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This article is about the green initiative of installing electric vehicle charging stations in hotels. Hotels have always considered their concern for the environment as a way to stand out in the market and meet client needs and expectations. Charging stations are not considered just another amenity, they are something the customer is looking for. Drive in business is extremely important to the lodging industry and this technology is what guests are looking for as hybrid and electric vehicles become more affordable and practical.

This article deals with the implementation of electric vehicle charging stations in many hotel properties. These charging stations appear to be a big trend and an item that can set a hotel apart from it's competitors. Taking the initiative to be more conscience of their carbon footprint allows properties to relate with guests who feel the same about protecting the planet. Properties such as the Loews Vanderbilt hotel, and the Fontainebleau Miami have installed charging stations and are receive very positive feedback from ,both, guest, who own electric cars and those who do not. Although electric cars are not prevalent in the auto industry there has been an increase in sales and when Auberge Resorts held a study asking guests about electric cars they were surprised to find out that "many had already had them" and that twenty percent said that an electric car would be a future purchase. "Going green" is a huge trend within the hospitality industry and hotels will continue to implement advances in "green" technology in order to be set apart from the rest.

This article focuses on the technology innovation regarding electricity in hotels. The article states that the total energy consumption costs for hotels will continue to rise. Luckily, there is an energy saving technology that is worth investing in. Cogeneration, which the article states is known as "combined heat and power (CHP), helps minimize the heat and power from a single fuel source". It takes natural gas and converts it to electricity. This helps the hotel use heat for areas of their operation. This technology supplies 95% of the electricity needed for a standard hotel. Besides helping the hotel's electricity, heat, and power system be more efficient, the CHP helps with financial costs. According to the article, investing in a CHP will bring a payback in about 3 years and this time expected to decrease. This means hotels will receive a return on their investment in a shorter period of time. In my opinion, this is great technology to invest in. It not only helps with financial savings but it is also better for the environment. The business will benefit from it because it helps with operations. Also, consumers will be more likely to want to stay in a hotel with an energy efficient system. It goes hand in hand with the Go Green initiative that has proved to be successful and consumer driven. In all, investing in technology is a risky business. For this specific energy saving technology, I believe it is worth investing in. The cogeneration would be ideal for "hotels with 100 or more rooms, high electric rates, hot water heating system, and high use needs".

With sustainability at the forefront of hotel operators and investors hotels are becoming conscious of the guests needs as more and more travelers are requiring and are staying at properties that are serious about environmental conservation. The article highlighted the fact hotels are big consumers of energy, therefore have construction that are LEED certified will not only benefit the environment but also the bottom line of investors.

Travel Weekly takes a look at hotels taking real initiatives to their commitment to going green, especially in Sin City. Hotel groups are looking not to save money through transparent initiatives asking guests to simply reuse their towels, rather the article looks at "hotel owner-developers to invest in systems that cut energy usage, save water, and reduce waste". It seems in addition to other environmentally conscious west coast cities, Vegas has set a standard by setting goals for increased recycling, decreased energy consumption, switching over to LED bulbs, composting food waste, reducing overall carbon footprint and emissions. In light of continuing green development, Sabre Holdings has launched an Eco-Certified Hotel Program taking the lead out of the other four major GDS's to tip their hat to eco-friendly hotels. As travelers, GDS's, hotels, travel websites, and developers alike place greater emphasis on the preference for environmentally conscious lodgings, the more likely the industry is going to continue adopting these measures.

Hotels are becoming more green world wide. MGM hotels is on board with a green initiative. Hotels electricity and water add up because they have to cool a building , clean and maintain the hotel. IT costs about 800 per room annually in electricity and water costs. MGM hotels reduced the electrivity they use which can help power 12, 000 houses. HOtels are also trying to reduce its carbon emissions. Although as the article states " its very difficult fot hotels to be trully green by their nature" every little bit helps.

