NEW YORK—To mark its centennial anniversary, the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) is unveiling a new brand and mission. HX: The Hotel Experience — Rooms to Restaurants (HX), debuts Nov. 8 to 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here.
“Making this enormous change at our 100-year juncture is exciting,” said Anthony G. Mangano, president, Syramada Hotel Corporation (Syracuse, NY), and chairman of the board for HX 2015. “These are not tweaks or modest improvements. HX 2015 is an entirely new show.”
The multimillion-dollar investment is aimed at revitalizing the largest hospitality trade event in North America. The transformation from IHMRS to HX called on industry experts, research-based data and prior-year show assessments to identify what the show could and should bring to the industry.
Said Mangano, “It all came down to delivering true hospitality—that is, anticipating guests’ needs before they even know they need it. We all agreed we wanted a show that performed at this level.”
Every component of the hospitality experience for hotels, motels and restaurants will be represented in five new show divisions: Food & Beverage, Guest Services, Technology, Kitchen Design and Rooms Division. The HX show floor will feature new product theaters—HX: ONSTAGE RESTAURANT and HX: ONSTAGE HOTEL. Industry experts appearing live in HX: STUDIO will cover everything from cooking trends and marketing strategies, to social media and handheld devices. Information-rich lounge areas will provide guest comfort, while HX: TECH showcases the latest products, solutions and ideas. HX will also have a concierge service with a purpose of putting the right exhibitors in touch with the right buyers.
“We’ve created more reasons for attendees to be on the show floor longer by reimagining, renovating and rebranding the entire experience,” said Mangano.
HX is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA). It is managed by Hospitality Media Group (HMG).