The pandemic did many bad things to the hospitality industry and its related organizations. One of the organizations that suffered the most was Clean the World, the Orlando, Fla. based nonprofit that is dependent on donations of soap, amenity bottles, financial support, and volunteers to keep its mission rolling.
Environmental Impact Considered
Last year was undoubtedly one of the worst years in the history of the lodging industry but that bad year saw the continuation of one of the industry’s most notable success stories—Hilton’s Home2 Suites extended stay brand. Designed with 'sustainability being a key pillar,' according to Global Brand Head Leonard Gooz, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the brand.
As concern about COVID-19 has skyrocketed, so too has interest in wellness and one of the places that interest has been focused is the guestroom - specifically the mattress. Any company today must be careful about its anti-viral/anti-bacterial/anti-microbial claims but at least two mattress companies are offering options that include at least one or more of the above 'anti' properties.
When the Hotel Marcel opens next summer in New Haven, Conn., it will be a shining example of sustainability and what every hotel could and should be. The 165-room boutique hotel will be the result of the renovated Armstrong Rubber Company Building, aka Pirelli Building, originally designed by Marcel Breuer in 1967. It will be run by 100 percent solar power, meet net-zero energy standards, and will target LEED Platinum certification.
Purlin, LLC, maker of recyclable linens for the hospitality industry, has won the Lee School Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Hospitality category.
Earlier this year the Westin Houston Medical Center announced it was using LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots to sanitize and disinfect its guestrooms and common areas to help combat the threat of coronavirus. The robots use intense germicidal UV light to disinfect rooms by quickly destroying microscopic bacteria and viruses that may be missed during the manual cleaning process. Operated by hotel staff, the robot uses pulsed xenon (a noble gas) to create intense broad-spectrum UV light.
Green Lodging News asked Nina Hwang, MPH, Senior Scientist at Green Seal, about the use of foggers and electrostatic sprayers. Click here to read those questions and answers.
Two companies have recently introduced portable sound masking systems to the lodging industry - Nightingale Smart Solutions Inc. and K.R. Moeller Associates Ltd. The aim of each company is to help hotel guests fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. While doing that, hotels can benefit from fewer noise complaints, reduce reimbursement charges and beef up wellness programs.
For a 140-room property, moving to a three-bottle shower dispenser system is expected to result in the elimination of more than 23,000 tiny toiletry bottles annually - the equivalent of 250 pounds of plastic per year.