When looking at Mega Trends that are affecting the hotel industry, attention is drawn to food and beverage offerings as well as what guests expect from a hotel regarding these departments.
The 80s and 90s saw hotels outsourcing their food and beverages to major restaurant operators and franchises, but today more hotels are taking back ownership and management of their restaurant offerings.
According to Guy Stehlik, CEO of BON Hotels, who own, operate and manage hotels throughout Africa, most hoteliers outsourced their restaurant service because they didn’t have the food and beverage skills and it seemed a lot easier to sit back and collect the rent every month from a restaurant operator. The problem with this, however, is that you have little or no control over the service levels and standards; essentially you have abdicated all services and responsibilities to a third party.
Guy Stehlik
Debunking hotel catering myths
Stehlik added that hotel owners, managers and operators have realised the current need to be differentiated and recognised that hotel catering has historically been a poorly managed afterthought, mostly due to inherent myths that:
a) “There’s no money in hotel food and beverage (except breakfast)”
b) “Hoteliers should focus on selling rooms”
c) “Hotel guests don’t eat in hotels”
Although there is an element of truth in the above, Stehlik prefers to debunk these myths, adding that hotels have the ability to create very exciting options for hotel guests, while creating a profit centre within their hotel. “There is truly a major opportunity in hotel food and beverage. Hoteliers should not give away these outstanding gateways so that they can focus on rooms – it is very possible to do both and do them well.
Room service and the modern guest
This brings us to room service – this seems to be an endless challenge for hotel operators and one that is going to need particular attention as the trend for eating in-room grows. Guests are even wanting to SMS or digitally send an order through. With modern travellers’ tight schedules, many people are working and eating at the same time. Single travellers are looking for inventive, healthy options as well as the classic old favourites.
Creating a restaurant brand
Another trend that has lost favour within the four- and five-star bracket is the outsourcing of the restaurant offering to high-profile chefs and restaurateurs. A great idea, but often doomed to failure in a five-star environment where guests have extremely high expectations and are waiting for Gordon Ramsay himself to pop out from the kitchen. Stehlik believes that in line with global trends there is an excellent opportunity for local operators to create their own restaurant brand.
