The global pandemic has definitely taken its toll on hospitality and F&B in 2020. As the industry slowly starts recovering, anticipating the changes and catering to a new set of consumer behaviours and expectations will be a challenging task for any establishment. As the year comes to a close, we look ahead with trends in hotel restaurants trends in 2021 to adapt to a post-covid world.
Here are 6 hotel restaurant trends to anticipate in 2021:
1 - The contactless experience
Say goodbye to traditional room service and hello to the ‘new normal’ of ‘to-go’ packaged deliveries for guest rooms. We’ll see improvements and creative new ways for to-go packaging, presentation and branding. The use of QR codes have been widely accepted in 2020 and will continue to be an embraced customer expectation for 2021.
2 - Packaged liquor sales
Adding on a bottle of wine, a pack of beer or a cocktail kit with to-go orders is an easy revenue enhancer and hotels will continue to pursue this hotel restaurant trend in 2021.
3 - Creative spaces
Guests who are willing to dine-in will be wanting a comfortably laid-out space that allows them to socially distance from other guests. Anticipate hotel restaurants revamping their current spaces, utilizing both indoor and outdoor components and transforming perhaps an unused space, like a garden, into a creative new dining spot for guests.
4 - Staying local
With fewer dining options outside the hotel and customers not wanting to stray too far due to the pandemic, guests are expecting local features on menus like liquor from regional wineries and breweries, and locally sourced ingredients and specialities.
5 - A delivery a day…
The surge of delivery in 2020 will continue as a hotel restaurant trend in 2021. Hotels will be using their QR menus and apps to take advantage of this revenue source. Anticipate not only take-away menu options, but take-home cooking kits and packaged liquor to be featured on delivery.
6 - Not your average take-out menu
As people continue to dine more at home, take-out menus are continuing to evolve. Home meal kits and event kits like thanksgiving meal kits or christmas meal kits will become increasingly prevalent in 2021. Think: Meal kits like HelloFresh but instead they’re your favourite dishes at popular restaurants.
Although the future may not seem bright right at this moment, we’re keeping our hopes high for a positive 2021. With different parts of the industry re-opening at different times, each hotel will have their own approach to how they adapt to what the new year has in store for us.
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