This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here March 30, 2021 Interest grows in converting hotels to other uses Hotel News Now via CoStar Both private and government buyers are finding real estate conversion opportunities with U.S. hotel owners who are reevaluating the highest and best use of their properties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buyers and other investors have for years looked to older hotels as a way to have a ready-built property suited for a multitude of needs: Condos, affordable housing, student housing and assisted living.  READ MORE Florida measure will give operators new COVID-19 liability protections McKnight's Senior Living A bill providing COVID-19 liability protections for assisted living communities and other long-term care settings in Florida is on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature. Friday, the Florida House of Representatives passed SB 72, Civil Liability for Damages Related to COVID-19. The vote followed state Senate passage of the bill a week prior.  READ MORE Intellihot saves money, time, space We didn’t set out to create a better water heater. But as robotics engineers, we knew a worthy challenge when we saw it. LEARN MORE How hotels can better meet accessibility needs TravelPulse Handiscover, a leading accessibility and disability data organization, found that over a third of people with disabilities in America say that hotels have not met their accessibility needs. It is estimated that 60 million people in the United States live with a long-term illness or disability that requires specific accessibility requirements.  READ MORE 5 hidden security risks resulting from pandemic response FacilitiesNet In 1966, at his University of Cape Town address, Robert Kennedy said, "Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty, but they are also the most creative." In 2020, shifts in environmental factors rapidly created new broad security challenges. The year began with the coronavirus response, which created significant challenges in how buildings are managed, operated, accessed, and egressed.  READ MORE Lynchburg, Virginia's, Kirkley Hotel could be converted into senior living facility WSLS-TV A hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia, could soon become a senior living facility. The city's planning commission unanimously approved the move Wednesday. Runk & Pratt Companies, a family-owned health care enterprise, owns the Kirkley Hotel and already operates several living facilities in our area.  READ MORE HVAC strategies to slow coronavirus spread FacilitiesNet The primary cause of COVID-19 transmission is direct exposure to airborne respiratory particles of the virus. The probability of contracting the virus in this way is significantly reduced when individuals abide by social distancing guidelines and accurately wear personal protective equipment (PPE). But when a facility has an inadequate ventilation system, the same air is continuously circulated and can potentially result in the re-suspension of COVID-19 particles.  READ MORE Cities face new roadblock in quest to decarbonize buildings Smart Cities Dive Over 200 organizations and individuals submitted comments to the ICC surrounding its decision to end government voting on the International Energy Conservation Code. And 75 percent of those comments were opposed to the elimination, according to the Institute for Market Transformation, with the majority of those submitted by local government representatives.  READ MORE Redefining your guest and re-imagine your hotel's spaces Hotel Executive The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in our daily lives and to economy. The hospitality sector was one that was most negatively impacted. Historically, hotels have primarily focused on guest room, food and beverage, and event revenue as their main income generators, but with many travel and large-scale events suspended due to the pandemic, the industry continues to struggle.  READ MORE Is technology accelerating the decline of the front desk? Hotel Management The future for hotels is one in which the "front desk" will change dramatically. Shifts in consumer demands, accelerated by the global pandemic and advances in connected tech, mean that front-of-house staff increasingly will focus less on transactional interactions and more on interactions of service. Technology is revolutionizing the whole concept of the front desk: What it means and how it operates.  READ MORE Don't go with the flow FacilitiesNet Around this time of year, winter's charms start to wear thin and the mind turns to anticipating spring's blooms. But first come those April showers. And mid-March showers. Big, fat storms that bring the worry in the region I live in that the still frozen ground will not be able to absorb the water. The stormwater runoff will overwhelm my city's combined sewer stormwater system, causing all manner of unpleasant consequences.  READ MORE   NAHLE Newsweek Connect with NAHLE Jason Zimmerman, Director of Publishing, Multiview, 469-420-2686 | Download media kit Suzanne Mason, Travel & Hospitality Editor, Multiview, 202-684-7177 | Contribute News Robert Elliott, Contributing Editor, NAHLE, 703-922-7105 National Association of Hotel & Lodging Engineers P.O. Box 30844  |  Alexandria, VA 22310  703-922-7105  |  Contact Us  |  www.nahle.org Click here to unsubscribe.  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE PAST ISSUES   7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063