HONOLULU, HAWAII—The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa has won its second Green Business Award from the State of Hawaii. The award is sponsored by the following: State Department of Health; Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. The award is given to companies that employ innovative green practices and do their part to ensure that residents and visitors continue to enjoy a healthy environment. The Hilton property has a long history in Hawaii. With close to 3,000 rooms, it is one of the Hilton Hotels Corporation’s (100 percent) flagship...

In one of my previous working lives I worked for a well-known pizza chain for about six months—as a waiter and delivery driver. One of my most vivid memories from that time is the volume of waste that was generated. Each night I would haul garbage bags full of unused pizza dough to the dumpster. In the hot weather it was quite a site—a huge container full of sticky, yeast-smelling dough just waiting to grow into something resembling the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. For all of those out there with restaurants, I hope you are doing a better...

LAGRANGE, GA.—InterfaceFLOR unveiled four new product collections at HD Expo in Las Vegas. Breaking traditional boundaries, the styles take modular flooring to the next level, providing enhanced color and texture. Styles range from soothing, nature-inspired patterns to diverse stripes with a hip velour finish, to modern Asian-inspired designs. “The beauty of modular carpet is its flexibility,” says Cindi Marshall Oakey, vice president of hospitality strategies for InterfaceFLOR Commercial. “Our products demonstrate to designers that they are not confined by pattern, color or size with InterfaceFLOR Commercial. The design opportunities are virtually limitless.” InterfaceFLOR is committed to providing...

CHICAGO—Yes, there was a Green Restaurant Products Pavilion and an Organic & Natural Pavilion but finding other green exhibitors among the more than 2,100 vendors at the National Restaurant Assn. Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show last weekend was more of a challenge. They most definitely were there but one had to look closely to find them. The good news is that those green vendors that were there had some exciting new products to talk about. Here is a list of some of them: EATware International introduced its line of 100 percent biodegradable disposable tableware. Their compostable products are made from corn starches...

Name: Tracy Marks Title: General Manager Hotel: Hilton Portland & Executive Tower Number of years with Hilton: 24 years Work experience prior to current position: “I started working in hotels right out of college. I worked at a Hilton in Washington, D.C. first and since have worked at seven other Hilton properties around the country.” Primary responsibilities: “To manage the hotel while meeting all of Hilton’s service standards, and meeting our owner’s financial expectations.” What he likes most about his work: “The interaction with all of our guests and our team members. I also enjoy being able to contribute...

ATLANTA—With concern for our nation’s environment and conservation of its natural resources on the rise, today’s travelers want a safer, more healthy and sustainable experience while on the road. Now, two hotel chains—America’s Best Inns & Suites and Country Hearth Inns—will feature a green initiative known as EcoRooms with products that are energy efficient, water efficient, waste reducing, and non-toxic and/or biodegradable. The systemwide program was announced by America’s Best Franchising Inc., franchisor of the hotel brands. “EcoRooms are more comfortable for guests and more cost-effective for hotels,” says Doug Collins, chairman and CEO of America’s Best Franchising...

BOSTON—Recognizing Arthur Blank & Co. Inc. as an innovator of environmentally friendly plastic card products, Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino recently presented the company with the 2007 Boston Green Business Award. Arthur Blank & Co., a leader in plastic credit card marketing solutions, received the award for the introduction of the industry’s first non-PVC, corn-based card, CornCard USA, and a new recycled PVC card, the AB RecycledCard. The Boston Green Product Award is given each year to a company that “produces or distributes a green product.” With the introduction of its Green Line of environmentally friendly products, Arthur Blank...

LAS VEGAS—It was pretty easy to determine what vendors were selling green products at this year’s HD 2007 Expo and Conference. A separate vendor directory was created for them and green, circular markers sat within each participating exhibitor’s booth. A separate Green Room on the show floor also featured environmentally friendly products. Vendors had to pony up additional funds to have a presence there. There is no possible way to mention every company that introduced a green product at this year’s show but here are some noteworthy examples: Simmons Hospitality Group announced its EverNU mattress top to help hotels get the...

NEW YORK—Leonardo Media, an international leader in providing e-marketing solutions for the travel and hospitality industries, announced that The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. Leading Spas collection directory is now available online as a digital eBook. Using the original artwork from the printed version, Leonardo created an exact replica of the 120-page directory into a dynamic and eye-catching electronic format—complete with links to the Leading Spas website and page zoom functionality that provides online viewers with the feeling that they are reading a printed brochure. “It is tremendous to expand our relationship with The Leading Hotels...

BOSTON—The award-winning Seaport Hotel recently installed a BioX system, a high-volume organic waste decomposition unit that eliminates organic waste naturally. The system, the first operational unit of its kind in New England, will reduce the amount of trash and recyclables Seaport hauls away, resulting in a cleaner environment. The BioX, sold by Action Comax Environmental Inc., Newark, N.J., consists of a stainless steel unit that is odorless, energy efficient and that runs automatically and quietly in the hotel kitchen. The system breaks down hundreds of pounds of food waste per day from Aura Restaurant & Bar, the Bakery...