CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO—After a soft opening in November, Grand Velas Los Cabos officially opened its doors on December 20. The $150 million resort on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula is the fifth property of Velas Resorts with over 20 years of tradition in hospitality. The beachfront property has enhanced signature facilities and services of Grand Velas resorts including duplex wellness suites with juice bars, wine-based features inspired by the proximity to the region producing Mexico’s fine wines, and dramatic ocean views and unique spaces infusing every area of the resort. Grand Velas Los Cabos has been meticulously designed to exist harmoniously...

Name: Pranav Jampani Title: Director of Sustainability Company: Las Vegas Sands Corp. Years with company: Three years Primary responsibilities: “I oversee the sustainability program for our Las Vegas operations. We have some of the world’s largest green buildings with over 9,000 employees. I manage development, management and implementation of policies and programs.” Company’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “It’s difficult to pick one. Last year Las Vegas Sands was ranked as one of the greenest large companies in the world in the 2016 Newsweek Green Rankings. Las Vegas Sands was the highest ranked hospitality company in the world. In addition, in Las Vegas, we have...

LAGUNA HILLS, CALIF.—A new intelligent toilet product just hitting the market offers an effective and affordable solution for anyone who has ever been subjected to a constant-flowing or over-flowing toilet. The Valvin unit is an electronically controlled valve actuator that can be integrated with any standard toilet tank fill valve to relieve the mess, stress, damage and costs of a malfunctioning toilet. This patented intelligent valve is designed to turn off water flow in toilets when any abnormal activity is detected: an open flapper leak, a fill valve leak or even a silent flapper leak, and more. If water begins leaking in...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The NAFEM Show, an event held every two years to showcase the latest foodservice equipment innovations, including those innovations focused on energy and water conservation, is slated for February 9 to 11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. This year’s event will feature more than 500 exhibit booths and a WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL! product gallery (booth 1840). Featured in the gallery will be equipment in every category that provides major energy savings, holding equipment that can maintain temperatures for longer periods of time with lower energy use—or no utility hookup at all; ventilation systems that...

December 8 was an important day for MGM Resorts International. It was then that it officially opened the LEED Gold MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. The 308-room property is located minutes from Washington, D.C. The MGM National Harbor is MGM Resorts International’s ninth LEED certification. Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for MGM Resorts International, said in a press release that the hotel exemplifies MGM’s long-standing effort to implement sustainable and responsible practices across its resorts. I spoke with Todd Megrath, Executive Director of Sustainable Development, MGM Resorts International, about the new property and he...

BETHESDA, MD.—Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. announced new 2020 greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water and waste targets after meeting its 2017 goals ahead of schedule. Based on the success of its programs to date, the company elected to increase and expand its efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of its portfolio. The company is one of the first Fortune 500 companies and the first hospitality company to have their emissions target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, which aims to have companies commit to bolder emissions targets in line with science to keep global warming below the 2 degree...

LAS VEGAS—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized High Sierra Showerheads, a small, family-owned, made-in-USA manufacturer of water-saving shower heads based in Coarsegold, Calif., with a 2016 WaterSense Excellence Award for Strategic Collaboration—one of its top water conservation awards—as a leader in saving water for future generations. The award was presented at the annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference. It’s rare for a small manufacturer to receive an EPA WaterSense Award. More than 1,700 utilities, manufacturers, retailers, builders, and organizations partner with WaterSense. Only a select few, however, are recognized each year for their significant program contributions. The EPA WaterSense Excellence Award...

I often hear from entrepreneurs in the process of developing new products for hotels. One such person, Greg Floyd, contacted me yesterday in regard to Abstract Engineering LLC’s latest venture—a Shower Stream attachment for guestroom showerheads. What does the Shower Stream attachment do? Typically, your guests, after they turn on the shower, will step out of the shower and let the water run for a period of time until it is hot enough. This is what is considered “behavioral waste”. Water is wasted and energy as well. The Shower Stream is a motion-activated shower head adapter that Abstract Engineering says...

NATIONAL REPORT—Earlier this year, in September, Green Lodging News reported on a field study of rack and flight conveyor warewashers conducted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company Food Service Technology Center (FSTC). That study documented the energy and water savings and economic benefits of replacing an old inefficient warewasher with a new efficient or best-in-class warewasher. In this article Green Lodging News takes a look at what the leading suppliers of warewashers are currently offering and what makes their machines efficient from an energy, water and chemical perspective. Perhaps with no other water consuming machine in a hotel has there...

DES PLAINES, ILL.—Chicago Faucets, a leading manufacturer of commercial faucets, is offering a comprehensive guide to its electronic faucets, the Performance by Design product brochure. The brochure features the popular HyTronic Series of hands-free electronic faucets and the economical E-Tronic 40 Series. All hands-free electronic faucets from Chicago Faucets are available with three power options: AC, DC or the environmentally friendly Self-Sustaining Power System (SSPS). All working parts are housed in the faucet body, above the deck, saving valuable time during installation and maintenance. HyTronic and E-Tronic Series faucets help designers and building owners meet the latest water conservation requirements,...