HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

August FOCUS: Food & Beverage

 
August, 2023

Food & Beverage: Breakfast is King


As always, hotels are looking to leverage their food & beverage operations to increase sales. One strategy being implemented is a greater emphasis on upselling. For example, a pastry chef might host a chocolate making class once a week. Or a chef might offer a signature dining experience in the hotel's most luxurious suite. Other add-ons like a romantic dinner for two, picnic basket lunches, or pre-packaged meals for business meetings can increase sales significantly. But perhaps the most reliable way to please guests is with their morning meal. According to a recent Google survey, 42.4% of guests chose breakfast as the hotel feature they most looked forward to. In addition to more traditional fare, some hotels are adding healthy options to their menus like breakfast parfaits, superfood bowls, and custom smoothies. Other hotels are offering complimentary breakfast, an all-day breakfast menu, or breakfast in bed. The August issue of the Hotel Business Review will report on what some hotels are doing to expand and enhance their F&B departments.


This month's feature articles...

Satyen  Raja

In this article, Satyen Raja uncovers the invisible elements of the hotel and tourism industry. It dives into team alliances, unravels interpersonal dynamics, and highlights leadership's transformative role. This must-read goes beyond profit, emphasizing shared goals, unity, and the heart of successful teams, offering an enlightening perspective on business transformation in the hotel sector. READ MORE

John  Signorelli

"Memorable, unique, and authentic." Today's hotel guests tell us their preferences for these experiences. Are we truly listening and delivering upon their requests to provide a more tailored and personalized experience? Here are some upselling techniques and ideas, sparking interest into how you can help instill a sense of brand loyalty, so your guests will likely return for future visits. READ MORE

Catherine Burger

360 million. That's about how many hours Americans have watched chef videos on TikTok. Americans love to see how dishes are made for at-home meal inspiration or before making reservations at a trendy restaurant in town. Cooking videos are so popular that a new study on the most popular professions on TikTok shows that chef videos outrank almost all other professional videos. READ MORE

Michael Mignano

Perhaps one of the biggest changes to come out of the three-year pandemic is the work and lifestyle evolution. We have developed a more relaxed attitude towards the workday and our lifestyles. The challenge for luxury hotel restaurants lies in how to adapt the stereotypical fine dining experience to this new normal and stay relevant. READ MORE

Patric Yumul

With countless hotel food and beverage concepts to choose from, how can restaurateurs modernize and elevate their approach to hospitality to capture consumers and create loyalty? By leaning into industry trends while simultaneously keeping a firm grasp on the essentials of tried and true hospitality, you have the unique opportunity to take your business from good to truly great. READ MORE

Justin Jaret

Upselling in the food and beverage world is about creating unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that can be tailored to fit our guests needs. By offering full-scale restaurants, unique programming and bespoke epicurean events, we allow our guests and locals alike to connect with the resort and our restaurants and bars in a variety of ways - strengthening our positioning as a leader in the industry. READ MORE

David Stange

If you were to use revenue per square foot/meter as a measure of the financial health of your hotel or resort, would you count your outdoor space beyond the restaurant patios? Read on to find out how you can improve your hotel's financial picture – no matter how you measure it – by taking your food and beverage offerings outside. READ MORE

Hicham Jaddoud

For many years, most hotel brands focused on driving room revenue and viewed the F&B department as an amenity. Times have changed and consumer preferences have evolved. F&B offerings are no longer the afterthought. As the hotel industry emerges back from an unprecedented pandemic, F&B offers a huge opportunity to increase sales and boost the bottom line. Subsequently, F&B operations are widely recognized as key contributors to a hotel's success and positioning within its market. READ MORE

Sarah Fox

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly shaping the future of humanity across nearly every industry. With a focus on the food and beverage industry, this article will discuss the need for immersive experiences, share how the integration of artificially intelligent technology can create an entirely new social experience, and provide an understanding of AI's ability to transform the future of hospitality. READ MORE

William Parry

Any concrete distinctions between the hotel and short-term rental (STR) industries are long gone. The merging of these markets is well underway, driven by demands for flexibility, privacy, and authenticity. So, how are businesses built in the STR industry, and what does it take to run one? READ MORE

