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Many are wanting to experience luxury in more casual hospitality, where they can relax without having to sacrifice standards, where its application is less obvious but discernible, nonetheless

Indulge the senses

Zieher

Luxury, understated or otherwise, is a big money-spinner for the hospitality sector and G&G Goodfellows have their finger on the trend pulse, as Valda Goodfellow explains…

Luxury in hospitality used to mean 5* hotels and fine dining. Now, luxury still means those things but it also extends to less formal and more bespoke setting, where individuality and experiences are valued as highly as fine wines.

Having been immersed for many years in what the luxury hospitality client wants, we have been part of these changes, helping redefine what luxury feels like and let me tell you, it feels good.

I am definitely a fan of the grand hotel with all its lush drapery and carpets you can sink in to. Luxury on this scale is designed to engage all the senses and capture you from the first instant, so it is no surprise that we are definitely seeing a return to the same sense of grandness on the table – which I confess has been a bit lacking in recent years.

It is good to see the demand for silver cutlery and accessories rapidly increasing as these hotels seek to redefine luxury for our post-Covid appetite to indulge ourselves wherever and whenever we can. Silver on the table is emerging as a major trend, along with crisp white plates with interesting textures; this is the very definition of indulgent luxury.

Totally in keeping with this trend is the return of caviar service; the more spectacular the better. When brought to the table on a silver tray or a beautiful trolley, you cannot help but feel special. It becomes an experience rather than merely a dish, which is why this emotional response is at the heart of why we know luxury is so important to us. We were robbed of so many special occasions and memorable moments, that our craving is to create these now and we want to feel very, very special indeed.

Having said that, I really like to visit these places when I need a sense of occasion, but I maybe would not want to relax there for any more than a night

Did you know?

Valda and her team provide ‘kits’ to accessorise aparat-hotels décor, including anything from plates, bowls, cutlery and glassware; to designer fruit bowls – all co-ordinated with the apartment’s ‘mood’.

About G & G

Founded by Paul and Valda Goodfellow, G & G Goodfellows is a highly creative design & Distribution Company with an amazing showroom in Little Portland Street. Offering a truly hands-on service, Goodfellows passion is to bring new and exciting, bespoke food presentation concepts to the UK’s culinary scene. As well as offering a wide variety of the world’s best branded tableware, kitchen equipment, clothing and machines, Goodfellows also collaborates closely with UK craft producers for totally unique products. It works with all sizes of restaurant and catering projects, happy to supply anything from an individual plate to a full restaurant concept.

or two. And I am not alone. Like me, many are wanting to experience luxury in more casual hospitality, where they can relax without having to sacrifice standards, where its application is less obvious but discernible, nonetheless. This affects not only hotels and restaurants, but apartments, holiday cottages, in-house catering (home or away), catering in the workplace, and travel.

Since Covid, we have all probably engaged more with staycations, meal boxes from celebrity chefs, online wine tasting and spa treatments; so now we know that luxury is accessible wherever and whenever we want it. This has set the bar higher, especially for accommodation. We also expect a greater sense of experience with venues offering bespoke activities or amenities such as hot tubs and chef-served meals in your room – so we are being asked to supply a lot more high-level tableware for holiday cottages, villas, private yachts, private jets, or just for the home.

The idea of casual luxury, coupled with exclusivity is at the heart of the phenomenal rise in popularity of places like Soho House. In the UK members clubs have been around a long time, but there is a new generation of these clubs that are appealing to audiences way beyond the UK.

Clubs offer a sense of belonging and often cater to particular crowds – whether they are arty, business, tech or media – where you can socialise with like-minded people, in gorgeous but casual environments and have great food and drink available all through the day and evening. Many of them offer accommodation, as well as bars, restaurants, meeting rooms and events. With work and leisure becoming ever-more inter-twined, we will see these clubs grow hugely, and they will evolve to suit the ever-changing needs of their clientele.

The standards offered in these clubs rival what you would expect in some of the best hotels and restaurants, but many of the new ones (catering to younger members) like to play down any sense of formality or to appear that they have tried too hard, even though every detail is meticulously planned to look that way. So, we provide them with everything from sensational cocktail glasses (there is a lot of drinking!) and either bold, or eclectically mixed tableware to suit casual bar snacks through to concept dining.

Similarly, the rise of the apart-hotels, especially in cities, where home and work space is going through a revolution, means that the furnishing of these apartment/working spaces needs to have luxurious touches for those that are used to having these amenities laid on in their offices as part of their perks.

We now provide ‘kits’ to accessorise the décor, including everything from plates, bowls, cutlery and glassware to designer fruit bowls – all co-ordinated with the apartment’s ‘mood’.

In these increasingly uncertain days, is it any wonder that we crave indulgence more than ever? It may seem wrong in the light of current events but the market is telling us that luxury is a much-needed distraction for many of us. History has shown how periods of incredible trauma have been balanced with a rise in demand for luxury and indulgence; and I, for one, will not refuse any offers right now – so go on, feel free to indulge me!

Trend spotlight

Demand for silver cutlery and accessories is rapidly increasing as hotels look to redefine luxury. “Silver on the table is emerging as a major trend,” Valda says, “along with crisp white plates with interesting textures; this is the very definition of indulgent luxury”.

Jacques Pergay

The market is telling us that luxury is a much-needed distraction for many of us

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