In recognition of National Eat Your Vegetables Day, HSM is spotlighting our quality assurance efforts to make sure our hotels receive produce that is fresh, delicious and affordably priced. Ranging from our highest-volume veggies, such as leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes and onions, to fusion-flavor favorites, like jicama, kohlrabi and sunchokes, our suppliers are committed to safe, quality-controlled processes from harvest to hand off.

Suppliers seeking to join forces with Hilton and HSM undergo a thorough initial facility inspection, followed by semiannual verifications of all necessary FDA, local health department and OSHA safeguards. On the ground level, HSM works with our farmers to ensure that upon harvest, fresh produce is properly washed, rinsed and packaged. We also stipulate that our produce “best by” dates are determined based on time of harvest, not transport. Once produce is ready for distribution, HSM conducts checks with our distributors to maintain optimal temperatures throughout transport, ensuring that vegetables arrive at our hotels neither frozen nor wilted, but fresh, fragrant and visually appealing. From time to time, HSM also conducts unscheduled assurance checks at partnering facilities to make sure our produce meets the highest quality and safety standards. If one of our hotels experiences an issue with the quality of produce they receive, one phone call to the supplier or sales representative sets a simple service recovery switch in motion.

In addition to our national suppliers, HSM currently contracts with over 40 regional produce suppliers in markets throughout the United States, granting our hotels access to more than 125 categories of locally sourced produce. Our strong portfolio of regional contracts ensures high-quality produce at a lower price, supporting local communications while minimizing our carbon footprint. As part of our proactive sourcing efforts, we partner with our suppliers to source all local products in season to support those communities. For example, the blueberries distributed to our Central Florida properties are sourced from one farm outside of Orlando, while the majority of our hotels in the D.C. market serve up squash and zucchini grown on the eastern Maryland seaboard. HSM’s commitment guarantees the best quality at the best price, whether it’s fresh sweet corn in the Midwest or amazing stone summer fruits in California.

Our robust network of suppliers and partners also keep HSM informed about potential shifts or shortages in the commodities market, monitoring supply levels and evaluating factors that might impact growing seasons. To keep our hotels in the know about supply shortages and potential weather-related produce alerts, our Senior F&B Director, Rob Johnson, shares a weekly food and beverage snapshot as well as highlights in our monthly newsletter distributed to our accountholders. In the event of a food safety issue, HSM hotels benefit from our quick customer notification process, as we work directly with the supplier and affected hotels to identify recalled product. HSM’s growing network of supplier contracts offer both your guests quality produce and your F&B services a healthier bottom line.