Representatives from outdoor furniture company Mamagreen are set to attend the 20th Hotec Design, an annual conference presented by Questex Hospitality, the parent company of Hotel Management. At the conference, buyers meet one-on-one with hospitality-focused suppliers like Mamagreen to learn about new products and services and to keep up to date on emerging trends.
Headquartered in Richmond, Va., Mamagreen has supplied outdoor furniture for luxury properties including The Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and the Viceroy Chicago and upscale hotels like the Moxy Austin in Texas and the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.
The company, according to William Kruzel, business development partner and luxury brand specialist, combines Belgian and Indonesian styles, creating furnishings that are "unique, fresh and really attractive on multiple levels.” The company’s team, he added, creates unique spaces to fit each project’s needs. “Everything that we manufacture in our plants … is made by hand. We have artisans that have been doing this for us for years.”
The team can customize items as needed—for example, they have dedicated tables, chairs and other pieces that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act for accessible hotel guestrooms. The majority of special requests, however, are for tables and their surfaces. “We've had to adjust the height a little bit, the width a little bit, the length a little bit,” he said about customization. For example, a restaurant in California had outdoor lounge seating and wanted dining tables to go with the chairs. However, dining tables are traditionally much higher than lounge chairs, so the Mamagreen team took the style the client liked and adjusted the frame to make tables and chairs fit together. To facilitate the customization, the company includes complimentary renderings if there are any changes outside of the standard, Kruzel added.
Keeping it Green
As befitting its name, Mamagreen emphasizes sustainability in its operations. “Almost everything that we produce is recyclable,” Kruzel said, noting that the company recycles more than 95 percent of its factory waste, including fabric, metals, wood and even sawdust.
The company also takes steps to source its materials sustainably. For example, more than 90 percent of the teak is sourced from abandoned buildings in Indonesia, while the remainder is sustainably harvested.
Looking ahead, Kruzel predicts a continuation of soft surface and textile usage as part of a broader departure from the “hard, angular—occasionally too edgy” designs he has seen. While certain styles may look nice, he noted, actually using them may not be as comfortable as a hotelier would want for a property’s guests.
Mamagreen has had booths at large-scale trade shows like HD Expo in Las Vegas and BDNY in New York City, but will be a first-time attendee at Hotec Design in June. After hearing from a number of people that the event was worthwhile, Kruzel said he is interested in the event and in meeting designers and buyers one on one.
The 2023 Hotec Design conference will take place June 19-22 at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. Registration is open for both buyers and suppliers.