HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW November FOCUS: Food & Beverage
The November Hotel Business Review explores hotel foodservice offerings-andhow foodservice can attract consumers. Food and beverage contributes a big part of a hotel's overall revenue, and in turn hotels are now placing more emphasis on food quality to capture business. Restaurants are adding more meal periods with limited menus during non-peak hours. Happy hours and late-night cocktail and dessert hours are gaining popularity, and the best and trendiest options are finger foods guests can walk around with as they mingle, or larger appetizers that people can share in a social group. Smart hotels are now providing an even more enhanced experience for guests through catering, room service, late night dining, and  lounge dining. In this current economy it's more important than ever for hotels to have a carefully planned professional food & beverage programs in place. This issue will provide you with an insight on what opportunities exist to build hotel-based foodservice programs, as well as how to capitalize on current and emerging trends to attract new guests and add value to their overall hotel experience.
This month's feature articles...
Food professionals are known to be creative and innovative and have incorporated the latest food trends into their menus. Trends change similar to fashion and sometimes after a short period of time, a probably much longer lasting movement can be seen making its way into menus and contemporary food offerings of all kinds and levels: the interaction between food, nutrition and health. READ MORE
As a result of extensive research and consultation with Clarion franchisees, Choice Hotels International has embarked upon a 3-year strategy to reposition Clarion as a “focused service” hotel for the midscale “gatherings” market. What is focused service? A more targeted, streamlined and efficient way to meet the on-site food and beverage needs of today's corporate and group hotel guests. It means eschewing the old fashioned definition of “restaurant” as a traditional sit-down, three-meal facility, and focusing on more flexible ways to meet guest needs for convenient meals. This could include basic menu offerings provided in a multi-use space. READ MORE
One of the most crucial, and perhaps overlooked, strategic components is the understanding trends in the local restaurant scene and more broadly. There needs to be a savvy understanding of which trends will be a flash in the pan and which are long term and appropriate for a hotel. In addition to having a finger on the pulse of the restaurant world, the following are ten top strategies I believe hotel chefs can employ to compete and win. READ MORE
The success of Embassy Suites Hotels' F&B product is a testament to the brand's unparalleled consistency. Looking at the driving factors in this success story, Jim Holthouser, global head of Embassy Suites and full service brands, Hilton Worldwide, and Beth Scott, vice president, restaurant concepts, Hilton Worldwide, examine Embassy Suites' approach to hotel restaurant planning, design and operation in an economy that remains uncertain. Market knowledge, identification of emerging trends, and flexibility in design are key factors in laying the foundation; authenticity, quality and consistency map the way forward. READ MORE
First and foremost the most important rule is : know your guest. Anticipate what your guests want and when they want it and how much they are willing to pay. Here at Lansdowne Resort, we have the great luxury of having various dining options. At 'On The Potomac' we focus on what is around us - local farms, local wineries, local dairies and craft beers - we work closely with all to ensure our guests get a true appreciation of the local area and taste phenomenally fresh flavor. READ MORE
Hotel restaurants are finally becoming significant players in the incredibly competitive restaurant market by “standing” alone. Boutique hoteliers and even larger brands have begun to embrace the idea that the traditional three-meal-a-day “restaurant for everyone” is no longer a requirement and that more creative offerings can lead to guests to staying on property and spending money in their restaurants and bars. These stand-alone hotel restaurants, bars and lounges have become compelling draws for locals and guests and important sources of revenue. READ MORE
Just as they do in their everyday lives, when hotel guests desire a quick meal or snack, they appreciate a convenient limited-service restaurant. Technomic has studied hotel customers' dining preferences and behaviors and found that more than one third of them visit onsite limited-service options—from coffeehouses to outlets of national restaurant chains—at least once during their stay. This article by hospitality industry veteran and Technomic Business Development Manager Jodie Tristano points to the trends that are driving the growth of limited-service options in hotels, including partnering with chains and offering grab-and-go options from existing foodservice operations. READ MORE
Aleenta Resorts pioneered high end boutique resort experiences in Southeast Asia and now they are again boldly going first towards a new approach to food and beverage. Founder Anchalika Kijkanakorn is a strong believer in providing healthy and upscale lifestyle experiences to her guests - a belief that led her to develop her own organic farm so enable her to supply her own resorts with the freshest fruits, herbs and vegetables available. More than that, it was another way to involve and support the local community, and in doing so set in progress a long term and sustainable plan that would be of benefit to locals and guests alike. READ MORE
