Hotel Online  Special Report

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fresh ideas
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Guaranteed Non Smoking = Guaranteed Success
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FreshStay® Version 2.0 a Huge Hit With Guests & Hoteliers

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Hotels are raving about the  all-new integrated booking process, opportunities for special offers, information about indoor air quality enhancements and the largest online roster of smoke-free lodging options with more than 3,500 properties listed at FreshStay®
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SAINT CHARLES, MO. � JULY 17, 2007 � The new and completely redesigned FreshStay®  �Breathe Easy, Sleep Great (www.FreshStay.com) is a huge hit with its partner lodging facilities and their guests. The online directory for reservations at non smoking lodging properties of all types has made it simple for users to search and select exactly the locations they need with the air quality they expect and deserve with the new integrated booking process. With an ever-growing roster of more than 3,500 non smoking hotels, FreshStay is the most comprehensive directory of non-smoking lodging properties in the world.

�The new version of FreshStay allows me to list some of our property�s travel packages on the Web site, which is really attractive to potential guests,� says Jenn Holderied, Owner and Director of Marketing for the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid, N.Y. �These special features and offers really differentiate both us and FreshStay in the marketplace.

�We went smoke-free in 2002,� Holderied continues. �At the time, we were the first in our area to do so. We decided it was the best thing to do for ourselves and our guests, because most of the complaints we received had to do with the lingering odor of cigars and cigarettes. Plus, we were constantly replacing carpets, wallpaper and other furnishings that were damaged by smoke. It was the right decision for all involved.�

�FreshStay puts our company in front of exactly the right people we want to target � people who care about their health, the health of others and the environment,� Holderied concludes.

Hospitality At Its Best 

�FreshStay is the ideal medium for �frequent breathers� to book clean, refreshing accommodations,� says Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality, which founded and operates FreshStay. �At other travel sites, you can book a smoke-free room. But there�s no guarantee that there won�t be a person lighting up in the room next to yours. At FreshStay, we guarantee all of our hotels listed are 100-percent smoke-free. 

�We are planning further improvements to the Web site, where we will highlight the other indoor air quality enhancements being offered by many hotels,� Burger adds. �Better indoor air quality doesn�t stop at being smoke-free.� 

Not only does FreshStay take the guesswork out of booking smoke-free rooms, it also takes away the hard work that goes along with searching for the right locations. With its new design, FreshStay breaks down users� choices into easily searchable categories, separating the listings for hotels and bed & breakfasts/inns, with state-by-state and country-by-country search capabilities.  Best of all, guests now can book directly through FreshStay with a simple click through the Web site�s integrated booking process.

With more and more visitors searching for smoke-free lodgings, any hotel listed on the Global Distribution System (GDS) can be listed on FreshStay, making nearly everyone eligible to tap the rapidly growing segment of the population that has come to expect a smoke-free policy across the board at their lodging choices.

�FreshStay represents an opportunity to extend our reach, raise our online visibility, and increase awareness to the D.C. visitor searching for smoke-free accommodations,� says Robert Mulcahy, Web Marketing Manager for RB Properties, which operates the Morrison-Clark Historic Inn, Henley Park Hotel, State Plaza Hotel and Hotel Lombardy. 

Mulcahy adds, �Our non-smoking policy was conceived in accordance with our guests� suggestions and wishes. When we started seeing more and more requests for non-smoking rooms and facilities it was blatantly clear that 100% non smoking was our next action step.  

�You can�t put a price tag on customer referrals,� Mulcahy says. �If being smoke-free appeases the public � and the public is very happy by all accounts we�re aware of  � then the hope is that those customers will pass that knowledge and level of satisfaction on to others for both FreshStay and its ever-growing roster of smoke-free properties.�

All Aboard

Terence Concannon, Director of Sales for the Mission Inn of Pismo Beach (Calif.) says the  new design of FreshStay makes the Web site more dynamic and user-friendly, giving guests more choices, yet making it faster to narrow down selections. 

