NORTHBROOK, ILL.—Nominations are open for the fourth annual 2022 Guest Room Attendant (GRA) Excellence Award, sponsored by UMF Corp. The award recognizes the invaluable contributions of GRAs—hotel housekeepers—who ensure safe guest and employee environments in hotels and lodges across the country. In an industry that is still feeling the pandemic’s aftershocks, the GRA Excellence Award acknowledges the housekeeping heroes who have shown up day after day to clean and disinfect guestrooms and common areas. Nominations are open through December 31, 2022. “Hotels transformed their business models during the pandemic, first deploying infection prevention practices similar to those of an acute care hospital and now contending...

JAMESTOWN, N.Y.—Hope’s Windows, Inc. announces the release of their fully developed, tested, and certified product line—Hope’s Old World Suite. The new product, with its thin and arrow-shaped steel frame profiles, is the culmination of over a century of technological innovation: a complete product line that combines the striking visual appearance of the past with performance of the present, including Hope’s innovative Thermal Evolution technology. Old World Suite steel windows and doors offer extremely narrow sightlines with the ability to accept monolithic or insulated glass for energy efficiency. The historically accurate profiles and sightlines are ideal for new buildings as well...

LONDON—It is estimated that the hotel industry alone is worth over $570 billion worldwide, the travel industry at large is worth $1.6 trillion, and employs over 271 million people—simply put the travel sector has clout. However, that clout is not currently realizing its full potential when it comes to mitigating the climate crisis, halting biodiversity loss, and driving social and economic development, despite the apparent will for change. This thinking was the catalyst that drove Weeva co-founders Julie Cheetham and Lindsey Walter to consider how they might be able to help turn the tide on unsustainable practices within the travel...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), a self-funded business council advancing sustainability in the vinyl industry, welcomes Trusscore as the newest member of the council. VSC membership is reserved for organizations taking a leadership role to advance sustainability throughout the vinyl industry. “With their focus on developing products that outperform what they replace, Trusscore joins more than 55 other VSC members demonstrating a commitment to sustainability efforts in their business practices,” said Jay Thomas, VSC Executive Director. “Trusscore is dedicated to driving innovation in the commercial and residential construction industry. We’re proud to have them join us.” Trusscore makes a range of products...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Clean the World as a Founding Sponsor. Clean the World provides innovative impact solutions that inspire businesses and individuals to impact their community and help change the world. Through our Hospitality Recycling program, we recycle the used soap and plastic amenity bottles left behind by guests and collected by housekeepers around the world and put it into the hands of people in need. The Impact Reporting that is provided as part of the program provides partners advanced insights on their sustainability contributions. At any given moment, partners can review, track, and observe the impact they’re...

CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOR, CALIF.—The date for the annual Green2Sustainable Sustainability Recognition Ceremony has just been announced. It will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 4 p.m. central time in the CleanMeet Lounge at the upcoming ISSA Show North America. The annual ceremony honors ISSA-member organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability. The honorees are selected by Green2Sustainable, which uses advanced sustainability monitoring technologies and ongoing performance interviews that help organizations reduce their use of natural resources, energy, fuel, waste, and other metrics. According to Steve Ashkin, President of Green2Sustainable, there are several benefits for ISSA members to become more sustainable. Among them are the...

PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN—On the United Nations International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, the Iberostar Group announced its ambitious plan to install artificial intelligence in its more than 100 hotels globally to become zero waste, reduce food waste and save more than 1,600 tons of food in the first year. This commitment by the company will become a reality thanks to an innovative system, based on technology from the Winnow company, which will contribute to ending food waste and bringing the company closer to its goal of being free of waste sent to landfill by 2025. The Iberostar Group committed itself to this zero-waste objective in 2020 with...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton and Peloton Interactive, Inc.v announced an industry-first partnership, making Hilton the first hospitality brand to feature Peloton Bikes across its entire U.S. hotel portfolio of 18 award-winning brands. By the end of the year, nearly all 5,400 U.S. Hilton-branded hotels—from Hampton by Hilton to Waldorf Astoria—will feature at least one Peloton Bike in every fitness center, providing guests with a more holistic wellness experience, including access to Peloton’s world-class instructors and expansive connected fitness content. A recent Hilton survey of U.S. travelers indicated an overwhelming 98 percent of respondents are prioritizing wellness activities while on the road, and...

BOSTON—Force of Nature, the toxic-free cleaning brand on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America, is reminding communities, businesses, and individuals in the path of Hurricane Ian not to use bleach to kill the buildup of mold and mildew resulting from the storm. Recent studies have shown that chronic exposure to the most common cleaning chemicals, including bleach, can be as damaging to lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. “Because bleach can be so caustic to our respiratory systems, it can trigger asthma and allergy symptoms and be dangerous to those who suffer from...

SAVAGE, MD.—Blue Whale EV, an innovative end-to-end advisory and service organization to the EV charging community, announces its partnership as a certified reseller with Xeal, a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and smarter technology for the multifamily industry. Through this partnership, Blue Whale EV will extend the capacity of the EV charging startup by providing sales, installation, and maintenance for prospective and existing customers. This will enable Xeal’s teams to focus on expanding production and continuing to develop cutting-edge technology. Xeal’s technology aims to solve major connectivity problems that plague the EV industry. Recent studies have shown that more...