Does the quality of your f&B make a difference in your hotels overall success? Absolutely! But more importantly, the lack of quality and variety in your F&B programming will cripple your hotels ability to drive average rate, compete in the market for RevPAR share and maintain captures. We don't have to be fancy; we just need to be smart. We have to know who we are, who our core customer is and then simply do a good job. It's not about the volume of your content, but rather the quality of it. Less is more, keep it simple and do it well. This will keep your customers coming back. READ MORE
When it comes to a hotel's food and beverage programs, there are studies upon studies on what contributes to the success or failure of one. While it is imperative to stay current with the trends - small plates, world cuisine, DJs spinning in restaurants - are becoming increasingly popular - it is equally, if not more so, important to remember the fundamentals of food and how they make or break your hotel's food and beverage plan. READ MORE
Many leisure travelers want to get out and visit the city they're in and having lunch or dinner in local restaurants is part of the way they savor the city. They want to be where the action and excitement are so they usually choose to have only breakfast or a snack or drink on property. If the hotel restaurant is nearly empty, it is not appealing. Travelers want to eat in interesting places that are vibrant and busy. Often, the busier, the better. READ MORE
In response to sophisticated guest tastes and their corresponding high expectations, USDA Prime steaks have been served in all Capriccio Grill Restaurants in all Peabody Hotels for many years. In each hotel, not only do hotel guests tell us how important quality meats are but the local community agrees as evidenced by a great mix of in-house capture rates and frequent patronage from locals. Guest feedback scores and commentary confirm the importance of this trend as guests continue to patronize restaurants where Prime steaks are served over those that do not focus as much on their meat quality. READ MORE
You don't have to be in the hotel business very long to figure out that a signature restaurant can be either a financial boon or a balance sheet nightmare. While some operators view food and beverage as merely a necessary amenity, passionate owners and operators view their restaurant as an opportunity to increase the bottom line and engage the local community. How do you make your restaurant or lounge sustainable? How do you successfully draw-in out-of-town guests while also capturing added revenues from the local residents? How do you transform your restaurant into a destination? READ MORE
Breakfast is serious business, especially for hotels. Technomic, in a study done in conjunction with Hotel F&B, estimated hotel breakfast business to be nearly $10 billion a year. But it doesn't stop there, because the value of complimentary breakfasts in the Select Service segment was not factored in. So figure a couple of billion more. This article cites three macro trends that are influencing breakfast offerings in hotels. READ MORE
Often an overlooked meal period, Sunday brunch provides an excellent opportunity for hotel operators to increase revenue and traffic in their three-meal restaurants. Creating a signature brunch can help to both expand your restaurant's brand identity and increase visibility with locals in your market. Also, given the unique nature of the brunch meal period, it presents a chance for operators to expand their concepts and vary slightly from standard operating procedures, giving staff and guests alike something to look forward to. An examination of the creation of our signature Pajama Brunch at Simon @ Palms Place in Las Vegas highlights the key factors in creating a successful Sunday Brunch. READ MORE
Remember the days when you had to book advance reservations one month out to get a dining reservation at some of the most popular restaurants. One month was conservative for the best of the best, some places were sold out for months. This is not the case anymore after the housing crash. It's a consumer's market. You can shoot a cannon in some of these restaurants these days because expense accounts have been cut, It makes more sense to cook in or get on the web sites such as Groupon and Social Living and buy into to the deep discount restaurants are offering just to stay in the game. Times have truly changed. Those restaurants which were once busy now find themselves with the challenge of how to make adjustments to their food operations and marketing strategy just to keep their heads above water and stay in the game. Let's look at an example of what one company is doing to address the challenge. READ MORE
For years, we've been hearing more and more about the importance of naturally-raised, organic food products. Farmers' markets, rooftop and community gardens have grown in popularity and chefs around the country are capitalizing on their restaurant gardens to attract new customers. Sustainable agriculture has created healthier eating habits and improved local economies, but how can the hospitality industry fully embrace this movement? The Greenbrier, a 710-room resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, has found a way to take farm-to-table to the next level with The Greenbrier Farm, with the help of resort owner Jim Justice. READ MORE