In the article, "Green and Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenities" it talks about how many different hotels are doing their part and keeping the planet green. The first place that the article talks about is the Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, it uses no motorized vehicles instead the guests can use electric golf carts or electric boats to ride around on the nine miles of canal. "Each resort also has an onsite biologist to lead educational boat tours through the lagoons." At the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago they built a rooftop garden to provide fresh vegetables and herbs for the hotel's restaurant, they are also considering making space to put several beehives, this will lead to a natural approach of producing honey. One of the most interesting and easy ways to stay green was at the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley; they have sheep that eat the grass replacing all lawnmowers and on top on that, their manure helps fertilize the soil. It's a win, win solution! In New York they have a restaurant called Habana Outpost and you really have to work for your food, literally. At this restaurant you have ride a bike that powers the eatery blender and if they generate up to 100 watts of energy, they will earn a free meal, such an amazing and creative idea! This "is part of the hotel's larger commitment to eco-friendliness, which includes a CO2-neutral building, solar panels, and groundwater-based heating and cooling systems." At Jicaro Island lodge in Nicaragua, they used all of they wood from trees that were knocked down in Hurricane Felix and they also use a good majority of their wastewater that is recycled to irrigate the trees and plants. Before reading this article, I never knew that so many hotels were doing their part at staying green and I'm surprised by all the new and unique ways that they have come up with, it gives me hope for the future!

Along with green initiatives in hotels and airlines, cruise lines and ports have been making efforts on "Going green" for years. This article, particularly introduces The Port of Los Angeles that can provide plug-in power system, a.k.a. Alternative Maritime Power system (AMP) to two cruise ships simultaneously. Basically, cruise ships consume the huge amount of fuel just like hundreds of cars do while they are in port. With the AMP that cruise ships gain electrical power from, cruise ships can turn off their engines while being at berth like an electric car. As a result, cruise ships can reduce their fuel cost and eliminate significant ship exhaust. More and more cruise ports have installed the AMP system and cruise ships have tried to be fitted to the power system. Obviously, the AMP is not the ultimate solution to pollution, however this can prevent the environment from being more polluted. The AMP system will advance, and we might see cruise ships sailing with only electrical power or other alternative power sources, such as solar power, power generated by cruise ships in the future.

Computer on your desk is contributing to global warming? That is not a joke! Actually, most people don't appreciate that fact. It is true that if the electricity comes from coal power plant it produces as much CO2 as a sports utility vehicle! Especial, the total electricity that needed to transmit the trillions of spam emails sent annually equals the amount required to power over two million homes in the US. Unbelievable! As millions more go online each year, which means there comes out more electricity needed and produce more CO2. As the researcher's saying, it becomes part of the whole sustainability picture.

This article includes standards and suggestions to operate green hotels. The 40 ways include electricity saving, water saving, recycling systems and other environmental friendly usage method. For example, it mentioned to use digital control to HVAC systems, key card to control lights in guest rooms, using CFL bulbs to save electricity. It mentioned as possible as you can to paperless or recycle paper. Use ozone laundry system to reduce cost, water energy and chemicals use. Give leftover food and amenities to charities. An interesting thing, it also mentioned plant a garden and harvest organically-grown vegetables for your restaurant, a best way to save cost and treat food debris. The highlight ways are what interesting in my mind.

This article provides clarified information about what the hotel should do to be green. This is a valuable guideline for hotel to be a greener hotel. Nowadays more and more hotels bring in new technology to save energy, I know this action can bring many benefits to hotel, but some not mature technology may bring trouble for hotel. I read a story talk about the solar powered energy management system. With this system's control the air conditioner will turn down automatically when there is no person in the room. But sometimes it can turn down the air conditioner when the guests fall asleep. How to deal with this kind of problem is also a big challenge for hospitality industry.

If your hotel is interested in being certified for Florida Green Lodging or just want tips visit http://diigo.com/0mwfk

It often happen in hotel that the physcial plant system has some problem.The plan resolves heacily around backup generators and battery power for electricity. Lota's plan contain every system, if hotel obey the plan I think they can operate better.Make sure every physical plants in a good working condition.

The duty engineer is also supposed to walk through all machinery spaces to check for any flooding or hazardous conditions. If the outage is of an unspecified "long duration," the duty engineer is also bound to continually check the fuel level of the emergency generator and request that the manager call the contractor for more fuel when the fuel level reaches half-full.

