Sonesta offers casual dining with a sense of place throughout its US hotels, embracing local inspiration shared through our menus. In this article, the culinary teams share the results of their efforts to bring local flavor and authentic cuisine to our guests. Sonesta takes its menu inspiration from the destination - sourcing locally whenever possible and sharing the passion of the members of its culinary team. Our casual dining restaurants and outlets provide an experience of the locale through choices of regional items to be highlighted and the indigenous produce and seasonings used to deliver a plate to remember. READ MORE

Luxury travel was once associated with formality, but in today's modern world that notion is changing. More and more, high-end travelers are placing value on comfort, quality time, personalized service and unexpected experiences. These expectations apply to every aspect of the hotel-guest experience, particularly when it comes to dining.To stay au courant, five-star resorts must challenge their perceptions of luxury food and wine by constantly developing new concepts that delight and surprise guests. Hotels can continuously surpass their guests' expectations by redefining industry standards. Gone are the days of stuffy dinner jackets and full course meals in formal dining rooms. READ MORE

Formal dining rooms conjure up an image of great state and formal occasions when glamour, over-pricing and the prestigious and almost elitist individuals would gather, dine and converse on a level that most of us common diners would feel out of place and somewhat alienated. The menu itself would be as grand, food spelt with French words and phrases muttered in strange accents that would help us to understand that as it was expensive, and it must be good. To the 'grand restauranteur' all of this meant that the diner could not see behind the curtain to the secrets of our industry and that the guests must be at all costs separated from mechanics of the menu. READ MORE

With the current, customer-driven focus on a more "fast casual cuisine", including those of varied and authentic ethnic origins, the direction of today's mainstream cuisine is one which tends to veer far from the classic protein/starch/vegetable triad located at "10, 2 and 6 o'clock" on the well-worn plates of many full-service or casual dining restaurants. This lasting trend of fast casual is more towards a cuisine which stays true to the items' origins by sourcing authentic and better ingredients for their distinct flavors, resulting in an overall higher quality of food, served more quickly than any tablecloth-clad establishment can match. READ MORE

A super platinum-everything status guest with a certain brand hotel chain walked into one of his favorite properties after this brand recently merged with another chain, looked around and said, “It just isn't the same. I don't even recognize them anymore.” He then walked out of the door determined to find a new favorite property he could count on. Does this sound far-fetched to you? It shouldn't; it happens all too often, and it should send chills down every leader's spine. While this anecdote focuses on the guest, you can imagine the impact this would also have on the employees. READ MORE