BUSINESS
F&B
THE HOTEL INDUSTRY’S F&B SCENE Food and beverage represents a large sector of services within the hospitality industry, whether in hotel cafes and restaurants or off-premises takeaway, catering and food delivery services. Christian Salloum, founder and managing director of BrandPortunity Hospitality Consultancy, addresses the numerous benefits of having attractive F&B venues within hotels and what to consider when launching on-site concepts.
Many hotel restaurants are unable to maintain successful business and leisure facilities — known as “bleisure” — so they often become a non-profit-making “accessory” in a hotel. With excellent planning, hotels can create award-winning concepts that are thriving profit generators and exceed traditional food and beverage expectations. Since the beginning of 2022, boutique and lifestyle lodgings have become the preferred accommodation choice for those seeking sustainability-focused options. There is a need to recreate and initiate lifestyle dining concepts catering to businesses and tourists after the pandemic lull. It is becoming more important to create impressive food and beverage concepts within hotels that complement the overall guest experience and cultivate trendy spaces for business and leisure guests. The pandemic has changed the way that businesses and individuals operate. Remote
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HOSPITALITY NEWS ME | DEC 2022-JAN 2023
working is commonplace, and it's forecast to remain and grow. Large tech companies, such as Twitter, Facebook and Amazon, are leading the way by adopting hybrid and flexible approaches to working remotely. Others subsequently have followed this trend. Indeed, we have witnessed a considerable increase in the number of freelancers working remotely in recent years. Hospitality venues are being used as office spaces and convenient places to meet by bleisure travelers, as well as offering local residents the opportunity of a change of scenery. This change in work environments is an excellent opportunity for hotels and F&B venues to capitalize on the evergrowing trend and adapt their offerings to accommodate “nomadic” workers. Hotels should consider ample plug sockets, complimentary WiFi, great coffee and delicious yet affordable snacks in their venues. Boutique and chain properties
should consider new concepts to encourage traffic throughout the day, well into the evening. This adaptation will make the hotel a destination, as well as a place to sleep.
Design a winning hotel restaurant concept Hoteliers must consider the concept and design to ensure that the venue becomes a standalone destination. The concept should cultivate independence and compatibility to form a unique and blended outlet. Most importantly, hotels must look beyond hotel guests to fill their food and beverage outlets.
Offer a warm welcome - Consider a small menu that showcases local cuisine - Keep it tourist friendly - Give the venue a unique atmosphere to keep it separate from the hotel - Use the space to help travelers understand local customs - Target the local community when