The Sheraton hotel in California is the place for business travelers in the high-tech and government sectors. And to avoid the potentially harmful effects that the utility service interruptions can have on the hotel's many operating systems, the manager came out with a detailed engineering contingency plan. This plan is originally intended in prat to address potential Y2K woes. The plan assumed that a new life as both a disaster prevention and action schematic for all physical plant systems. 

This article talked about Hilton New York installs a new green roof system and cogeneration system. Those two IT investments are designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon footprint. The green roof system represents a major investment by Hilton New York to benefit efforts in carbon capture, energy conversation, and reduction of Urban Heat Island effect. And the high-efficient, environmentally-friendly cogeneration system will provide in excess of 50 percent of hotel's electrical power and over 40 percent of its steam consumption for heating and hot water requirements.

This article talked about Hilton New York installs a new green roof system and cogeneration system. Those two IT investments are designed to reduce the hotel's overall carbon footprint. The green roof system represents a major investment by Hilton New York to benefit efforts in carbon capture, energy conversation, and reduction of Urban Heat Island effect. And the high-efficient, environmentally-friendly cogeneration system will provide in excess of 50 percent of hotel's electrical power and over 40 percent of its steam consumption for heating and hot water requirements.

This article illustrated that a creative way to produce electricity and at the same time to encourage guests to do sports. The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen provides the guests with the equipments just like the bicycles. Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness. This is a new idea for the hotel to propagandize the green hotel concept and benefits of doing sports. The most important, the hotel uses the free meal to encourage guests to join this interesting activity. Actually, the hotel has already applied the solar panels to produce renewable energy. I think this is a fantastic idea. Firstly, in this environment friendly way, the hotel gets electricity. Secondly, it encourages the guests to do more sports and it is good for their health. As people nowadays do not pay enough attention to sports and this way can encourage them do some sports. Thirdly, it also put the "green hotel" concept into practice and in this way to encourage more and more hotels to generate new ideas to promote the environmentally friendly hotel development. Moreover, this new idea can help the hotel build a good image, as people pay more and more intention to the environment. The practice of the new idea is good opportunity for the hotel to advertise itself.

This article is all about hotels going green and trying to get LEED certified. The one Boston hotel is doing things like having dual flush toilets, low flow showers, shampoo and conditioner in bulk dispensers, and a roofing material that reflects the sun to save energy costs. Another thing involved with getting LEED certified is getting energy from abouther source, this particular hotel is using the wind. It is expensive to do and doesnt appeal to everyone, hotel managers must figure out whats in the best interest for them and getting people in and out of their hotel.

To add onto Marilyns comment, not only are hotels doing the basics to go green, but a lot of hotels in california are taking the extra step, such as The Kimpton Hotels, and The orchard. They have changed the carpets and wallpaper for lower emission. They added recycle bins in every room in all 40 of their hotels across the country. Lastly, and one of the the additions I find most beneficial is their implementation of key card energy control, where a room key will be needed to activate the electricity in each room, and also shutting all electricity off when they leave.

This article is about how starwood hotels are trying to become fullscale eco-friendly but some are hotels are only greenwashing. This article is stating that it is not enough to use one green practice and call yourself an eco-friendly hotel.

This article announces the use of Wind Turbines as one of Hilton Fort Lauderdale's green initiatives. Six 40-foot turbines will be installed on the roof of the hotel and are the first part of a process that will include solar panels and possible even street-level turbines. Both methods will help increase the amount of electricity provided by renewable resources. The wind turbines are projected to provide 5-10% of the hotel's electricity, and the solar panels could add another 5-10%. I think this is an excellent green initiative, and I've never heard of a hotel undertaking it before. The possibility of 10-20% of the hotel's electricity coming from wind turbines and solar panels is pretty significant. According to Andreas Ioannou, general manager, the hotel is hoping to get up to 25% of their energy from these sources. It appears that the resort has been very energy conscious since its opening, and is the first resort in Broward County to receive the Florida Green Lodging designation. They also have a Green Team, which oversees other green initiatives such as recycling all paper, using fluorescent light bulbs, and automatic water flush-o-meters in public restrooms.

