Hotel restaurants are finally becoming significant players in the incredibly competitive restaurant market by “standing” alone. Boutique hoteliers and even larger brands have begun to embrace the idea that the traditional three-meal-a-day “restaurant for everyone” is no longer a requirement and that more creative offerings can lead to guests to staying on property and spending money in their restaurants and bars. These stand-alone hotel restaurants, bars and lounges have become compelling draws for locals and guests and important sources of revenue. READ MORE

Just as they do in their everyday lives, when hotel guests desire a quick meal or snack, they appreciate a convenient limited-service restaurant. Technomic has studied hotel customers' dining preferences and behaviors and found that more than one third of them visit onsite limited-service options—from coffeehouses to outlets of national restaurant chains—at least once during their stay. This article by hospitality industry veteran and Technomic Business Development Manager Jodie Tristano points to the trends that are driving the growth of limited-service options in hotels, including partnering with chains and offering grab-and-go options from existing foodservice operations. READ MORE

Aleenta Resorts pioneered high end boutique resort experiences in Southeast Asia and now they are again boldly going first towards a new approach to food and beverage. Founder Anchalika Kijkanakorn is a strong believer in providing healthy and upscale lifestyle experiences to her guests - a belief that led her to develop her own organic farm so enable her to supply her own resorts with the freshest fruits, herbs and vegetables available. More than that, it was another way to involve and support the local community, and in doing so set in progress a long term and sustainable plan that would be of benefit to locals and guests alike. READ MORE

In the old days yield management systems worked best when paired with complex and arcane pricing structures such as the ones that were used at airlines and hotels. For other industries, though, the complex techniques and price structures from airlines and hotels weren't really applicable. Fast forward to 2011. The emergence of state of the art pricing and revenue management systems has introduced a shift from a "yield" approach to "pricing" approach. Whereas "inventory classes" and "yield management" was something that a few industries like airlines and hotels cared about, "pricing" is something that impacts every industry. READ MORE

At the 2009 American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), the overriding sentiment seemed to be relief, relief that we had survived the devastating downturn that hit in September 2008. Never before had we clung so tightly to the numbers to understand our fate - the depth of the downturn, the damage to demand, incredibly shrinking rates. Six months later, we began tracking data from billions of monthly hotel shopping transactions to track industry performance, and ultimately, help the “survivors” understand the road to recovery. Like the major lesson in rate-cutting we all learned post-September 11, 2001, the last three years have taught us some incredibly valuable lessons. READ MORE