HONOLULU HOSPITALITY: COMMITTEE MEETS IN HAWAII

TRSA’s Hospitality Committee completed its tour of Oahu with a high-level meeting of hotel laundry specialists on the morning of March 3 at The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki, the host hotel of the event.

The meeting kicked off with a question-and-answer session with Harris Chan, area vice president, Hawaii and French Polynesia, Marriott International Inc. Chan took over this position in Nov. 2016, after previously serving as regional vice president of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia. Chan took a number of questions from Hospitality Committee members during a lengthy discussion on topics that included:

• The Marriott/Starwood merger and its ramifications for commercial laundries
• Navigating the vendor partnership with Avendra, a hotel procurement and hospitality supply company based in Rockville, MD, that is used by Marriott
• New guest initiatives, including technological advances and “green” programs
• Health concerns regarding hotel rooms and guests
• The merged company’s commitment to outsourced laundry service

After the discussion with Chan, TRSA Hospitality Committee Chair Harry Kertenian, Magic Laundry Services Inc., Montebello, CA, discussed the possibility of forming a captive insurance plan amongst hotel launderers. The committee also contemplated how to better the relationships in their respective markets with hotel property staff, and discussed at length the TRSA OPL Calculator developed for the hospitality market and the rollout of Hygienically Clean Hospitality.

The following executives attended the meeting:

• Greg Anderson, Campus Laundry, La Selva Beach, CA
• Bob Brill, American Textile Maintenance, Los Angeles
• Vicky Cayetano, United Laundry Services, Honolulu
• Norbert Gittard, JENSEN USA, Panama City, FL
• Phil Hart, Kannegiesser USA, Grand Prairie, TX
• Harry Kertenian, Magic Laundry Services, Montebello, CA
• Charles LeBourgeois, TLC Linen Services, New Orleans
• Helen LeBourgeois, TLC Linen Services, New Orleans
• Don Luckenbach, Royal Laundry, San Francisco
• Terry Satchwell, Brady Linen Services, Las Vegas
• Seth Willer, Girbau Industrial, Oshkosh, WI
• John Yarbrough, BTG Textiles, Vernon, CA

The committee made tentative plans to meet again at the TRSA Annual Conference this September in Miami.

Click link for blog article from TRSA: Honolulu Hospitality: Committee Meets in Hawaii