This article focuses on millennial's and how dependent they are on technology when traveling and/or exploring places to eat. It is highly encouraged by travel agencies and the food/entertainment indusrty to promote their services through apps and current technological trends. Millennial's like the ability to check themselves in the hotel, book reservations, pay bills, ect. at their convenience. More hotels are implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) key card, which only allows the electricity to be turned on once the key is inserted. This helps in decreasing hotel electricity cost. Not only does it reduce electricity cost, but it also saves energy from our planet. Hotels are targeting business travelers, millenial's, and leisure travelers due to proper mobile strategy in place, a study in 2016 showed that 75% from search and 51% of revenue come from mobile devices. SaaS is increasing in demand, especially from hotels and hospitality companies. Hotels are able to cut down on operating costs since SaaS is cheaper with no initial hardware costs and no need to hire full time IT staff to maintain the system, Hotels and restaurants are going paperless practicing sustainability and going green. Technology is helping elevate the hospitality and tourism world by providing more accessibility and exposure targeted to the specific demands of today's world.

This article talks about the 5 ways can make the technologies will go green in 2015. We all know solar panels, electric cars, high-efficiency washing machines. Those technologies can negative effects the human activity on the earth but there are so much lesser known tech devices out there designed to help human to save the energy of the earth. Firstly, smart homes, it's hard to see the smart homes, being green is not that hart just makes your electric things to connect the internet. For example, connect your refrigerator to your smartphone, this way can allow the people adjust the temperatures all the time instead of walk to the refrigerator. Thus, being green only need to move your finger. It can help people to track that how much energy they use in their home, office or school. Therefore, they can reduce their bills in order to save the energy in the world. The article mentioned the most popular one is smart thermostats. Smart thermostats can "remember" the temperatures you prefer and can sense when you are not in the home. Thus, they can turn off the AC which's can save an of electric because that connect to the Wi-Fi and you can control it use tablet or smartphones. Second, the most important thing is smarter homeowners. The smart owner will maximize the energy efficiency of your home with smart technologies, using the website such as BuildingOS. This app gives the users the tools they need to analyze the efficiency of the office. The data that they provide all of from the central hub building's systems include water, electric, gas and so on.

Sustainability or green initiatives are becoming more popular within the cruise line industry. From icebreaker powered by liquefied natural gas, to community-friendly itineraries and initiatives designed to eliminate millions of plastic water bottles every year, international cruise operators are catching up with consumer demands for more environmentally aware travel. Oceania and Regent have gone away with single use plastics by providing guests with eco friendly water system. Linblad Expeditions is asking its suppliers to explore sustainable alternatives. Regulations will require ships to change from heavy sulphur fuel to more expensive low-sulphur alternatives. WE go on to learn about different fuel cleaning processes that the cruise lines are implementing to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, Lastly we see that LNG has created an icebreaker that runs on electric and battery power when in polar exploration. These are just a few of the ways cruise lines are implementing more sustainable practices.

That is fantastic news that cruise lines are starting to make more of an initiative to eliminating their carbon footprint. I have been curious as to how cruise lines can take more green initiatives because they carry such a large carbon footprint that has a huge effect on our environment. Technology and ships like the Le Commandant Charcot are huge steps in reducing carbon emissions.

Through the lockdown there may have been an increase in the amount of e-waste thrown into the regular trash. About 60% of people are believed to have been their homes during quarantine. If e-waste was disposed of properly there should have been a surge at e-waste disposal sites, instead there are estimates that suggest collection levels are 50% lower than normal. This also poses a fire risk due to the lithium ion batteries found in most phones, laptops, and even electric toothbrushes.

According to the article, the biggest issues for recyclers during the lockdown will include the increasing quantity of small-sized daily appliances and Li-ion batteries discarded to the bin, rather than being handled professionally and properly, and the rising quantity of electronic bikes. Li-ion batteries are risky since they may cause a fire, yet the current situation is not very optimistic.

