An emphasis on all things green, the return of Destination Design and two-day, cross-market access to Cultural Food New York highlights the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show® (IH/M&RS), highlighted the November show at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.  The hospitality industry’s leading marketplace fostered networking and new business opportunities between 1,250 exhibitors and 35,000 industry professionals, as the Show presented an expansive showcase of new products, trend-focused seminars by noted experts and industry events with key players.

THE MARKET
Exhibitors, organized into vertical market categories, showcased the newest products and services available to the hotel and restaurant industries, including food & beverage, furnishings, technology, equipment, linens, amenities, tableware, cleaning and much more.  The hospitality industry’s most influential buyers from hotels, restaurants, purchasing companies, owner groups, design firms, catering and specialty foodservice establishments, equipment dealerships, casinos, resorts and more discovered what is new in the industry.

“The IH/M&RS has long-been considered the premier market for discovering everything new for the industry, and the tradition continues this year.  From sustainable products and luxury amenities, to foodservice equipment and new technologies, there is something here for everyone.  We’ve featured another successful market, where attendees were inspired by new products and compelling seminars.”
- Christian Falkenberg, Show Manager 

MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
New Sustainability Initiatives
In response to the growing sustainability efforts of the hospitality industry, the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show partnered with the Green Restaurant Association and Green Lodging News to present education, new products and awards that support this trend.  (See the IHM&RS article in the current issue of Green Lodging News for specific comments on this panel.) 

For the first time at the IH/M&RS, the Green Restaurant Association l presented a Pavilion of sustainable products for the foodservice industry. In addition, green categories were introduced to the Editors’ Choice Awards competition, recognizing the best eco-friendly new products launched within the past year in the categories of décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant and technology.

AWARDS

Ten exhibitors were honored with Editors’ Choice Awards during the Opening Ceremonies of the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show on Sunday at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
This year’s awards program was expanded to include a green equivalent to each of the competition’s five traditional categories of décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant and technology. From the 10 winners, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award was selected.

 The 2007 IH/M&RS Editors’ Choice Award winners are:

• Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” – INNCOM International (Niantic, Conn.) for the e4 Smart Digital Thermostat with ecoMODE, a device that allows guests to opt into the hotel’s conservation program with the touch of a button, instantly triggering the e4’s energy-saving mode and activating participation in reduced towel and linen washing.
• Décor – Eurotrend Furniture LLC (New York) for RING, the first chair in the industry with two independent wood shells that create extreme comfort by moving autonomously
• Restaurant – Eastern Silver Tabletop Manufacturing Company (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for the Collapsible Chafer, a new stackable and collapsible chafer that combines four to six chafers into one stack and store bin without compromising high end presentation.
• Technology – eMenuBoard Systems LLC (Forest Hills, N.Y.) for eMenuBoard, a touch-screen menu placed in front of a restaurant that allows them to better promote their services in an interactive way.
• Essentials – Protect-A-Bed (Glenview, Ill.) for AllerZip, a complete mattress encasement that is waterproof, breathable and allergen and mite proof.
• Luxury – Rubbermaid Commercial Products (Winchester, Va.) for the Deluxe Compact Housekeeping Cart, a revolutionary cart that includes upgraded ball bearing wheels for quiet maneuvering, mahogany-finished panels to appeal to high-end properties and upgraded hasp locks.
• Green Décor – Milliken Hospitality Carpet (LaGrange, Ga.) for Lucerne Modular Carpet, which is certified by Green Label Plus for indoor air quality, includes an adhesive-free installation system, offers a No Carpet to Landfill pledge and is produced with alternative energy.
• Green Restaurant – FOLD-PAK (Scottsdale, Ariz.) for BioPlus Earth, a paperboard takeout container that is made from 100-percent recycled paper and is grease and leak resistant.
• Green Technology – INNCOM International (Niantic, Conn.) for the e4 Smart Digital Thermostat with ecoMODE, a device that allows guests to opt into the hotel’s conservation program with the touch of a button, instantly triggering the e4’s energy-saving mode and activating participation in reduced towel and linen washing.
• Green Essentials – Zurn Plumbing Products Group (Pittsburgh) for the Zurn EcoVantage Pint Urinal System, an innovative new system that features ultra low water consumption, the latest in sensory technology and high-quality vitreous china.
• Green Luxury – Neoteric Home Design (Miami) for the Bora Bora Bed, a canopied daybed created with ViroFiber handwoven over a rust-free recycled aluminum base.

“The Editors’ Choice Awards serve as an opportunity for exhibitors to position their new product in the marketplace as the must-have new product of the year,” Christian Falkenberg, show manager said. “This year’s contest was extremely competitive, demonstrating the quality and quantity of new products launched at the IH/M&RS.”

Editors from leading hospitality trade publications reviewed nearly 150 submissions of cutting-edge, new products and selected winners based on innovative product design, how a product answers a particular industry need, creative use of material or construction, and development or use of a new technology.

Judges for the 12th annual IH/M&RS Editors’ Choice Awards were: Michael Birchenall, Foodservice Monthly; Janice Cha, Foodservice Equipment & Reports; Glenn Hasek, Green Lodging News; Philip Hayward, Lodging; Adam Kirby, HOTELS; Fred Klashman, Total Food Service; Dennis Nessler, Hotel Business; Michael Oshman, Green Restaurant Association; Stephanie Ricca, Hotel & Motel Management; and Ed Watkins, Lodging Hospitality.