The most energy- and carbon-efficient hotel chain in the U.S., according to Brighter Planet, is Vagabond Inn. Above, the Vagabond Inn in Long Beach (Priceline.com / ) 
 
 If you want to shrink your carbon footprint when you check into a hotel, you may be better off staying at a mid-range or budget chain hotel. 
 
 That's the conclusion from a report released last week by Vermont-based Brighter Planet, the eco-minded tech firm that creates digital apps and other technology to measure environmental impacts. The report said the nation’s hotels use 4% of all commercial building energy per year and generate 34.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
 The most energy- and carbon-efficient hotel chain in the U.S., according to Brighter Planet, is Vagabond Inn, followed by Red Lion Hotels, both mid-range national hotel chains. Red Carpet Inns, a budget hotel chain, came in third. 
 
 The upscale JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts came in last out of 75 chains analyzed by Brighter Planet. 
 
 The ranking was based on a few considerations, including the age of the hotels and the amenities offered. The location of the hotels was also considered because power companies in some parts of the country, such as California, use more renewable energy. 
 
 Such details as the size of a hotel room, in-room refrigerators and swimming pools also affect how much energy a hotel uses, said Robbie Adler, director of business development for Brighter Planet. 
 
 The idea behind the study, he said, was to push hotels and travel websites to provide travelers with energy-efficiency information and pollution data for each hotel. 
 
 "There is no reason why they can’t provide you that information," Adler said. "There is a difference between hotels." 
 
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 Low-brow grocer Aldi is making things a little more posh, part of a plan to steal market share from the big supermarket chains. 
 
 The discounter is spending $1.6 billion to upgrade 1,300 U.S. stores while keeping its prices low. It’s the biggest remodeling investment ever by Aldi U.S., which is controlled by a faction of Germany’s billionaire Albrecht family. 
 
 Aldi upgrade Source: Aldi 
 
 “We’re becoming more and more mainstream with more customers,” Aldi U.S. Chief Executive Officer Jason Hart said in an interview as he toured a remodeled location in Plainfield, Illinois. “We’ve got older stores. We need to get up to date.” 
 
 The remodeling comes as supermarkets are competing fiercely with Wal-Mart and Amazon to draw customers with lower prices, streamlined selections and even services like delivery. Aldi’s plans may allow it to steal share from foodie favorites such as Whole Foods Market Inc. and Trader Joe’s, which is controlled by a different bloc of the Albrecht clan. 
 
 Aldi hopes to draw about 60 million shoppers a month by 2020, up from about 40 million currently, but it faces an uphill climb. U.S. grocery industry sales are projected to increase only 0.2 percent this year to about $612 billion, according to researcher IBISWorld. And revenue is forecast to gain 1 percent or less for the next five years after that. 
 
 “There’s limited growth,” said Jim Sanderson, managing director at Arthur W. Wood Co., an investment firm. “For the typical U.S. grocery store, there’s just too much square footage right now.” 
 
 Even so, there’s still room for private-label chains like Aldi to expand, Sanderson said. The chain is projected to reach $12 billion in revenue this year, up from $11 billion two years ago, according to IBISWorld. 
 
 “You’ve got under-penetration of the hard discounters, which is what Aldi is,” he said. 
 
 About 300 Aldi stores in the U.S. already have the new look. The upgrades include sleeker refrigerator doors and windows to bring in more natural light. The company is widening the first aisle, expanding the front of the store and raising ceilings by as much as six feet (1.8 meters). The stores also are about 20 percent larger, allowing Aldi to add more items to its quickly growing lines of organic produce, fresh meat and alcohol. 
 
 The wine is housed in fancier wood fixtures with spotlights. A picture by the fresh meat shows a rare-cooked steak being cut and seasoned. 
 
 “It’s a modern shopping experience,” Hart said. 
 
 Family Business 
 
 Aldi was founded more than a century ago when Anna Albrecht opened a small store in Essen, Germany. Her sons, Karl and Theo, took over in 1948 and quickly expanded. In 1962, the name became Aldi, shortened from Albrecht Discount. That same year, the brothers split the chain into two companies -- Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord -- following a dispute about whether to sell cigarettes. Aldi Süd oversees the U.S. operations. 
 
 The closely held company opened its first U.S. store in 1976 in Iowa. It expanded in the Midwest before moving into other parts of the country, including the debut of its first California store last year. The grocer has said it will reach 2,000 locations nationwide by the end of next year. 
 