Rohith Kori

F&B is often a secondary consideration for hotels focused on maximizing RevPAR. However, hotels that invest in F&B technology will see an immediate impact in not only revenue, but operational efficiency, staff retention, and long-term loyalty. Guests have to eat, so why not ensure they do it on-property by offering them a variety of F&B options facilitated by innovative technology? READ MORE

Jeff Dover

Food and beverage services in hotels have come a long way from when they were considered an amenity. However, even though a hotel's Food and Beverage Department is now considered a profit centre, many hotels do not do a great job of maximizing revenues. In this article, we provide strategies on how to maximize revenues. READ MORE

Michael Cheng

Hotels are developing innovative menu concepts such as chef collaborations, interactive dining experiences, and utilizing technology to supplant their offerings. These unique offerings can generate buzz, attract both hotel guests and local customers, and drive additional F&B revenue. In this article we'll learn how hotels are offering unique dining experiences in immersive environments, and in combatting current labor shortages, hotels have adapted by partnering with delivery services and implementing contactless dining options. READ MORE

Mark Augarten

Mark Augarten, chief operating officer of Sage Restaurant Concepts, details the importance of capturing the non-hotel guest by looking beyond offering a traditional "hotel restaurant." Sage Restaurant Concepts is working to attract local clientele through restaurant branding, specials and activations, hiring practices and more along with the benefits of not solely relying on hotel guests for revenue. READ MORE

Peter Dougherty

If you're not on top of customer trends, odds are your competition is. Restaurants that shift their strategies based on new guest expectations will be better able to meet future challenges. And of course, some trends become the new normal. Let's take a look at a few of the emerging trends for 2023. READ MORE

Steve Turk

A hospitality expert and father of two food-loving kids Steve Turk discusses the need for more diverse and adventurous children's menus in hotels. He shares his experiences from researching and visiting family-friendly brands like Four Seasons, Amanyara, Peninsula, Montage and Ritz Carlton which inspire his work with clients. Steve shares five strategies for hotels to enhance their food and beverage departments for young guests, including creating visually appealing and healthy dishes, promoting communal dining, providing interactive entertainment, offering nutritious snacks, and incorporating culinary education. These initiatives aim to make hotels a captivating destination for the entire family. READ MORE

Mert Cura

As travelers continue to demand high-quality food and beverage at resorts, accommodations are developing creative methods of providing nutritious and delicious meals while also serving up memorable travel experiences. By continuing to evolve and enhance food and beverage offerings within hotels and resorts, accommodations can develop unique concepts and spaces that deliver timeless culinary experiences. READ MORE

Alfred Kaufmann

Located steps away from Eagle Beach, the No. 2 beach in the world as ranked by TripAdvisor, Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort provides a captivating getaway for families, couples or individuals that are in need of an escape. Our resort invites guests and locals alike to indulge in delectable cuisine, island-inspired cocktails and unparalleled views at our restaurants, Passions on the Beach and Horizons Lounge. Additionally, to enhance our guests' visit we are thrilled to announce the launch of our penthouse balcony private dining add-on. READ MORE

Robert  Hood

Breakfast is not the most glamorous of all that a hotel stay experience can offer, not a business lunch, not an enterprising or creative cocktail or beverage experience, dessert, definitely not, and as for that five start dinner, transformative palate pleasing experience that will change you life, and absolute 'no', breakfast is relegated to the functional, necessary and for some hotel restaurants at least a necessity to accommodate guests who just need to drink and coffee and eat before they checkout and move on their way. This article aims to change that perception and move breakfast from lost leader to the definition of the stay experience for hotel guests. READ MORE

Chris Martha

Chris Martha serves as the Global Director for Food and Beverage for Valor Hospitality Partners. Starting at a young age in the industry, he has witnessed the shift from convenience-based dining to experience-based dining first hand. As he leads Valor's teams, there is an emphasis on this new sense of experience-heavy dining while also maintaining a culture of excellence and a guest-first approach. As the brand continues to expand their global portfolio in the coming years, this is a commitment they are dedicated to maintaining while also creating spaces and dishes that spark conversation and once-in-a-lifetime moments. READ MORE

Cynthia Mejia

Lately, hotels are reexamining their F&B strategies, but jumping on the latest trends without HI (human intelligence) is risky. Traditional marketing channels, social media, and AI (artificial intelligence) are all necessary when conducting F&B market research. However, to keep to your brand's character, we outline steps for executing on your hotel's F&B market strategy in a new rollout. READ MORE

Coming up in March 1970...