We, as Chefs, respectfully kick around the terms Hybrid, Old-World, and Artisanal often enough. Chefs know that hybrid, old-world, artisanal, or obscure ingredient usage in dishes bring a particular wow-factor to the plate. Sourcing and utilizing artisanal grains, starches, legumes or vegetables which are under-appreciated and under-utilized, or quite possibly forgotten about over time, is a highlight feature of today's creative chefs, many of whom will grow the ingredients themselves and feature on special menus, unlike any other. READ MORE

When I travel for business, I often return to the same city frequently - and when I do, I usually check into my favorite hotel. No matter how many times I return to that hotel, however, the front desk agents always treat me as if it's my first stay. They acknowledge my platinum status, certainly, and welcome me by name. After that, however, the desk agent will ask for my photo ID and credit card - just as they did the last ten times I checked into the same hotel. READ MORE

Though Argentina has always sparked interest from investors around the world, some of the economic measures and political scandals related to the party that held the power for a decade (until December 2015) did not represent the best scenario for international investment. The more recent election of President Mauricio Macri, undoubtedly represents an important task of rebuilding the Argentinian economy and restoring its international credibility. Macri, already in his short stint thus far as president, has partially succeed with inroads here, and as such has been given the honor to host the World Trade Organization meeting in December 2017 along with the G20 Summit in 2018. READ MORE

The hospitality industry is abundant with more than 270 hotel brands globally. Nevertheless, this whopping number is not stopping Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, and Hilton from expanding their portfolios with even more new brands. Theoretically, broadening the supply of brands is favorable for generating revenues from various distribution networks, loyalty programs and supply channels. But just how useful, helpful or even good is all this for the customer? Has the hotel industry gone mad by over-saturating the market with brands that are not all that different from each other? READ MORE

This article focuses on evaluating external service providers for optimizing Food and Beverage (F&B) Department profitability, and is the second in a series on outsourcing services at hotels. As my colleague, Michael Doyle, asked in the first article in this series: “Why should hotels outsource, or challenge a traditional operations model?” The most common answer is to maximize profitability. Industry-wide, F&B revenue represents over 25% of total hotel revenue, yet generating a meaningful profit margin in F&B (which is difficult to measure with accuracy) can be challenging. In many hotels F&B can be an integral part of the guest experience, and a large source of revenue for the hotel. READ MORE