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The energy was palpable in San Antonio last week as a lot of brilliant and curious minds across the hospitality industry gathered for The Hospitality Show. Below are our top takeaways from the various sessions, interactions, and general observations: 1. Human-to-human interaction is central to hospitality. While technology is the necessary great enabler, it cannot (nor should it) completely replace the human experience. 2. Food and beverage (F&B) remains a cornerstone of hospitality. There is continued interest in improving guest experience through food and leveraging F&B offerings as a core market differentiator, especially for independent and boutique / lifestyle hotels. 3. The hospitality industry remains resilient! Hoteliers and vendor partners are partnering closely to better navigate the many headwinds facing the industry over the past few years, including labor shortage, staff retention challenges, rising fixed costs, and guest experience gaps. 4. There is a clear place for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in hospitality, such as helping with repetitive and mundane tasks that negatively impact staff experience. However, use of AI for guest-facing solutions may need to undergo a different set of careful considerations. 5. Of the many changes the industry will undergo over the next few years, perhaps the single most significant is the fundamental shift in the typical traveler/guest. With shifting demographics come different values, priorities, and buying processes. #thehospitalityshow #hospitalityindustry #foodandbeverage #guestexperience #hotelmanagement #hoteltech #artificialintelligence

The needs and preferences of the modern traveler, hotel guest, and event buyer are going through an evolution. Hospitality establishments that best meet their customers where they are will emerge as the winners of tomorrow. To take a step closer to fully embracing personalization, hotel and catering business leaders should begin by asking two key questions within their organizations: 1. Is there a mismatch between how we sell and how our customers prefer to purchase? 2. Are we still communicating to customers through channels that are efficient for us but not convenient for our customers? Thank you Heidi Gempel for this thought-provoking and inspiring write-up! #HospitalityIndustry #PersonalizedExperience #Catering #HotelManagement #HotelLeadership #HotelOperations #HotelOperators #HospitalityTech #GuestExperience

"Adopting a green mindset in catering is not just a trend; it’s a tasty revolution", aptly stated by Alyson Zildjian in a recent Catersource article. Sustainability is an emerging key focus area for foodservice hospitality establishments. In an industry where guest experience and operational efficiency are the core mandates, sustainability may soon become the necessary third leg of the proverbial hospitality three-legged stool. As pointed out in the article, catering business leaders will be immensely influential in driving adoption of the "green mindset" throughout their organizations. In addition to that, here are four business areas to audit and potentially achieve sustainability gains: ☑ Local food sourcing practices. ☑ Catering portion management. ☑ Excess food management practices. ☑ Supplies and equipment sourcing. Read the full article here. https://lnkd.in/gBkZhiet #sustainability #foodsustainability #catering #cateringsales #greencatering #cateringevents #hospitalityindustry

We couldn't help but share this unique show of hospitality and inclusivity in healthcare catering! The Yorkshire Clinic catering team recently engaged patients in menu tastings as a way to include them in the seasonal menu development process. Way to give patients a voice while putting their wellness and nutrition first! ✅ #hospitality #catering #healthcarecatering #menutasting

This Skift article on importance of professional event catering places guest experience at the top, and for good reason. Event catering done right is more than just about good food, although that is the heart of it. Catering is all about hospitality and hospitality is all about ensuring positive experiences for clients and guests at every touchpoint, before, during, and even after the event is done. As core demographics change for certain types of events such as weddings and even corporate events, catering teams should continue to assess their clients' end-to-end journey throughout the event planning and execution process for ways to deliver optimal experience. #catering #cateringsales #weddingcaterers #hospitalityindustry #skift

Happy Labor Day to all catering, event planning, and foodservice workers who give so much to bring true hospitality to clients, guests, and events! Whether you provide front-of-house or back-of-house support, your work matters! Today is a good time to reflect on your contributions and give yourself permission to relax and reset. #laborday #laborday2024 #catering #caterer #eventcatering #fullservicecatering #weddingcatering #weddingplanner #foodservice #foodandbeverage

Earlier this week, we attended the 2024 California Restaurant Show, formerly known as the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, as a way to stay close to trends in the foodservice and broader hospitality industry. Below are our unique insights and takeaways from the show. 1. Technology vendors are stepping up with solutions with highly specific use cases and value proposition, necessitated by the various nuanced challenges that foodservice industry operators continue to tackle across operational efficiency, staff engagement & retention, payments, customer engagement, sourcing, and revenue retention. 2. Untapped opportunties still exist for restaurant operators to marry their in-house culinary expertise with the latest food trends to deliver unique and differentiated F&B experiences for guests, such as chef's table dinners or limited edition tasting menus. Properly executing this can lead to a simple flywheel, where the buzz generated around the restaurant brand by virtue of these unique experiences can drive sales, which brings in more customers that create more buzz. 3. Off-premise catering remains an under-explored yet promising line of business for many restaurants. Relying on simple online catering orders may be convenient but lacks the human touch and interaction that independent caterers bring to the table while planning more elaborate events with wedding, social, or corporate clients. By offering services like tastings and elaborate menu customizations, restaurants can take steps towards fully embracing full service event catering, which helps them expand their sources of business beyond dining and online orders. #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitytechnology #industrytrends #foodservice #foodandbeverage #catering #restaurants #menutasting #californiarestaurantshow

Loyalty programs are going through a transformation as consumer demographics and preferences shift towards an "experience over things" mindset in the hospitality space. Business leaders should continue to audit their various lines of business, such as F&B and Events, to see where there might be opportunities to drive business and brand growth with entirely new or revamped loyalty programs. #GuestExperience #Hospitality #HospitalityTech #LoyaltyPrograms #CustomerLoyalty #FoodandBeverage #MeetingsandEvents

Current data continues to support that consumer interest in sustainable catering remains strong. Catering establishments with already robust food sustainability practices should continue to explore ways to elevate awareness of their ongoing sustainability commitment amongst prospective and current clients. #catering #cateringsales #sustainablecatering #foodsustainability #catersource

As the broader hospitality industry continues to evolve, catering sales leaders should adopt accordingly. Below are three consumer trends that are likely here to stay. #catering #hospitality #cateringsales #menutasting