Sustainable Solution

With the focus on providing practical, sustainable solutions to the hospitality sector, YOUR GREEN 2 GO is looking to redefine how in-room service is packaged, delivered and retrieved. The industry seems to be taking notice.

The Spring, TX-based company designs, develops and manufactures disposable tableware/take-away containers made from 100 percent natural plant material. It recently introduced its patent-pending, compostable and recyclable in-room dining solution called ServAguesttm.

YOUR GREEN 2 GO recently inked a distribution deal with a major hotel brand for ServAguest, according to company President Scott Patterson. He detailed how the privately-held company entered the in-room dining arena.

“They were all [major hotel chains] requesting samples seven years ago to solve the in-room dining dilemma. They would get them and mess around with them. They said, ‘it is just too much stuff. I have to put it on a tray, so I have to retrieve the tray.’ That is what initiated it; we saw that and said ‘they want a system that we can put together,’” he said. That is how ServAguest was born.

Patterson touted the cost efficiency of the ServAguest system, which includes the delivery tray, containers of different sizes/lids, condiment containers, utensils and the ENJOYtm delivery and pick-up bag. “The purpose of this product is to eliminate the whole back side of room service, which is where all the cost and expense of room service is. It’s all the retrieving,” he said, adding that often room service product has to be picked up by someone in the food & beverage department. “Anybody can pick it up now so you don’t have a mess sitting out there all the time,” said Patterson.

The company president further noted the system helps alleviate security issues as well, particularly as the number of women travelers have increased. “Really it’s a ‘Knock and Drop’ situation and you just throw it out when finished. You don’t like people coming to your room. This eliminates people feeling uncomfortable,” he said.

Each of the four different sized containers nestles neatly into one of the ServAguest trays, which is then placed into an Enjoy bag. ServAguest has a SureTabtm Locking Lid system, a design that ensures that the clear PET lids stay in place. The “inspired” part of the ServAguest System is in the clear lid. The tray lids were designed to hold any extra dining containers the guests may have requested and would not fit inside the trays.

Patterson noted the cost of each system is insignificant compared to the money the owner saves on the back end. He reinforced the value. “It’s forever. We are not eliminating a one-time item,” he said. As an example, Patterson added, a large Las Vegas casino hotel--which offers 24-hour room service to thousands of rooms--has estimated ServAguest can save them as much as a million dollars a year on labor. “That is perpetual,” he noted.

Patterson added that the product--which is manufactured in China--is entering the next phase of development and is being tweaked to “make it more elegant” for higher-end properties. “They need to eliminate [waste] also, but they want to do it with a higher end, more prestigious product,” he said.

In addition to substantially increasing the number of sizes available, the new look is designed to have a broader appeal. “The people who are currently using the one we have now can step it up with no increase in cost,” said Patterson.

Patterson further noted there are branding opportunities for hotels as a number of companies have had their corporate name put on the ENJOY bag that’s used to carry the items.

Patterson concluded by expressing the company’s objectives going forward.
“We’re going to concentrate on in-room dining to where we are the leaders of in-room dining. We’ll continue to come up with new products and develop them to cover the whole spectrum,” he concluded.

Green Environment

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