NEW YORK — Manufacturers of laundry machinery, textiles and chemicals made use of the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) here to exhibit a wide variety of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and upscale products for the hotel industry.
A total of 15,122 people attended the November show, down from 15,996 in 2013. Show management did not offer a reason for the decline in attendance.
G.A. Braun, a manufacturer of washing, drying, ironing and folding equipment, recently modified its popular Sigma Series small-piece folders. Braun’s new Precision Series® small-piece folders now process even heavier terry items for the hotel industry, the company says.
Braun also offers improved insulation on the inner panels of its Precision Series ironers to reduce energy usage by up to 30%, according to Gary Ostrum, Braun’s East Coast regional vice president. The insulation forces more heat through the ironer’s rolls, thus resulting in higher roll temperatures and higher production in the laundry, he explains.
The show produced quality international and domestic leads for Braun, according to Pam Simonetti, director of marketing for the company, based in Syracuse, N.Y.
UniMac, a brand of Alliance Laundry Systems, offered hotel managers “more value” for its washers by increasing basket or load sizes, according to Scott Peregoy, regional sales manager for the company, based in Ripon, Wis. The company recently increased the load sizes of its washers: from 80 pounds to 85 pounds, from 100 pounds to 105 pounds, from 125 pounds to 130 pounds, and from 150 pounds to 160 pounds. The company enjoyed “good activity” at its booth during the show, Peregoy says.
“There is a lot of new building going on among higher-end boutique hotels,” he says. “Projects are being funded by banks.”
Pellerin Milnor Corp., a manufacturer of washers and dryers based in Kenner, La., teamed with Chicago Dryer Co., a Chicago-based manufacturer of flatwork finishing systems, to share booth space at the show. Milnor exhibited its 30022 V8Z model 60-pound-capacity, open-pocket washer, equipped with the MilTouch touch-screen control, while Chicago® exhibited its Comet Executive, a compact cylinder ironer.
The booth exhibits generated some “valued, quality leads,” says Wayne Costabile, sales representative for PAC Industries, a distributor of laundry equipment based in Harrisburg, Pa.
The show also generated traffic for B&C Technologies, a manufacturer of washers, dryers, ironers and folders, according to Al Adcock, vice president of sales and marketing for the company, based in Panama City, Fla. B&C exhibited a soft-mount washer at the show.
Check back Wednesday for the conclusion!
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