SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—Shore Hotel recently installed an AquaRecycle Laundry Water Recycle System, which will reduce carbon emissions and its laundry water usage by 80 percent. The new system will allow the hotel to reclaim and reuse its laundry wastewater, conserving precious resources all while offering its guests premium eco-conscious accommodations.“California is in a four-year drought, and as we sought ways to answer Governor Brown’s call to conserve water, our engineering team looked for ways to reduce our water usage on property,” says Shore Hotel General Manager Joe Velasquez. “AquaRecycle allows the hotel to recycle our laundry wastewater, which results...

“How much water does an outdoor waterpark use?” I am frequently asked that question, but the answer isn’t as simple as it seems. Calculations for outdoor waterparks are heavily dependent on factors that simply don’t apply to their indoor counterparts, namely those related to climate and the environment. There is no way around it—outdoor waterparks require large amounts of water. Public perception often assumes that the outdoor waterpark is constantly being refilled with a giant spigot that is tapping the community’s water supply, which may be at a premium. Water use, however, is not water consumption. Facilities that practice proactive...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—Global producer and distributor of  commercial foodservice and plumbing products T&S Brass and Bronze Works has been named the 2015 Manufacturer of the Year (small/midsize category) by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. The Palmetto Vision Award was announced at a gala in Columbia earlier this month.In accepting the award, Operations Manager Gary Cole paid tribute to T&S associates, saying, “The Theisen family moved their commercial foodservice and plumbing manufacturing facility to Travelers Rest in 1978 and, through the hard work and dedication of a great group of people, the company has developed into one of the...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes WET-TECH as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. WET-TECH develops, designs, manufactures, installs and services energy and water saving EnviroSaver II ozone equipment. The company’s equipment is presently installed on tunnel washers as well as conventional washer/extractor equipment. WET-TECH’s specially designed small bubble ozone infusion provides a high quality wash while maintaining savings in fuel energy, electrical energy, water, sewage and chemical costs. The EnviroSaver II offers a low operating cost and a quick ROI. WET-TECH offers a three-year parts warranty. Call (508) 831-4229, e-mail jackreiff@wet-tech.com,...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—Hansgrohe USA is rolling out new shower collections to its already comprehensive lineup. In addition to introducing two showerpipes to the Croma collection, Hansgrohe is integrating its popular and intuitive Select technology into the new Croma Select E and Croma Select S showerheads/handshowers. The company is also launching the Crometta collection, a sister collection to Croma.“As the result of customer feedback, we have integrated Select into the next generation of Croma showerheads and handshowers,” says Erik Christensen, President of Hansgrohe USA. “The advantages are quite literally in the user’s hands. Thanks to the Select technology, spray modes can...

KOHLER, WIS.—As part of its goal to educate building professionals and consumers in California on reducing water use, Kohler Co. has joined Connect the Drops, a California advocacy campaign highlighting water stewardship efforts. The campaign brings together companies operating in California to initiate collaborative public-private solutions because of the state’s severe water shortage and unprecedented water reduction regulations implemented this year.Kohler, a leading brand of kitchen and bath plumbing products, sells its products in California through numerous leading independent distributors and retail outlets. The company is working closely with its sales partners to promote upgrades of bathroom fixtures and...

SARASOTA, FLA.—The Aqua Mizer Solution is a patented, retrofit toilet tank flush system that prevents water waste from flapper and other tank leaks, and protects a property from catastrophic toilet floods. This innovative system detects most toilet leaks and prevents the tank from refilling when they are present. It’s a simple, green, turnkey solution that can generate a significant ROI in a short period of time.For most hotels, a toilet flood in a guestroom can cost tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the property, in addition to the lost revenue of one or more vacant rooms. A...

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—Porous Pave, Inc. has added three new distributors in the United States and Canada for Porous Pave, the company’s highly porous, flexible and durable pour-in-place pavement material. The new distributors are Napa Valley Materials (California), Brico Services (British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan), and J&J Porous Pave (Ontario).“Our distributors are committed to training and certifying installation contractors,” said Dave Ouwinga, President and CEO, Porous Pave, Inc. “To help ensure excellent results, they also provide expert technical support during project planning and installation.”An eco-friendly green building product, Porous Pave infiltrates stormwater on-site, reduces the volume and slows the velocity...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International employee volunteers build a house from the ground up, and hand over the keys to an elated single mother and her children. Tens of millions of dollars are spent conducting business with minority- and women-owned enterprises, supporting the company's strategic objectives and commitment to diversity. MGM Resorts and NRG Renew partner to install one of the nation’s largest rooftop solar arrays at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, stretching a massive 20 acres.These are just a few of the powerful displays of corporate citizenship chronicled in MGM Resorts’ 2014 Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Themed “Inspiration...

NATIONAL REPORT—In hotels, utility costs consist of four major components.  According to the 2015 edition of Trends in the Hotel Industry, electricity is the largest utility expense comprising 60 percent of total expenditures. Water/service is the next largest utility cost (23.8 percent) followed by gas/fuel (10.6 percent), and steam (2.3 percent). Trends in the Hotel Industry is the annual survey of U.S. hotel operating statements conducted by PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR), a CBRE Company. Over the years, the energy component of the consumer price index (CPI) has been a good indicator of the direction of the change in total utility...