omewood Suites by Hilton, the national brand of upscale, allsuite, residential-style hotels, is taking their food and beverage program to china—that is, 100 percent china, glassware, and stainless steel flatware, instead of disposables.

“This enhancement leads Homewood back to its roots,” says Dawn Koenig, VP of hotel performance support. “We were doing 100 percent china when the first property opened in 1989, and, over the years, that changed to 75 percent china and 25 percent disposables. Today, we feel we have an edge with our special food and beverage offerings, but serving elegant meals on Styrofoam isn’t a good fit.”

Homewood’s meal offerings go above and beyond. Their “Welcome Home” receptions feature a full dinner each night with salad bar, signature item (e.g., lasagna, spaghetti, tacos), two sides, and various beverages including beer and wine (unless prohibited by local ordinances). Additionally, their “Suite Start” self-service breakfasts always offer a hot egg dish, hot breakfast meat, a variety of breads (including waffles), cereals, yogurts, fruit, etc.

“Focus groups were pleased with the food and beverage offerings, but to bring the residential feeling full circle, real serveware was the way to go. Our guests need to feel like they’re in their own homes,” Koenig adds. To effect this “homey” feeling, properties are given the choice between the Homer Laughlin Fiesta (bright, solid colors like cobalt blue, sunflower yellow, persimmon orange, shamrock green) or the Gothic (offwhite) china pattern.

“The warm colors in the Fiesta pattern are fabulous,” says Koenig. “And we like the off-white Gothic pattern because stark white doesn’t feel residential.” Flatware options are Oneida’s Park Place (the same used in Hilton full-service hotels but without the customized “H” stamp), Greystoke, or Rhodes patterns, all of which have similar price points, according to Koenig. Glassware purchases include wine, pilsner, juice, and iced tea glasses from Libbey Inc. and Cardinal Glass.

“With Homewood, we feel we’ve succeeded at creating an environment of welcoming, as if inviting guests into our home,” says Koenig. “We want guests to feel as if we’ve rolled out the red carpet— because they deserve it."