Pineapple Hospitality adds 4 Pineapple Partners to help bring a comprehensive approach to the green hotel industry.
To truly go green in the hospitality industry, it requires a comprehensive approach. You have to look at every aspect of your operations, from your utilities to housekeeping to laundry to food-and-beverage service to event coordination. The list seems to never end.
It’s almost impossible for one person, or one company to have real expertise in every field. That’s why Pineapple Hospitality – the premier distributor of Green Hotel Products and Marketing Programs for the Hospitality Industry – partners with many of the greenest companies in the industry to provide a comprehensive range of environmental solutions to today’s ever-greening hotel market.
The three newest Pineapple Partners perfectly illustrate this kind of synergy, as AquaHealth taps the sustainable water market, Evolve guest controls pushes energy efficiency forward, and The Green Garmento hangs out as the perfect sustainable dry cleaning solution.
“We’re proud to have AquaHealth, Evolve, The Green Garmento, and Zero Odor join us as Pineapple Partners,” says Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality. “Whether it’s a sustainable water solution, energy control greener option for guestroom laundry service or a unique way to actually eliminate odors instead of masking them, these companies demonstrate how everyone in the green hospitality market can work together to bring a synergistic approach to sustainability.”
“Offering products that are good for both the environment and the bottom line, all our Pineapple Partners create value for hotels as we reach out to today’s tens of millions of more environmentally aware consumers and sustainable travelers,” Burger adds.
Healthier Hydration
AquaHealth Premium Water is the sustainable Solution to traditional bottled water. Way ahead of its time, AquaHealth was founded in 1992 – long before anyone was talking about the environmental waste created by plastic water bottles.
Using state-of-the-art filtration technology and user-friendly dispensing equipment, AquaHealth provides restaurants and hotels the ability to produce bottled water on site using attractive reusable bottles. The innovator allows operators to either use its proprietary brands, AquaHealth and Vivante, or create a custom logo bottle promoting its own brand. Healthy flavor choices give restaurants and hotels even more options to offer guests.
This cost-effective solution to traditional bottle water enables operators to maximize their profits while promoting an “Earth Friendly Bottled Water."
“Each year, there are 37 billion plastic bottles dumped into landfills. There also is waste associated with packaging and shipping bottled water,” says Barclay Hansen, President, AquaHealth. “As plastic water bottles receive more negative press and people realize the impact they can have on our environment, people are starting to get the message, and we can push forward with our mission of sustainable water.”
Hansen says hotels have been a big part of AquaHealth’s growth, as more businesses are trying to “do the right thing” and go green. Especially for corporate meetings and conference centers, more are looking at green travel options and retain consistent policies at home as well as on the road.
“If a corporation eliminates bottled water from its headquarters, it would be hypocritical to use bottled water at meetings,” Hansen says. “For hotels, the AquaHealth system is an upsell option for conference rooms and banquets. It gives them the ability to recapture bottled water sales, regaining profits.”
“While I believe the green movement is here to stay, it still has to be affordable and attractive to businesses. Our program clearly gives hotels and restaurants an economic advantage and a strong return on investment,” Hansen adds.
AquaHealth Premium Water is not only a green solution to bottled water, but also the healthier choice.
AquaHealth is a preferred vendor of Starwood properties and has been installed in hundreds of restaurants nationwide. Visit www.aquahealth.com for more information.
Adaptable Energy Controls
Added to Pineapple’s suite of Energy Efficiency Partners is Evolve Guest Controls. Evolve is an innovative wireless energy management system designed to save 30-50 percent on your property’s guestroom utility costs, as well as offering a return on your investment of two years or less. The Evolve system includes a keycard reader, a thermostat, replacement switches for the existing light and outlet switches and plug-in modules for the guestroom. This allows for complete control of HVAC, lighting and TV.
Upon entering their guestrooms, guests initiate control of the lighting, HVAC, television and motorized draperies (where existing) by simply inserting the keycard the guest used to open the door into the wall-mounted Evolve keycard readers.
While the guests are in their rooms, they have complete control over all devices; the lights, motorized shades/draperies, and TV all work normally and as expected. The thermostat can be adjusted as desired by the guest as well. When guests leave and remove their keycard, all lighting devices and television are turned off and the thermostat reverts back to a management-determined setback temperature, thereby eliminating wasteful spending while creating a more sustainable stay.
“Companies are choosing our system because we help hotels save money, enhance environmental initiatives and improve guest satisfaction,” says Leonard Horowitz, President of Evolve. “A recent installation in Washington, D.C., that has been up and running for four months has saved more than 193,000 KwH since the installation was completed, and the hotel is on track to achieve a complete payoff in less than 18 months.”
