Materials management company Hostar International says its housekeeping solutions meet the requirements of large resorts, upscale hotels and properties lacking space back-of-house

In the mid-1980s, US inventor and industrial designer Robert Propst created an integrated system for easy movement and control of housekeeping and F&B inventory, which was later brought to the market through the creation of Hostar International.

The US-based company continues to supply materials-management solutions for resorts with multiple buildings and villas distributed over a large area, speciality hotels with little back-of-house space for housekeeping operations and upscale hotels where carts are not desired on the guestroom floors.

Around 35—40% of Hostar’s business nowadays comes from its international hotel partners and its most popular product in the Middle East has proven to be its ProHost housekeeping system.

“Our first project in the Middle East was at the Shangri-La Dubai Hotel in 2003. Since then we’ve fitted 16 ProHost systems in some of the region’s leading properties spanning the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Jordan and Morocco and serving more than 6000 guestrooms,” says director of international marketing Matthew Ulrich.

ProHost utilises a combination of hardware and modern-management techniques and can take between six- and 12 months to plan and manufacture, or between three- and six-months for less complex projects. Another product that has proven popular in this region, according to Ulrich, is Hostar’s Handy Supplier programme, which enables hotel room attendants to take the ergonomically-designed workstation into the guest room.

According to Ulrich, Hostar has been a pioneer in new approaches to hotel materials management.

“We can offer new ideas and procedures for housekeeping materials management that supplement the development of new and exciting hotels, resorts and serviced residences,” he says.

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Furthermore, Ulrich asserts buyers can get better value for money by looking at the overall cost of operations over a five-year period rather than initial cost, claiming that the ProHost system generally pays for itself within three years while providing a proven service life of more than 10 years.

During that time, hotels have access to Hostar’s customer care department, which follows up sales and offers free re-planning and system updates, which is a part of its site licence programme.

“We believe the Middle East market will see continued growth of premier hotel properties for many years to come. We’re committed to serving our existing customer base through direct and local representation and growing alongside exciting hotel developments in the region,” says Ulrich.

It seems the Middle East has held up for Hostar, which has reportedly maintained its market share in spite of the economic downturn.

COMPANY INFO

Name: Hostar International, Inc.
Tel: +1 440 564 7400
Email: wberg@hostar.com / jryan@hostar.com
Web: www.hostar.com

Meet the team

Director of international marketing Matthew Ulrich has spent three years in the hotel industry. Prior to joining Hostar International, he worked for four years in the F&B industry conducting market research and identifying alternative revenue streams.

VP International Sales William Berg has more than 18 years’ experience with Hostar International, specialising in operations analysis, material flow planning and the sales of its ProHost systems.

Middle East sales associate Jeremy Ryan joined Hostar International in 2008 and has spent five years in the hotel sector, having previously worked as distribution sales manager of hotel amenity products.