating pump and an electronically activated flushing mechanism into a single package. Measuring only 18 inches wide and 20.5 inches deep and with no external water tank, the self-contained wall-hung unit is ideal for tight spaces where installation space is at a premium. Sanistar saves water by using only 1.1 gallons per...

DALLAS—In 2005, Eljer introduced the Titan toilet, a gravity-fed toilet using a one-of-a-kind design to ensure total bowl evacuation in one flush, every time. Fast becoming the new benchmark for toilet technology, Eljer recently expanded its Titan toilet line to include designs that complement a variety of bathroom styles, sizes and decors. The streamlined trapway in the Titan toilet line increases siphoning action to assist in completing single-flush bowl evacuation. Dual jets inside the walls of the bowl act together to create a fast (2.5 seconds), quiet and powerful flush. Also, to accommodate any remodeling project, the Titan has a...

OAKLAND, CALIF.—Ditto Hangers has introduced its new, intelligently designed solution to the unrecyclable hanger. These new products are manufactured from easily recyclable and more environmentally friendly materials, to keep hangers out of landfills. Designed using two of the most recycled materials, Ditto Hangers are made from 100 percent recycled paper and 100 percent recyclable PET plastic, the same plastic used to make water bottles. “We designed our hangers starting at the end of their useful life rather than from the beginning,” says Gary Barker, the company’s president and CEO. “That way we know they’ll have value on the secondary market,...