During the current state of today's ever-changing economic environment, hoteliers in Food & Beverage have recognized that customers are even more often constantly evaluating the presented value versus actual quality -- making the importance of maintaining food integrity paramount to gaining and building market share. Surely there is a need to continually evaluate product offerings bearing in-mind the customer's perception of quality; usually thought of as meeting the needs and expectations of guests and thereby are able to provide product satisfaction. Simply put, quality for The Ritz-Carlton, Denver is not only meeting - but exceeding the guests' needs, free from deficiencies. READ MORE
It's an exciting time to be working in food and beverage. There are many trends that vary from food trucks, sourcing local products and providing an extreme dining experience with molecular chemistry. With all this excitement and opportunity to wow and lure new consumers into your outlets, it's important to step back and understand the DNA of your outlets on an individual basis. Trying to be all things to all people is a quick way to blur lines and lose quality and consistency of your outlet. READ MORE
Customers, brands and markets are constantly evolving and changing and how you evaluate and react to these dynamics within the parameters of your own investment discipline can position you for some tremendous upside as our industry's performance improves. READ MORE
In the hospitality industry, the most important and vital investment you can make is your investment on your people. Your people are the lifeline of the hotel, keeping thing moving and working correctly. Steven Belmonte believes that by nurturing, mentoring, and encouraging them you are ensuring not only their success, but are ensuring the success of your hotel. It's important to remember how you got started in the industry and to remember what a difference it made in your life when someone took you under their wing, believed in you, and gave you the necessary tools to succeed in this business. Now it's your turn to give back. READ MORE
ADA compliance changes are coming; most businesses are already aware of this fact and have at least started talking about how it will affect them. The question is - how painful and complicated will this process be? Compliance changes are inevitable, they can be daunting and overwhelming or with a few simple steps and some professional advice they can be manageable. With nearly a quarter of the U.S. population looking for accessible places to stay or vacation - the hospitality industry can greatly benefit from being ADA compliant. So where do you start? Do you have a plan? What do these changes look like? Do you need some help understanding the ADA compliance changes? READ MORE
The rise of user-generated content is one of the most disruptive forces in hospitality since hotels moved their marketing materials and booking engines to the Web. Why? User-generated content is the great equalizer of marketing. It allows consumers, not brands or properties, to own the reputation of a hotel. It allows boutique hotels with small marketing budgets to compete against large chain hotels with lavish loyalty programs. It allows great service and quality to drive marketing through consumer reviews. READ MORE
The biggest innovations poised to alter the travel industry are actually happening outside the travel industry. Nevertheless, these changes will have a dramatic affect on the way in which travel businesses market to, acquire, and retain their customers. In these fast-paced, consumer-savvy, and consumer-picky times, if you're not innovating and continually improving how you interact with your customers, you will fall behind. Pricing wars and slick advertising campaigns won't win you more or lasting customers. READ MORE
Business and leisure hotels alike represent an escape, an escape from the same old, same old. Whether a short stint to support a critical business meeting or a week of R&R at a sprawling resort, guests respond to "new", "fun", and - perhaps most importantly - benefits and amenities they are actually inspired to take advantage of. For many, simply a great LCD TV in their room will bring joy. For others, learning that you have invested in a welcoming, energy-enhancing, (and dare we say "fun") offering in fitness can send them over the moon. You may have just given them the best gift possible during their travels - helping them stay in the healthy and fit state of mind nearly all of us struggle with when on the road. If repeat and referral business from wellness-minded travelers is of benefit to you, here's how you can begin to impress them... READ MORE
In the old days yield management systems worked best when paired with complex and arcane pricing structures such as the ones that were used at airlines and hotels. For other industries, though, the complex techniques and price structures from airlines and hotels weren't really applicable. Fast forward to 2011. The emergence of state of the art pricing and revenue management systems has introduced a shift from a "yield" approach to "pricing" approach. Whereas "inventory classes" and "yield management" was something that a few industries like airlines and hotels cared about, "pricing" is something that impacts every industry. READ MORE
At the 2009 American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), the overriding sentiment seemed to be relief, relief that we had survived the devastating downturn that hit in September 2008. Never before had we clung so tightly to the numbers to understand our fate - the depth of the downturn, the damage to demand, incredibly shrinking rates. Six months later, we began tracking data from billions of monthly hotel shopping transactions to track industry performance, and ultimately, help the “survivors” understand the road to recovery. Like the major lesson in rate-cutting we all learned post-September 11, 2001, the last three years have taught us some incredibly valuable lessons. READ MORE
