Plant Tours, Panels Highlight Inaugural Hospitality Conf.
TRSA hosted its inaugural Hospitality Conference on Feb. 20-21 at Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL. The two-day conference was attended by nearly 150 linen, uniform and facility services industry executives, and featured education, networking events and plant tours specifically tailored to hospitality operators and suppliers serving this growing market.
The first day of the conference kicked off with a keynote speech by Anthony Melchiorri, the creator and host of The Travel Channel shows Hotel Impossible, Hotel Impossible: Five Star Secrets and Hotel Impossible: Showdown. During his presentation, titled “How to Build Your Personal Brand,” Melchiorri shared insights on customer service from his experience running hotels, and how he was able to translate his hotel experience into becoming a television personality.
Following Melchiorri’s high-energy speech, the conference agenda transitioned to several industry panels. Topics included:
- Hospitality Market Research
- Making the Case for Outsourcing Laundry Services and Closing In-House or On-Premise Laundries (OPLs)
- Contracting with Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs)
- Customer Perspectives: Benefits and Challenges of In-House (OPL) and Outsourcing
- Understanding Hospitality Textiles
- CEO Panel: Hospitality Market Trends
The second day included tours of the Walt Disney World Textile Services Fourth Laundry Operation (FLO) plant, as well as the nearby Hotelier Linen Services facility. The equipment at the FLO plant was supplied by JENSEN, with chemistry from Ecolab. The Hotelier Linen Services plant featured a range of Kannegiessser ETECH equipment, with chemistry from Norchem Corp.
TRSA thanks the following sponsors of its inaugural Hospitality Conference: Ecolab, JENSEN and Kannegiesser ETECH. Breakfast and lunch for attendees of the event was sponsored by G.A. Braun Inc. and Girbau Industrial, respectively.