Engergy always be the top cost generator in hotel expense. Hundreds of new technology is developed to control the cost of energy consume and provent guests' oversmart on wasting. Zenros Smart Engergy is a new energy management system for hotels. It is predicted that the system can save at least 35% in HLP cost.

Solar Powered Energy Management for Hotels "Hotels consume massive amounts of energy and use 50% more energy than a similar sized residential building despite having only 55% occupancy rates on average. " "Energy costs are the ghighest fixed expenses for hotels fafter salaries. It is very important for hotels to save energy  The article started by mentioning the most widely used sensor system. And smart energy management solutions are quite expensive and sometimes even impossible to be retrofit old hotels.  ZENROS is a new solar powered energy management system. It is believed  to be able to save at least 35% in HLP costs. It is connected to the room controller and use Zigbee Smart Energy, a panel wireless communication system to control all the electrical devices. This combination of solar energy and wireless enables restoration in most hotels, even the ones without electrical grid nearby. 

Light Human Hotel Miami Beach is the first of eight properties to open.These hotels are engineered to go above and beyond being LEED certified. They will offer electric vehicle chagrining stations, farm to table restaurants, bicycles that generated additional electricity. The creators stated "hotels are designed for people and that's the reason why they are sustainable places with well-being as a key factor not only for guests, but for the staff and for the local community in the neighborhood also." Centering the human factor at the core of the business allows it exploits technology. They utilize bioclimatic processes in the orientation of the buildings and will adjust all hotels based upon surroundings. A hotel brand like this could utilize air conditioning cut offs, and flow meters in order to reduce waste. The opportunities are endless for a brand like this because guests have higher expectations than ever from hotels on environmental efficiency. Implementing smart technologies combined with the utilization of surrounding would create extremely efficient businesses.

ARTICLE SUMMARY Introduction and evolution of Internet has revolutionized the way hotel operators and business in general approach daily activities and strategic planning. Internet is to modern business what electricity was to the industrial revolution. Internet has become a very important tool in generating revenues, lowering costs, increasing productivity, and increasing online visibility and therefore hotel and tourism operators need to utilize this tool to compete and be successful. The future of eMarketing in hospitality and tourism industries is bright and will serve the industry well for many years to come.

This article talks about e-marketing and how it is going to take over the industry. It mentions that the number of people on the interent is increasing and rapidly. E-marketing need to "create interesst, excitement and buy-ins at their hotels". Now with social media, e-marketing is becoming more accessible. "The level of emphasis and extent of experimentation varies greatly by hotel group and location, but growing importance, both for generating revenues, lower costs adn online visibility, is indisputable".

Are you a hotel eMarketer looking for ways to better communicate, educate and develop the role at your property/ies? This article explores some of the issues surrounding these efforts, complemented by a dose of perspective and a generous helping of best practices, all garnished, hopefully, by your own ideas and experiences. By Jitendra Jain

This was a very interesting article about how Salvatore's Grand Hotel will be the first to benefit from the integration of Zeno Control, LLC and Verve Living Systems. The hotel will immediately begin installing Verve Keycard Switch, which is controlled wirelessly and uses sensors and control products to control HVAC, lighting, and other electric loads in guestrooms. Verve Keycard Switch doesn't require batteries. When a guest enters their room, they place the card into the Keycard Switch and then have complete control over all the electric devises in the room. Once the card is removed, the electronic devices in the room turn off or go into eco set back mode. The system can not only turn things on and off, but can defect problems in the room and track energy usage. The hotel expects to see a return on investment within two years. I thought this article was right on target with this week's module, and it seems this system would definitely help facilities be more energy efficient. I think it also supports preventative maintenance. Since it tracks problem areas, the facility manager should be able to address them before guests have to point them out. One possible problem I see is if guests forget to remove the card when they leave the room.

Verve Living System by ZENO Controls LLC has a new guest room energy control system. The system concludes guestroom swithches, sensors, thermostats, and lighting control. The system will turn off all electronic facilities when the room is un-occupied. So the system can get immediately financial benefits to hotel from the saving on energy expense, which is a big spender of entire expense.