The Evolve system easily can be retrofitted and is adaptable to any size room or suite. Installation takes less than one hour and can be completed without interruption of normal hotel operations. The system uses a robust, two-way wireless communication protocol to control all of the devices, assuring reliable communication for every command sent. With no impact on the design elements of the room, guest comfort or the operation cycles of a property, Evolve is the first truly seamless energy management system for the lodging industry.
“We are proud to become the newest member of the Pineapple family,” says Horowitz. “We look forward to a long and successful relationship with Pineapple as its energy management partner, and are excited to bring our technology to their customers and clients.”
For more information visit www.eguestcontrols.com or call 800-233-4454.
Affordable Alternative
The Green Garmento reusable laundry bag was introduced to the dry cleaning industry in November 2008. It was created to lessen the estimated 300 million pounds of single-use dry plastic garment covers that annually clog U.S. landfills and waterways and endanger marine and wildlife. The Green Garmento is fast becoming a staple for dry cleaners and is available in a growing number of brick-and-mortar and online retailers.
The Green Garmento has clicked with many hotel operators in the U.S. and internationally. It is being used by hotels three ways:
Much more than just an eco-friendly dry cleaning bag, the Green Garmento serves as a hanging garment bag in your closet to store and protect your clothes from dust; it becomes a duffel bag for carrying your dirty laundry to the dry-cleaners; and it works as a hanging hamper as well. It has shoulder straps and handles making it easy to carry anywhere.
“To us, the green movement is fast becoming a way of life for many people,” Siegel says. “This bag is attractive, affordable and eco-friendly. It helps eliminate plastic clutter, organize closets, protect clothes from dry cleaning chemicals and make a strong green statement.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Ray and Pineapple Hospitality,” Siegel adds. “His commitment to bringing new, innovative and sustainable products to his clients is a great business model for The Green Garmento to be part of. We look forward to being part of Pineapple's impressive group of partners.”
For more information visit www.thegreengarmento.com.
ZERO ODOR — The Green Way
Each year, billions of dollars are spent to control or curtail the effects of odor. We mask it. We cover it up. We try almost anything to kill it. And we spend our money on solutions that don’t really work, but do end up increasing the amount of toxic chemicals in our lives.
No more. Because the hospitality industry can finally put an end to the practice of using ineffective, toxic chemicals to control odor and instead use a simple, permanent and non-toxic solution based on the active ingredients used in hydro-therapy and water purification to end odor forever.
Zero Odor actually permanently eliminates odor on a molecular level by seeking out and bonding with odor molecules, turning them into non-odor molecules. Essentially all foul and unpleasant odors have a common denominator: they all contain either a sulfur or nitrogen-family molecule in their make-up.
The active ingredients in Zero Odor form an irreversible bond with sulfur or nitrogen in gaseous form, which means that any odor that Zero Odor touches is gone forever.
“We got the samples of Zero Odor and let me tell you, housekeeping loves the product!” says Stephanie A, assistant manager of the Golden Bear Inn. “I also notice the difference in the rooms, walking into the rooms there are no lingering smells of anything. It’s like magic!”
Zero Odor is formulated to leave no scent or fragrance behind — only clean, crisp smelling air. There is a slight “tracer scent” embedded in the product to help consumers know where they have sprayed, but very soon the tracer scent also disappears.
Zero Odor is available in 22-ounce and 66-ounce sizes through the EcoGreenHotel Store. As the product of organic chemistry, the active ingredients in Zero Odor are non-toxic and biodegradable in the environment. Packaging for Zero Odor is 100% recyclable.
The Benefits of using Zero Odor include:
The full line of Pineapple Hospitality products and partners
can be found at www.PineappleHospitality.net.
About Pineapple Hospitality
Headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, Pineapple Hospitality brings fresh ideas to hospitality guests’ doors and owner/operators’ bottom lines — including FreshStay® (www.freshstay.com), EcoRooms® & EcoSuites™ (www.EcoRooms.com) Save Your World, Pharmacopia, Environmentally Sensitive Amenities™, EO®, Earth Perfect, eco.fresh, ecossential elements, Sonoma Soap Co. and greenSPA™ amenities, AVIVA and WAVE amenity dispensers, Energy Efficient Lighting from GE and TCP, , Custom Linen & Towel Re-Use Programs, Green Earth Key Cards, Energy Management Systems and Controls, High Performance showerheads, Zero Odor, and dozens of other products and programs. For more information, please visit www.pineapplehospitality.net, or call us at 636-922-2285.
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