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NEW YORK – Manufacturers of laundry machinery, textiles and chemicals reported renewed interest in their products from the hotel industry at the 96th annual International Hotel, Motel+Restaurant Show (IHMRS) here in November.

Exhibitors at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s West Side expressed satisfaction with increased foot traffic at the show. Attendance peaked at 23,953, up 2,800 from the previous year, including managers and executives from major hotel chains and independent properties, according to show management.

The increase in show attendance may reflect a rebound not only in New York’s economy, but also in the hotel and motel industry, following three years of recession.

There were indications at the show that the hotel industry is beginning to increase demand for on-premise laundry machinery.

“There are many pockets of pent-up demand now because spending had declined during the recession,” says Craig Madson, national account sales manager for Alliance Laundry Systems, manufacturer of laundry machinery that includes the UniMac brand.

Other manufacturers of laundry machinery echoed that view.

“It’s been a great show for us,” says Thomas Kindy, regional sales director for Chicago Dryer Co., which shared booth space with Pellerin Milnor. “People in the hotel industry have ignored their needs for the last couple of years because of the recession. Now they’re starting to make purchases again and trying to reduce operating costs in their laundries through automation. There’s been a lot of action.”

Chicago® exhibited its Comet Executive Ironer and Air Express Small-Piece Folder. Milnor exhibited a 300-G-force washer-extractor; a 60-pound-capacity washer; and a 35-pound-capacity cabinet-style washer with EP-Express control.

Although floor traffic didn’t measure up to its level of five years ago, it was still much improved from where it was in the depths of the recession, according to Joseph Leo, sales manager for equipment distributor PAC Industries. The show generated strong foot traffic in particular on the first day, he adds.

Dick Ruel, national sales manager for Maytag Commercial Laundry, described the level of interest from the hotel industry as “fantastic.”

“Sunday [Nov. 13] was the best day we have seen in several years,” says Ruel. “People who are building hotels are interested in cost savings and control for their laundry operations. The interest has been so strong that we can’t keep up with it. There’s been a real steady growth in demand for laundry machinery among hotels and institutions.”

Some manufacturers of laundry machinery suggested that it was still important for them to have a presence at the show, even if attendance figures had not quite rebounded to match those of halcyon days.

“It’s important for us to be here for the exposure to the industry,” says Pamela Simonetti, director of marketing for G.A. Braun.

Next Thursday: The show provided manufacturers an opportunity to tailor their products to the hotel industry...

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Maytag Commercial Laundry awarded John Morris Equipment & Supply Co. of Springfield, Mo., this year’s Red Carpet Service Excellence Award. Pride Laundry Systems of North Hills, Calif., took the On-Premises Laundry (OPL) Excellence Award. The honors were presented during Maytag’s 53rd Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, Calif.

The Red Carpet Service Excellence Award is presented to a company that best exemplifies the excellent service and dependability characterized by the Maytag Commercial Laundry brand, Maytag says.

“John Morris Equipment & Supply Co. has been affiliated with Maytag Commercial Laundry for more than 50 years,” says Craig Kirchner, global director of Maytag Commercial Laundry. “Year after year, their dedication to quality service, our brand and their customers is truly remarkable.”

“Dependability and reliability are a major part of our job, and we pride ourselves on providing our customers with the best service available,” says Terry Gideon, general manager of John Morris Equipment & Supply Co. “This award demonstrates our dedication to the long-standing Maytag Commercial Laundry brand, and our current and future customers.”

John Morris Equipment & Supply Co.’s territory covers Missouri and portions of northern Arkansas, eastern Kansas and western Illinois. The company is a past recipient of Maytag’s OPL Excellence Award.

But this year’s On-Premises Laundry (OPL) Excellence Award, an honor that recognizes a company’s effective and efficient service to its OPL customers, went to Pride Laundry Systems.

“Excellence, dependability and exemplary service are synonymous with the Maytag Commercial Laundry brand,” says Kirchner. “Pride Laundry Systems embodies what our company stands for, and we’re pleased to recognize them with this distinguished honor.”