The ability for guests to open a mobile app/web app and instantly connect to their hotel and surrounding area is changing the way hotels interact with their guests. Simply put, if a property hasn't implemented a well planned mobile strategy, then they are missing out on countless opportunities to connect with their guests and increase RevPAR. READ MORE
Building strong relationships in the community produces room nights for hotel operators. Positive reputations earned through community involvements, provide General Managers opportunities to gain a stable footing in the market. Joining forces with community leaders with the Chamber of Commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureau, local clubs, churches and sports team, along with the American Hotel & Lodging Association afford hoteliers various opportunities to gain room shares. Who you know is as important and possibly more important than what you know for a Hotel Manager to succeed. READ MORE
Have you ever thought of having an outside hospitality professional conduct seminars, training or talk to your staff about innovative ideas to improve service levels? If not, have you thought of having someone assist you in developing and using as a tool to train your employees? Do you use outside trainers? That said why not use hospitality and hospitality/service educators to execute this? The reason we ask is because industry professionals predict that the climate of the hospitality industry will improve in the long term yet we are seeing that as changes are impacting the industry, there is still a lack of properties embracing innovative ways of improving their service, which impacts their bottom line. READ MORE
In these economic times, hoteliers across the globe need to be more aggressive in pursuing demand in order to deliver profitability. Ensuring coordination between key hotel operational departments is paramount in targeting the right guests and helping to establish customer loyalty amongst profitable guests. In this environment, hotel owners and managers alike need to be mindful that their marketing and revenue management departments are working together and it is important that open channels of communication are maintained. Both the marketing and revenue management departments are unfortunately siloed in many companies, but each holds an important key to the business, which, when used together, become a powerful tool for generating hotel revenue. READ MORE
Meetings leaders rely on data intelligence from hoteliers to validate their return on investment and meeting analytics. A chain-wide global sales organization should collect client data across all of its brands and locations whether the property is corporate-owned or franchised while an independent property or local hotelier may only have the micro metrics for its location. Before you present any data, understand the key requirements of your client and the type of environment that they are in now so that you can present your data in the order of their priorities. Don't fall into the analysis abyss and think that all metrics are necessary. Instead, use this data checklist and ask your clients what metrics are important to them. READ MORE
From banking, to shopping, to booking travel, today's consumers are becoming more and more comfortable with using the internet in every aspect of day-to-day life. By the end of 2012, travelers will book one-third of the world's travel sales online, according to a new report from PhoCusWright, so if your property isn't effectively reaching consumers where they are researching and purchasing travel - online - then you are missing out on valuable bookings and leaving money on the table. READ MORE
While travel and hospitality marketers can be highly innovative, most would readily concede that we don't have a monopoly on good ideas. Once in a while, it is important to look beyond our current practices to learn from marketing innovators in other industries. After all, we're all seeking to build customer satisfaction and engagement - and create revenue - whether the end-customer is a traveler, a banking customer, a donor, or an avid sports fan. Novel marketing approaches from the financial services, sports and entertainment, and non-profit sectors, respectively, can offer the hospitality marketer some good food for thought. READ MORE
Guest wireless is growing by leaps and bounds as today's guests are bringing laptops, tablets, smartphones and even wireless-enabled gaming devices -- all in one room, and sharing a single broadband connection. Additionally, revenue-drivers such as video-on-demand are being cannibalized by on-demand movie streaming services. How can today's hotel keep up? READ MORE
Your property management team should be carefully engineered, similar to a professional sports team, to ensure that important players are in place and that there are not too many superstars. Teams must be crafted to include a variety of personalities, capabilities, skill sets and inclinations; a matrix of supportive and complementary strengths and weaknesses. The leadership challenge is to ensure that necessary role players both understand and are recognized for the value of those roles. READ MORE
Often confused with position, popularity or charisma, leaders today appear to be thrust into a leadership role that many want no part of. In any relationship or venture, it appears that most individuals lack the fundamentals of what a “leader” is and most importantly the definition. Let's start by looking at the definition of a leader and then the values aspect of the words as stated in the Merriam Webster Dictionary. READ MORE