Once the right hotel is found, visitors can click on an interactive map for a larger view of the hotel�s surroundings, or click on the listing for more information.

�We decided to operate as a 100% non-smoking hotel to promote healthy living, to encourage those with healthy lifestyles to stay with us, and to provide a lodging environment that is safe and clean for our adult and children guests as well as valued associates,� Concannon says. �Our association with FreshStay  speaks to our commitment of providing a smoke-free environment.�

FreshStay itself will have to stay fresh, as more and more hotels make the choice to go 100 percent smoke-free. Marriott, Comfort Suites, and Disney properties are just a few of the major chains that have gone the smoke-free route in the past two years.

Bringing these hotels into FreshStay has helped make the Web site the largest directory of 100 percent smoke-free hotels in the world. And the world has taken notice of this increase in smoke-free hotel offerings.

AMA Applauds Properties

Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death among adults in the U.S. It contains more than 4,000 chemicals, 50 of which are known to cause cancer. 

The U.S. Surgeon General released a comprehensive report in 2006 on the dangers of secondhand smoke. The report concluded that exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes heart disease and lung cancer. It also concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently praised the increase in hotel properties going smoke-free. 

�With all the known dangers of secondhand smoke, we congratulate these hotel chains for protecting their guests and staff by making their properties smoke-free,� says AMA President-elect, Ron Davis, M.D.

Green Partner

As the importance of overall improved air quality continues to grow, FreshStay finds even more partners who share its values. That�s why FreshStay has forged a relationship with GreenVacationHub.com

GreenVacationHub.com is an informative, easy-to-use Web site that offers a comprehensive listing of environmentally conscious hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and vacation rentals across the globe. Lodging providers conduct a self-evaluation that covers six environmental areas: energy efficiency, water efficiency, recycling, air quality, food and fragrance-free.

At GreenVacationHub.com, travelers conduct detailed searches to find accommodations that fit their specific needs, from smoke-free hotels, to bed-and-breakfasts serving organic meals, and more. Listings for those smoke-free hotels come directly from the FreshStay database.

�We�re excited our smoke-free lodgings are going to be listed by FreshStay because they have such an enormous database of participating facilities,� says Lisa Gray, founder of GreenVacationHub.com. �Though we don�t do it exactly the same way, we both provide travelers with choices that are good for business, good for travelers, hoteliers and the environment. It�s a perfect partnership.�

Gray feels that both Web sites will attract a similar audience, guests who are concerned about maintaining the health of their bodies, as well as the health of the Earth.

�The focus at FreshStay on improved air quality within hotels is a goal that we share on a global level,� Gray says. �By working together, we�re creating more opportunities for people to locate the healthy, environmentally friendly lodgings that we�re after. The more listings we have, the more that travelers will benefit.�

About Pineapple Hospitality

Headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, Pineapple Hospitality� is an EPA ENERGY STAR� partner bringing fresh ideas to hospitality guests� doors and owner/operators� bottom lines � including FreshStay® (www.freshstay.com), Environmentally Sensitive Amenities�, 
the greenSPA� luxury amenity and dispenser system, Numi� Organic Teas, Project Planet� Linen Re-Use Programs, Guestat� programmable thermostats, Oxygenics� water-efficient showerheads, the Nature�s Mist� deodorization system, and dozens of other products and programs. To get a taste of Pineapple�s sweet planet-friendly solutions helping thousands of hotels bolster business and cut costs, please visit www.pineapplehospitality.net, or call Ray Burger at 636-922-2285.

FreshStay® is a registered trademark of Pineapple Hospitality, Inc. 
Breathe Easy, Sleep Great� is a trademark of Pineapple Hospitality, Inc.

