The origins of Hostar date back to The Propst Company, formed by Robert Propst in Denver, Colorado, USA in 1953. Robert created 120 different designs and inventions while operating The Propst Company, sometimes under the umbrella of Herman Miller, the storied furniture design and manufacturing firm.
Robert Propst created the Co/Struc system, a streamlined mobile and modular container to deliver hospital supplies in the 1960s, used until the 1980s. During this time, an additional system was created for the electronics industry, specifically to convey parts in totes for Texas Instruments. This was a direct precursor to the ProHost® System.
Robert Propst created the Co/Struc system, a streamlined mobile and modular container to deliver hospital supplies in the 1960s, used until the 1980s. During this time, an additional system was created for the electronics industry, specifically to convey parts in totes for Texas Instruments. This was a direct precursor to the ProHost® System.
The Co/Struc System was used in five hotels in the early 1980s, but was found unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Westin, the hotel brand, approached Herman Miller to provide a solution for hotel housekeeping. In turn, Herman Miller directed Westin to the then independent Propst Company. Robert Propst and his team began researching the larger problems of housekeeping departments. Initial development began in 1985.
The first carts were technically limited, but the design and ease-of-use were like nothing else available. One wooden prototype was developed at first, a mobile collector and supplier cart, and a study was conducted at the Westin Seattle across the street from Westin headquarters. This study - conducted with the help of Robert Propst’s daughters, Claudia Berg and Robby Quigley, among others - was eventually published as a report named “The Benefits of Integrated Materials Management in Hotel Housekeeping” in 1991 by Claudia.
Due to the success of the ProHost® System, a separate company was needed. Hostar International, Inc. was founded as part of The Propst Company in 1989 based in Seattle, Washington, USA. To help launch the company, Robert Propst wrote a book entitled The New Back-of-the-House: Running The Smart Hotel.
Hostar International, Inc. FoundedThe first hotel installed with the ProHost® system was the 572 room Westin Hotel in Indianapolis in August 1989.
ProHost® Mobile Carts - First GenerationThe first generation of ProHost® carts was introduced in 1989, including a Mobile Supplier Cart. Later in this generation, the larger Super Supplier Cart was introduced, a Reserve Tote Carrier, along with a Handy Supplier for boutique hotels.
To help avoid workplace injuries for room attendants at larger hotels transporting the ProHost® system long distances and across many floors, our power unit was first introduced in 1990 as part of the first generation of carts. The first hotel to install was the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco with 629 rooms.
The first international installation of ProHost® took place at the Westin Resort in Macau. Situated on 150 acres, the resort needed a unique ProHost® solution.
The first installation of the ProHost® system at Disney took place in November 1993 at the Yacht Club Resort. With deluxe villas and 635 total rooms, outdoor water recreation and more amenities, Disney needed a true housekeeping partnership for their Yacht Club.
The first installation of the ProHost® system in Las Vegas took place in May 1995 at the Sheraton Desert Inn, now closed as of August 2000. It was only the fifth resort to ever open on the Strip, and had 821 rooms at the time of ProHost® installation.
Future Executive Vice President, Ron Vitale, joins Hostar as a project manager. Ron was raised in Montreal and was the first international hire by Hostar. He worked his way up the ranks, being promoted to EVP in 2013. Ron was the inside contact at the Chateau Lake Louise hotel installation of the ProHost® system in 1995.
Robert Propst passes away at age 79. He was involved in the design of the ProHost® system and its advances until his final days.
Future President of Hostar, Todd Bush, joins Hostar as production and inventory coordinator, and director of finance and operations. Todd walked right in the door of Hostar’s Ohio factory to speak to staff who were in town from Seattle. He was interviewed on the spot, and soon took over managing the factory on-site rather than using a remote manager in Seattle.
The 100th hotel installed with ProHost® System was the Sheraton St. Louis in Missouri in July 2001.
Future Manager of ProHost® F&B and Application Sales, Megan Weiss, joins Hostar as a ProHost® System trainer and administrative assistant. Megan was promoted to manager of ProHost® F&B and application sales in 2016.
Future Assembly Operations Manager, Lori Rose, joins Hostar to take on shipping, scheduling and other duties. Lori was promoted in 2012.
Future Vice President of ProHost® System Services and Customer Care, Jennifer Cade, joins Hostar as a project manager. Jennifer was promoted to vice president of ProHost® system services and customer care in 2017.
Customer CareModern customer care began to take hold at Hostar in 2005. With the addition of Jennifer Cade and a critical mass of nearly 150 clients with active installations, managing the care of active ProHost® systems became of key importance.
Future Vice President of Sales and Global Accounts, Andy McCabe, joins Hostar as an account executive. Andy was promoted to vice president of sales and global accounts in 2014.
