There are exciting opportunities to grow revenue with hotel F&B. For properties that manage operations in-house, food & beverage represents about 25% of total revenue — a number that’s rising every year. Today we detail some ideas to help build reliable F&B programs that influence hotel revenue.
Dietary Accommodations
No guest wants to forgo a meal because of food sensitivity or an allergy, and rarely do they want to make a fuss about their dietary restrictions. As more guests are requesting accommodations for specific nutritional needs, hotels should offer foods that cater to everyone. Make vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, dairy-free, and other options easily identifiable and separated from other foods. Venues that accommodate dietary requirements are more attractive to guests, even if they cost a little more.
Unique Spaces
Consider the intended audience and the ambiance of a venue when planning F&B. Try to create less traditional spaces or ones that focus on community interaction, which takes advantage of the guest’s desire to be social. Other favorite ideas like rooftop lounges provide an attractive vibe that might call for serving exclusive cocktails and menu offerings that can’t be found elsewhere on the property. The more unique the space, the easier it is to be creative with select F&B items that warrant higher prices.
Current Tech
The right food & beverage technologies not only make service much more efficient, but they help manage dietary needs and venue-specific ordering. The efficiency of guest-facing, mobile orders is the latest innovation that visually communicates and upsells items to guests. Hotel food & beverage is no longer just an add-on amenity. Because of exciting new technologies, hotels have the tools to boost margins.