 That pits Aldi against established West Coast favorites Trader Joe’s and Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. The moves also will place it in direct competition with Whole Foods, which has struggled lately to boost sales as more retailers sell organic and natural fare. Last year in Los Angeles, Whole Foods opened the first of its smaller, lower-priced stores called 365. 
 
 Over the past three years, Aldi has ramped up its organic offerings, too, featuring a private-label line called SimplyNature, whose sales jumped about 54 percent last year to more than $300 million. The brand includes items such as coconut oil, cereals, almond butter and produce. 
 
 With its no-frills approach -- bag-your-own groceries, 25-cent cart rentals, giant quick-to-scan bar codes -- Aldi has managed to sell its wares for less than others. It advertises that customers can save up to 50 percent by shopping there. And the chain won’t be raising its signature low prices to pay for the remodels, Hart said. 
 
 “Although they are trying to add more organic options and things like that, it’s important to keep the customers they have,” said Madeline Hurley, an analyst at IBISWorld. “The balance is crucial.” ||||| Markus Persson who sold his company to Microsoft for $2.5 billion wins bidding war for fantasy estate. A Beverly Hills mansion that has been widely publicized with much celebrity and international buyer interest, triggering a bidding war, has been sold to Swedish billionaire Markus Persson for $70 million by Katia De Los Reyes and Sally Forster Jones of John Aaroe Group, a leading luxury residential brokerage. This is the highest price ever paid for a home in Beverly Hills and it closed in a lightning fast six days. Persson’s purchase included everything in the house from luxury furnishings to exotic electronics such as the automated 54–foot curved glass door in the living room that opens onto an infinity pool with iPad-controlled fountains and spectacular views. Cases of Dom Perignon were part of the deal. Persson at 35 is one of the world’s youngest billionaires having sold his company, Mojang, to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in September 2014. Born in Stockholm, he programmed his father’s home computer at the age of seven and created his first game at eight. He is the creator of Minecraft, a hugely popular game that is a favorite of young players worldwide. Within the gaming community, he is known by his nickname “Notch.” Located on a promontory in the high-end Trousdale Estates neighborhood, the 23,000 square-foot home was built on spec and left nothing to be desired. “I have been in the business for over 30 years and have never seen the level of growth that the luxury market has experienced in the past year, with no end in sight,” said John Aaroe, CEO of John Aaroe Group. “Overseas buyers are an increasingly important market for ultra-luxury trophy properties in Los Angeles,” said Sally Forster Jones, president of Aaroe International Luxury Properties in Beverly Hills who along with Katia De Los Reyes led the Aaroe team representing the Swedish buyer. Jones who recently sold a $25 million Malibu home to another wealthy European buyer, added: “These international buyers like LA’s high profile and glamorous lifestyle, the fabulous weather and the opportunity to put some of their assets in a safe haven. Trophy properties in LA are underpriced compared with other world cities so buyers can enjoy the lifestyle now and know they will make a solid profit in the future.” “Markus fell in love with the house, its sleek contemporary design and its spectacular panoramic views that sweep from downtown LA to the Pacific Ocean,” noted De Los Reyes, from the firm’s Sherman Oaks office. “The fact that the house also was completely furnished in such great style was another major selling point for him.” Entertaining will be a snap with vodka and tequila bars, a candy room, an 18-seat tiered screening room, a state-of-the-art kitchen and an exquisite 18-foot onyx dining room table for 24 that includes place settings by Roberto Cavalli at a cost of $3,700 each. Three high-definition 90-inch television screens bring panoramic views of Los Angeles from the roof into the down stairs lounge – especially breathtaking at night, says De Los Reyes. Art pieces include a replica of James Dean’s motorcycle and a chromed Ma Deuce machine gun. On a conventional note, the home has eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms all equipped with Toto Neorest toilets at a price of $5,600 each. John Aaroe Group has achieved a 70 percent compound annual growth rate in sales volume during the last five years and is on target to report record sales of nearly $2 billion for 2014, up from $1.3 billion in 2013.
– Your next stay at Red Roof Inn could be about as close to free as it gets, but you need to be on the ball. The chain, with 350 US locations, is offering rooms for 1¢ from April 1-15, the Los Angeles Times reports, but you can book just 48 hours in advance, and there’s only one room at that price per location. Click here to try your luck at Red Roof’s “No Foolin’! 1-Cent Sale.”