In mid-2007, Hostar chose to move their headquarters from the West Coast to the North Coast. The leadership team moved out to join the manufacturing team, leaving Washington state behind for Ohio state.
Then President of Hostar, Claudia (Propst) Berg, needed to take a leave of absence. She was promoted to CEO, while Todd Bush was selected to be promoted to President. This marked the first time the President of Hostar was not related to founder Robert Propst.
The 200th hotel installed with ProHost® System was the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Singapore in June 2010.
ProHost® Smart Carts - Second GenerationWith the second generation of ProHost® Smart Carts, they were completely redesigned with new technology to make tracking and restocking easier, faster, and more accurate. This generation introduced the Boutique Cart, Supplier Cart, Powered Super Supplier Cart, Reserve Cart, and Collector Cart.
Leanore "Lee" (Isett) Propst passes away at age 85. As the wife of Robert Propst, she was heavily involved in the Propst Company, as a board member of Herman Miller, and as a member of the Hostar family. She was involved in Hostar as an owner until her death.
President Todd Bush and Executive Vice President Ron Vitale purchased a portion of Hostar from Claudia Berg, as she prepared to leave Hostar as CEO.
2,995 Room Hotel InstalledThe largest hotel installed with the ProHost® System ever was the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in January 2013, with 2,995 rooms.
33 & 48 Room Hotel InstalledThe smallest hotels installed with the ProHost® System ever were the Skiatook Osage Casino & Hotel and the Ponca City Osage Casino & Hotel in December 2013, with 33 and 48 rooms, respectively.
Laundry Link Begins DevelopmentResearch and development began on linking the in-house laundry production with the guest room cleaning activity. It would come to be known as the Laundry Link cart, used in select-service hotels.
Design Engineer Todd Van Allen joined Hostar in 2015 to helm the design and build-out of the newest generation of ProHost® housekeeping carts.
The Hostar team moved into a new facility in Solon, Ohio, USA. While many in the Hostar team are spread throughout the United States and even the world, the production floor and operations are headquartered in Ohio.
ProHost® Nexus Carts - Third GenerationThe latest generation of ProHost® carts is Nexus. Nexus features a complete redesign, new smart technology features, and more customization. Supplier Carts come in four different sizes and four different powered sizes. The Reserve Cart has one non-powered and two powered versions, as well as featuring the two- and three-bag Collector Cart.
1985-2000 | Owner, Primary Investor
1985-2011 | Owner, Primary Investor
1990-1991 | Research Consultant
1992-1994 | Contract Staff, International Project Manager
1994-1998 | Director of Planning Services
1998-2000 | Vice President of Sales and Installation
2000-2008 | President
2008-2013 | CEO
1992-1994| Contact Staff, International System Trainer
1994-1996| Field Service Program Developer, Installation Training Manual Graphics Developer, System Installation Restocking Trainer
1996-2000| Director of International System Sales
2000-2011| Vice President of International System Sales
1989-2018 | Assembly, Installation Team
1989-2014 | Assembly, Installation Team
1985-1988| ProHost® Designer, Tester, Developer
1989-2000| Senior Housekeeping System Planner, Project Manager, Salesperson, Planning Software Developer, ROI Financial Results Software Co-Developer
2000-2008| Contract Staff, F&B Applications and Marketing Materials Creator, Senior Systems Planner Vegas Mega Properties
1985 | Venture Capital Fundraiser, Productivity Research Study Lead
1985-1998 | President
1985-1998 | CFO
1998-2000 | President
1995-1999 | Vice President of Sales
From the preface to his book, The New Back-of-the-House: Running The Smart Hotel, published in 1988:
"In 1928, George Orwell, who would later become famous for his books, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighy-Four, arrived in Paris to pursue a literary career. But dire need to survive involved him in a series of menial jobs in hotels which would now be identified as the 'back-of-the-house' work.
"Orwell recounted this experience in his book, Down and Out in Paris and London. He was both shocked and fascinated by the way the process was carried on.
"He saw a hotel as a huge complicated machine run by an inadequate staff which manages to cope by scrupulously doing its work in a well-defined manner,. But he saw a weak point: the job the staff was doing was not what the customer was paying for. The customer paid for good service while the hotel employee got paid for the boulot, which means an imitation of good service.
"As a result, while hotels were miracles of punctuality, in other aspects they were worse than the worst private houses. He described a world of dirt, confusion, charging about and making do in the dreariest of surroundings.
"Orwell makes the indelible point that hotels manage to wring a kind of order from this chaos. But it is a wrenching, illogical process.
"In 1983, a knowledgeable hotel executive handed me Orwell's book with the comment, 'Read this. It's just the same today.' Fortunately, we are in an age offering many fortuitous possibilities for the hotel back-of-the-house. As one of our great workplaces, it deserves a boost in self-image and to be recognized for real accomplishment."
- Robert Propst