NEW YORK — The 98th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) will have a different look and feel to it this fall, with new pavilions, new partnerships and new management.
This year’s show is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9, through Tuesday, Nov. 12, here at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
Following the Hospitality Leadership Forum, a full day of conference and networking activities, on Nov. 9, the IHMRS will feature three days of exhibits of new products and services for hotels and foodservice properties.
IHMRS is sharing some floor space with the 4th annual Boutique Design New York (BDNY), which features suppliers of high-end, unique and innovative interior design products for hospitality.
The event’s new management company, Hospitality Media Group (HMG), has several changes planned. Attendees can expect a more hands-on show, with intimate, targeted networking events; on-floor education theatres; and a marketplace optimistic about the current business climate.
”We are very excited about this year’s show. Our new team has experience in both trade shows and hospitality,” says Show Director Phil Robinson. “We are expecting about 18,000 people this year, with about 700 exhibitors.
“Like all trade shows, this one is about new products, and we feel we have many exciting new products that will be of interest to our attendees.”
A partial list of IHMRS exhibitors, with products or services related to laundry and linen operations or hospitality textiles and apparel, include: Amenity Services; American Hotel Register Co.; Big Ass Fans; Boca Terry; G.A. Braun; Chicago Dryer Co.; Cintas Corp.; Colson Caster Co.; Culligan International; Dahlgren Duck/Rivolta; Ecolab; Elegant Linen Collection Corp.; Faribault Woolen Mill; Frette; GM Fleet and Commercial; Gourmet Table Skirts; Harbor Linen; HD Supply; Hollander Home Fashions; Kartri Sales; Leggett And Platt; Masa S.P.A. Industrie Tessili; Maytag Commercial Laundry; Millicare Textile and Carpet Care; Navien America; Nile Textile Industries; Pellerin Milnor Corp.; Phoenix Down; Procter & Gamble Professional; Protect-A-Bed; Purecare By Fabrictech; Reverie; Rubbermaid Commercial Products; Simmons Bedding Co.; Speed Queen; Standard Textile Co.; Star Textile; T-Y Group; Tablecloth Co.; UniMac; Urquid Linen; Wehsco By Mantua Mfg.; and Xeros Ltd.
According to Robinson, business within the hospitality industry seems to be pretty good.
“At two key levels, occupancy and room rates, the numbers are very strong,” he says. “Rates are approximately what they were in 2007 and 2008, before the recession hit, and seem to be especially strong in the Northeast Corridor, from Boston to Philadelphia. So I think our attendees will be in a buying mood.”
This year, attendees walking the floor will find five separate pavilions, so people easily can find the products and services they need. The categories, each with their own easily identifiable logos, are Operations, Technology, Food & Beverage, Tabletop and Green. Here is a quick rundown of what each pavilion will encompass:
Operations
A comprehensive collection of guest amenities and services, bedding, uniforms, laundry equipment, HVAC, signage, lighting, security and safety—everything you need to effectively manage day-to-day operation.
Technology
Developed in conjunction with Hospitality Upgrade magazine, this year’s expanded section will feature the latest solutions in security, telecom, VOIP, point-of-sale software, in-room entertainment, CRM, energy management and more. The exclusive i.MENU EXPO will feature the latest table apps for front- and back-of-the-house operations.
Food & Beverage
A broad range of F&B products, energy-saving equipment and supplies. New this year are six trend-focused areas featuring cooking demos, seminars and networking events for foodservice professionals.
Tabletop
Developed in conjunction with Tabletop Journal, the new Hospitality Tabletop division will shine a spotlight on creative, design-driven tabletop products, plus on-floor education in the Hospitality Tabletop Theater, the inaugural Tabletop Challenge, and the Concept Lobby Bar, a specially designed networking space.
Green
From amenities and foodservice equipment to HVAC, recycling and cleaning and maintenance, this new pavilion, in partnership with Green Lodging News, brings the latest energy-saving and footprint-reducing innovations together in one inspiring place.
“For readers of American Laundry News, I would think they would be particularly interested in the Operations Pavilion and the Green Pavilion, where several of the major vendors in your industry will have booths,” Robinson says.
The Exhibit Hall will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 10-11 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 12.
Besides visiting the Exhibit Hall itself, attendees will have the opportunity to attend a plethora of educational seminars that will be offered throughout the duration of the convention. Topics covered are taken from the themes of all of the five pavilions offered at the show. “The seminars and keynote speeches will be representative of the five major pavilions,” says Robinson. “This way, every attendee should be able to find several sessions that are in his or her area of the industry.”
The seminars start Nov. 9 with the Hospitality Leadership Forum, designed for high-level industry executives. (This all-day event has a separate fee of $159.) All the other educational sessions are slated for Nov. 10-12 and are free to all registered attendees.
Two big social events are also planned for the show. The Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) will kick off the festivities with the 2013 HANYC Hospitality Ball at the Grand Hyatt New York, on 42nd Street next to Grand Central Station, on the night of Nov. 9. The formal event costs $425 a person.
The 33rd Annual Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design is slated for the evening of Nov. 10 at the New York Palace Hotel. During the ceremony, outstanding design worldwide will be recognized in 14 project categories. The newly renovated hotel is on Madison Avenue and 50th Street, one block from Rockefeller Center.
It goes without saying that visitors also have unlimited entertainment possibilities in New York City itself. To see what is happening that week, go to the show’s main website—ihmrs.com—and click on the “Hotel and Travel Guide” tab. There is a separate link entitled “NYC Guide” in that section.
To book a hotel, go to the same “Hotel and Travel Guide,” and click on the “Book Hotel & Travel” link. More than 20 hotels are offering discounts to attendees of this show. Prices are clearly listed.
In addition, this same tab has a separate link with directions, parking and public transportation information. Several bus and subway lines stop near the Javits Center, and there are many parking lots nearby. Taxis, of course, are plentiful at all of the hotels.
The registration fee for IHMRS 2013 is $50, and attendees are urged to register through the show website. Also, visit this site for updated information about seminars and exhibitors, which may change after press time.
IHMRS sponsors include the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA). BDNY is a joint venture of the three associations and HMG, the management company.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].