TRSA’s inaugural Hospitality and Food & Beverage (F&B) Conference brought together more than 80 linen, uniform and facility services professionals serving hotels and restaurants for two days of market intelligence, operational insights and peer networking in the Greater Boston area.
Designed specifically for operators supporting the hospitality and restaurant sectors, the conference combined general sessions addressing shared industry challenges with breakout discussions tailored to the unique demands of each market. The event reflected growing opportunities for commercial laundries serving hotels, restaurants and other hospitality-focused customers.
The program opened with a forward-thinking look at automation and robotics, as Daniel Friedman of Viam explored how emerging technologies are reshaping material handling, workflow efficiency and production scalability. Friedman helped attendees navigate the evolving language of robotics while offering practical perspective on when and how automation investments may make sense for linen, uniform and facility services operations.
Market intelligence was another central theme throughout the conference. Didio Pequeno, hospitality market analytics director for CoStar Group, examined trends affecting hotel occupancy, revenue and development pipelines, helping attendees better understand the factors influencing linen demand and service opportunities. On the restaurant side, Black Box Intelligence Chief Insights Officer Victor Fernandez shared data on guest traffic, sales performance, expansion activity and labor pressures, providing attendees with a clearer picture of evolving restaurant industry dynamics.
Separate hospitality and restaurant breakout sessions allowed participants to dive deeper into sector-specific challenges and opportunities. Discussions covered topics including customer-owned goods processing, product mix expansion, reusable textile adoption, linen-quality management, inventory strategies and cost control. Across both tracks, speakers emphasized the value professional laundries bring to customers through operational reliability, sustainability and service expertise.
The conference also featured an executive panel of hospitality and F&B laundry leaders, who shared perspectives on serving increasingly demanding customer segments while managing ongoing challenges related to labor, technology adoption and operational efficiency. Facilitated roundtable discussions and networking opportunities gave attendees additional time to exchange ideas with peers facing many of the same market conditions.
A highlight of the second day was a behind-the-scenes tour of Crown Uniform & Linen Service’s Brockton, MA, processing facility. The 82,000-square-foot facility is Hygienically Clean certified. The tour showcased Crown’s sustainability initiatives and long-standing commitment to service excellence, offering attendees practical insights into efficient commercial laundry operations.
Prior to the event, TRSA hosted a CEO/Executive Dinner for industry leaders. The dinner was sponsored by Pellerin Milnor Corp.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Receive the latest updates on the linen, uniform and facility services industry from TRSA delivered straight to your inbox.