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Contact:

Ray Burger
President & Founder
Pineapple Hospitality, Inc.
[email protected]
 (636) 922-2285
www.pineapplehospitality.net
 

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Also See: Another �Green� Tool For Hotels� Eco Toolboxes; Guests and hoteliers alike rave about the quality of Environmentally Sensitive AmenitiesTM from Pineapple Hospitality / June 2007
Turning Up the Heat; Pineapple Hospitality Adds the Buffet Burner Electric Chafing Dish Heater to its Growing Line of Cost-effective, Environmentally-friendly Hospitality Solutions. / June 2007
Attention Frequent Breathers�: FreshStay® Version 2.0 Features Major Web Site Redesign & Fully Integrated Booking Process; At the all-new FreshStay, Frequent Breathers can find and book smoke-free hotel reservations worldwide / May 2007
Choice Hotels Comfort Suites Brand To Go Smoke Free May 1, 2007; The decision adds another 433 U.S. hotels to the ever-growing ranks of FreshStay.com's directory of smoke-free lodging facilities worldwide / April 2007
Better Designs Today For a Greener Tomorrow; Design sustainability expert David Oakey to headline the March 14th Green Hospitality Conference hosted by Lodging Hospitality and Pineapple Hospitality, Inc. / March 2007
Bacteria-Ridden Remote Controls Are The Likely Place for Guests to get a Cold or Flu / February 2007
The Triple Win: greenSPA� Amenities Benefit Hotels'Guests, Properties' Profits and the Environment; Hotels from coast to coast reduce waste to preserve our planet / January 2007
The Triple Bottomline: Fresh BulbTM Eliminates Odors, Cuts Energy Costs and Reduces Global Warming; Pineapple Hospitality announces its Winter Light Sale / January 2007
Global Growth; The FreshStay.com online directory/network of smoke-free lodging properties connects a growing number of owner/operators with travelers from across the globe / December 2006
FreshStay® Reports 2,700% Gain in Smoke-free Hotels; With 2,300 Marriott properties' going smoke free, more than 5% of U.S. hotels will be 100% non-smoking / August 2006
Springfield�s Krystal Aire Inn & Suites Introduces Another Fresh Idea; All Non-Smoking Hotel Installs Energy Efficient, Odor-Neutralizing Light Bulbs / August 2006
FreshStay® Online Network Unites Hotels Worldwide,Fuels Smoke-Free Movement: Kentucky is the 48th state to join the FreshStay® union of nonsmoking lodging properties / June 2006
Turn Trash into Cash; Pineapple Hospitality® and Midas Consulting Identify Eight Red Flags For Hotel Operators to Improve Environmental Practices and Reduce Waste Management Expense / June 2006
PURE Solutions Signs On As A Corporate Sponsor Of FreshStay�; FreshStay�'s rapidly growing online directory of non smoking hospitality properties is the perfect match for the PURETM Rooms program, which converts guestrooms to allergy-friendly rooms within 24 hours / May 2006
Pineapple Lights Up Hotels' Bottom Lines; Hospitality Properties Reap Significant, Sustained Economic Benefits By Embracing Environmentally-Friendly, Energy-Efficient Bulbs; Lighting Retrofits Reduce Costs & Bolster Guest Satisfaction / May 2006
Top 5 States and Top 10 cities for Non Smoking hotels in the U.S.; www.freshstay.com adds 25 non-smoking properties during April -California is the number 1 state and Seattle the number 1 city / May 2006
Zontec� Sponsors FreshStay.com to Identify Best Places Where Guests Can �Breath Easy, Sleep Great�� / April 2006
200 Smoke Free Hotels Join the www.freshstay.com Online Directory in 1st Month / March 2006
120 Smoke Free Hotels Join the www.freshstay.com Online Directory in 1st Month / February 2006
Fresh Air: The New Hospitality Amenity; Pineapple Hospitality Launches FreshStay�, an Online Directory of Hotels Offering Better Indoor Air Quality / January 2006
Gift of the Year: Pineapple Hospitality�s Energy $aving Trifecta / December 2005
Pineapple Hospitality is Now the Exclusive U.S. Supplier of Environmentally Sensitive Amenities�  / November 2005
Got Pineapple? Hotelier-turned-industry-innovator Ray Burger Launches Pineapple Hospitality� � bringing fresh ideas and business-building products and programs to your guests� doors and your bottom line / September 2005


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