How Hospitality Is Shaping What Comes Next: Our Hotel Interactive Interview

TLDR:

In a recent Mustang Home Goods interview with Hotel Interactive, founder Mike Waring shared a closer look at where the company is headed within the hospitality industry. From scaling production to developing new pieces for hotels, events, and commercial spaces, the conversation reflects an exciting next chapter for Mustang. 

Mustang Home Goods has come a long way from Mike building furniture one piece at a time in his garage. The principles behind the furniture remain grounded in thoughtful design, enduring materials, and adaptability, but the possibilities for where that system can go have continued to grow.

Recently, Mike sat down with Hotel Interactive to talk about that journey and, more importantly, where it is leading now. The conversation touches on the relationships that helped Mustang grow beyond the garage, what Mike has learned from working more closely with the hospitality industry, and the ideas currently taking shape for what comes next. 

From the Garage to a Larger Stage 

Mustang’s move into hospitality didn’t happen through one carefully mapped-out plan. A conversation at an art show in Sedona first led Mike to Glamping Show Americas in fall 2025, where a series of introductions began to show just how differently the furniture could work at a commercial scale. One collaboration eventually became our Wander line, while another conversation brought up an order for 50 lounge sets. At the time, Mike was producing roughly one set a week in his garage. 

Then came a connection to a factory in Seattle. What could have meant a year spent building a single order by hand suddenly looked very different. “I went from, ‘I’m going to be in the shop all day, every day for a year’ to ‘Wait, there’s potential to scale,’” Mike told Hotel Interactive. Since then, that shift has taken him from working through the realities of factory production to exploring manufacturing possibilities beyond the U.S. 

Seeing Mustang Through a Hospitality Lens 

As Mustang has moved deeper into hospitality, the conversations have changed too. Glamping opened one door, but hotels, events, banquet spaces, and other commercial settings have raised new questions about where the system can work and what operators actually need from their furniture. 

Some of those needs happen almost entirely behind the scenes. Furniture has to arrive, move through a property, be installed, stored, rearranged, and sometimes taken out of service altogether. Mustang’s flat-pack construction brings those practical considerations into the design itself. Pieces can ship efficiently, assemble without traditional hardware, and come apart again when a space needs to change. 

That adaptability is becoming especially interesting at a larger scale. Mike shared one example in which a 40-foot container could carry 108 furniture sets, enough lounge seating for roughly 650 people. He estimates the physical setup could be completed by a team of eight in about three hours, not including unloading and positioning.

What We’re Building Next 

As Mustang prepares for larger projects, production is growing alongside the ideas. We’re currently working with a factory in Seattle and exploring opportunities with European manufacturers, creating more capacity for higher-volume orders while continuing to develop furniture with hospitality applications in mind. 

Among the ideas taking shape are a modular walk-up service bar and a banquet table system, where smaller tables can stand on their own or come together as a larger Grand Table. Mike also sees the system extending into hotel rooms and other commercial spaces. “I could outfit a hotel room,” he told Hotel Interactive. 

That thinking extends to larger pieces as well. One concept is a conference table approximately 10 feet wide and 25 feet long, designed in five sections so that despite its scale, it can still move through a doorway and travel by elevator. “You could host Riverdance on it,” Mike joked. And for projects that call for something entirely their own, the Seattle factory also gives Mustang the flexibility to create custom pieces. “If they need a one-of-a-kind piece, we can do it.” 

Building More Than a Furniture Collection 

There’s another part of Mustang’s future that reaches beyond the furniture itself. As the company grows, Mike hopes to create meaningful employment opportunities for veterans, particularly those transitioning out of military service or living with PTSD. 

It’s a longer-term vision, but one that connects Mustang’s growth back to Mike’s own story. “Creating opportunities for other veterans is absolutely part of the long-term vision,” he shared. 

Read Our Full Conversation with Hotel Interactive 

There’s much more in the full Hotel Interactive feature, including Mike’s journey to building Mustang, the influences behind the furniture, and what he has learned while taking production from his own workshop into larger-scale manufacturing. 

Read the full Hotel Interactive interview for the complete conversation and a closer look at what’s ahead for Mustang Home Goods. 

Key Takeaways 

• Relationships within the hospitality industry have helped Mustang move from garage-scale production toward larger commercial opportunities. 

• Hotels, glamping properties, events, and other hospitality settings are revealing new applications for Mustang’s adaptable furniture system. 

• New concepts in development include a modular service bar, banquet table system, hotel-room furniture, and larger custom commercial pieces. 

• Growing production capacity is opening the door to larger projects while maintaining the design thinking behind Mustang. 

• Mike’s longer-term vision includes creating meaningful employment opportunities for fellow veterans.