“We take great satisfaction in our reputation as an efficient and dependable distributor to the OPL market,” says Mark Goodman, president of Pride Laundry Systems. “Our loyal association to the dependable Maytag Commercial Laundry brand reinforces our dedication and promise to provide the best equipment and service to our customers.”

Pride Laundry Systems, Inc. serves Southern California and Nevada as a commercial laundry equipment specialist and an authorized Maytag Commercial Laundry distributor. The company specializes in developing coin-laundry stores, multi-housing laundry sales and services, OPL equipment and design, and laundry equipment parts and service.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Pierce Commercial Laundry, Mandeville, La., recently received the prestigious Fred Maytag Award during Maytag® Commercial Laundry’s 53rd Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, Calif.

The Fred Maytag Award, with a history of more than five decades, is the longest-running award in the commercial laundry industry, Maytag says.

GREEN BROOK, N.J. — Commercial laundry supplier SEBCO Laundry Systems, which started with one man and a few pieces of laundry equipment, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Originally operating from a single location in The Bronx, N.Y., the company now provides Maytag® Commercial Laundry equipment to apartments, condos, co-ops, military installations, and college and university laundries in nine states along the East Coast.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Maytag and Whirlpool Commercial Laundry have added J.H. Stuckey Distributing Inc. to their family of distributors. J.H. Stuckey now distributes Maytag and Whirlpool products to self-service laundries, hotel and motel guest laundries, and apartment and health club laundries in parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

BEIJING, China — With two days of Texcare Asia under their belts, representatives of exhibitors based in the United States or with significant operations there spoke favorably of the event during interviews Thursday.

While still carrying a great deal of activity, the show floor at the China International Exhibition Centre wasn’t as busy on this second day. Final attendance figures won’t be available until after the show.

NEW ORLEANS — Managers of on-premise laundries now have their answer to the question, “Will it fit?”

Maytag Commercial Laundry has introduced at Clean ’09 a new 50- to 55-pound soft-mount washer-extractor that fits through a standard 36-inch door opening.

The new smaller-framed model still offers large cleaning capacity and plenty of useful features for on-premise launderers, Maytag says.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Recent lab tests determined that Maytag Commercial Laundry High Efficiency (HE) front-load washers cut utility costs up to 60% and clean better than the competition, the company says.

The tests, performed in an approved testing facility to the American Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) HLW1-2006 laundry industry standard, concluded that the washer achieves superior cleaning performance while providing energy savings.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Whirlpool Corp. has announced that its fourth-quarter profit climbed 72%, aided by its Maytag acquisition, an improved product mix and the weak dollar. Whirlpool’s net earnings for all of 2007 rose 48%.

Whirlpool, which bought Maytag in 2006, reported fourth-quarter earnings after preferred dividends increased to $187 million, or $2.38 per share, compared to $109 million, or $1.37 per share, in the previous year. Quarterly revenue grew 7% to $5.33 billion from $5 billion a year earlier.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Maytag Corp. is launching a nationwide search for a new Maytag Repairman as part of a brand revitalization under its new owner, Whirlpool Corp.

Created in 1967, “Ol’ Lonely” is the longest-running live-action advertising icon on American television. Only three actors have portrayed the Maytag Repairman since its creation: Jesse White, from 1967 to 1988; Gordon Jump, from 1988 to 2003; and Hardy Rawls, whose contract ends next month.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. has announced that it will close three plants and several administrative offices and cut 4,500 jobs as it integrates recently acquired Maytag.

The Maytag plants scheduled for closure include Herrin, Ill., a washer and dryer plant; Searcy, Ark., a dryer facility; and Newton, Iowa, a washer- and dryer-making plant.

Production at these plants will be consolidated into Whirlpool facilities in Marion and Clyde, Ohio.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich./NEWTON, Iowa — Whirlpool Corp. and Maytag Corp. have received clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice to complete their proposed merger. Whirlpool plans to close the transaction as soon as practical, but no later than Monday.

The acquisition was approved without any required divestitures despite concerns that creating the world's largest appliance maker would stifle competition. "Competitive dynamics" will deny the combined company the power to raise prices, says Thomas O. Barnett, the government's antitrust chief.