Everyone will agree, post 2008 we have seen changes and challenges galore in the spa and hospitality industries. The Spa Industry's wheezing financials are in an uphill battle to regain the profit margins earned prior to the last four years and recapturing revenues is a moving target. Our spa and hotel guests along with consumers in general are more discerning, pickier and more tech savvy than ever before. Value is celebrated as the latest and most sophisticated trend and no one wants to overpay for the service or product they receive. Truly, the current economy is the acid test of any spa brand. The word in vogue is “value” and we must deliver - but not with lower prices. Read further to learn the key to satisfying and not satisficing spa guests. READ MORE
Hotel executives are looking for new ways to create a competitive advantage in a tight economy and talent management offers a relatively untapped opportunity to maximize operations and focus on delivering outstanding customer service. While other areas of hotel businesses have already been optimized, human resources continues to be challenge. READ MORE
Companies today are drowning in data - much of which may not even help you make better decisions and improve business outcomes. Slicing and dicing the reams of data in order to extract relevant, actionable insights is a business imperative. READ MORE
Many hotel marketers are looking for solutions to solve their e-business challenges: improving website performance, increasing conversions from online campaigns, getting more attention on social media sites, and the list goes on. What they don't realize is that video could help solve many of these challenges. Video is naturally engaging and gives travel shoppers an opportunity to interact with and experience your hotel. After all, video marketing is easy, inexpensive, and, in most cases, yields a high ROI. Before you start developing your first or next video, consider this: if you don't know how to use video effectively, you could lose out on bookings. READ MORE
That is the big question these days. How do I really measure this social media hocus pocus? What is the true value or benefit of social media? How many bookings did it generate? Too bad there are no magic buttons to push for one easy answer. There isn't one tool or one firm that can track and measure every possible social media mention that your hotel obtains. Social media is too vast and too dynamic to pin it down. It does not fit nicely into a certain box or stand still long enough to be properly measured. Social media also likes to mingle with so many other departments and areas of your hotel that measuring it is becoming just as difficult as measuring the impact of your hotel's name or lobby. READ MORE
In a changed hospitality industry, post economic collapse, a new low-price standard has been set for construction services. How did construction pricing get to this point and what are the risks associated with hiring inexpensive labor to complete projects? We are a national general contractor specializing in hospitality construction services and are among a limited few who remain strong in the industry. Read on to learn about the conditions leading up to this point, where the industry is headed, and what to be mindful of for your next project. READ MORE
Looking back on the state of the mobile app market over the last twelve months it is apparent that everyone has been focused on one question: “How many downloads did I get on my app?” But what is the actual value of that number? What does it tell us about our return on investment? The answers in the most simplified terms (respectively) are: minimal and not enough. By shifting the focus from downloads to what's truly important we will find out exactly how well our app is performing. And just what is truly important? Behavior. Analytics for mobile applications bring our customers' behavior to light, ultimately allowing for better business decisions and bigger returns. READ MORE
A recurring theme we see in hotels that are most popular in online guest reviews is that they make guest satisfaction a team effort. Continuously improving quality is coordinated between all departments by sharing online feedback and a plan for action. We see that the degree to which hotel executives take insights from reviews and turn this into measurable action steps for their staff is directly connected to how popular that hotel will be on the social web. READ MORE
There have been a lot of Aha moments in marketing. Positioning. Branding, The New Coke fiasco. The advent of Social Media. And even Flashmobs. One such moment occurred in 2004, when many believe the concept of Swarm Marketing was born. Basically, dictionaries define a swarm as a large number of things massed together and usually in motion. Think about a school of fish, a horde of bees, or a herd of wild horses. And think about consumers too. Connected by social media networks, consumers are sharing the swarming traits of these fish, bees, and wild horses that will change the way you think about marketing your hotel. In this article, you'll read about the three characteristics of swarms in nature and how they apply to your customers and potential customers. READ MORE
The US Travel Association (USTA) predicts a rebound of the domestic travel market over the next three years. This presents a big opportunity for domestic travel destinations like Disney World and Las Vegas, who can now compete for their share of travelers who've traded their international vacation for a domestic one. Destinations that reach domestic travelers consistently with value-oriented offers will become go-to resources for this new class of traveler, but in order to compete in what promises to be a tight domestic travel marketplace, destinations should integrate these five best practices for launching a successful direct response television campaign. READ MORE
