Adding to what is already an incredibly competitive market, a multitude of new hotel brands enter the game each year. These include young, urban concepts like The Hoxton or Mama Shelter, emphasising contemporary style and community, in addition to new lifestyle-focused collections and sub-brands launched under the umbrella of major hotel groups like Hilton or Jumeirah.
As this puts pressure on hotel operators to deliver exemplary and highly personalised experiences that match the taste and mood of discerning travellers, we’re seeing independent restaurants within hotel venues stand out as a means (and necessity) to drive bookings, establish value and carve out share of voice in an industry that is becoming ever more reliant on F&B.
FROM IN-HOUSE DINING TO CHEF COLLABORATIONS
Nearly 70% of travellers consider the quality of food and beverage offerings when choosing a hotel today, according to a survey by Skift. This underscores the importance of F&B offerings as a major decision-making factor for travellers when booking holidays abroad or staycations.
Moving away from in-house F&B brands and concepts, many hotel operators have strategically partnered with third parties to bring more diverse and high-quality dining experiences into their ecosystems.
This might include the development of an entirely new hero concept to add value to a hotel’s existing portfolio of F&B outlets, or exciting collaborations with high-profile chefs.
Key examples of this include Kerzner’s recently launched food hub, The Link at One Za'abeel, Dubai. Bringing together several Michelin-starred chefs including Tetsuya Wakuda and Dabiz Muñoz, this unique adaptation of a food hall within the world’s largest cantilever building highlights the state of the industry today.
Other examples of notable examples include Sven Elverfields collaboration with The Ritz-Carlton Berlin to create Pots, Gordon Ramsey’s collaboration with The Savoy London on Kaspar, and Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens’ partnership with Tokyo EDITION Hotel on The Jade Room + Garden Terrace. The list goes on…
The takeaway is that by partnering with renowned chefs and making F&B a central part of their strategies, many hotel brands have been able to deliver exclusive dining experiences that give people a stronger reason to visit.
F&B SHAPES BRAND IDENTITY AND MARKET AWARENESS
F&B offerings are essential not only to a hotel's brand but also to its ability to drive engagement and intrigue through PR and marketing, both for pre-opening campaigns and seasonal activations.
According to TripAdvisor, 64% of travellers are influenced by food-related content when choosing a destination, and 43% have specifically chosen a destination to experience its food and drink.
Successful hotels often integrate multiple independent restaurants to create vibrant dining hubs that attract people and foster a social environment. By offering a variety of dining options in one place, properties can cater to different tastes and preferences, creating a space that guests and locals alike view as a dining destination.
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DEVELOPING WINNING F&B STRATEGIES FOR HOTEL HOTSPOTS
The shift to experiential dining destinations has led to significant evolution in how hotels approach their F&B offerings. Hotels must now offer dining options that deliver breadth and depth, catering to diverse customer tastes and the demand for experiences that are nothing less than exceptional.
As F&B master planners and an award-winning global hospitality advisory agency, we’ve worked on a wide range of projects for major international hotel brands over the years. And what stands out more than anything today is the significant overlap between the hospitality sector and the broader world of retail, dining, and entertainment.
Mirroring broader societal trends in urban development, diverse and high-quality F&B offerings have become a hallmark of thriving communities, both on a macro scale for entire cities and within more niche, exclusive demographics.
In our experience, F&B should be at the core of a hotel's guest strategy—not just offering convenience and accessibility, but driving the reputation of a property and shaping its identity among guests.
