HITEC News: dormakaba Launches RT Plus BLE-Enabled RFID Lock for Easy Magstripe Upgrades
dormakaba | June 17, 2019
New Hilton Washington DC National Mall Uses RFID Technology to Manage Entire Linen Inventory
InvoTech Systems | June 13, 2019
F&B/ FF&E
Understanding Modern Dietary Restrictions
Larry Mogelonsky | August 8, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Setting aside allergic considerations, the number and diversity of self-imposed dietary restrictions these days are enough to make any F&B director shake his or her head. I'm not opposed to any of these; rather, it is imperative that all hoteliers embrace these eating habit changes. There are vegetarians that don't consume any flesh, vegans who go a step further by not touching dairy or eggs, pescatarians who eat seafood but not any terrestrial animals, pollo-pescatarians for fish or chicken but never red meat, paleo dieters who abstain from grain and a host of religious regimen...
The Emotional Impact of Overpriced In-Room Bottled Water
Larry Mogelonsky | August 1, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I am constantly perplexed at the continued reluctance of hoteliers to recognize activities that truly are unbecoming unbearable for guests. In this case, I am referring to our proclivity towards affixing outrageous prices to such basic amenities as bottled water. In a recent stay at a well-known chain property, my first vision upon entering was a largish bottle of water with the outrageous price tag of $7 (plus tax, of course). Most travelers look at this and, subconsciously reflecting on this number, conclude the following: Why is this bottle $7 when I can buy it in the supermar...
Food for Thought: The Future of Revenue Management and Maybe Starbucks + More
Martin Soler | August 1, 2018
By Martin Soler It is always interesting to stop and look back at where the industry is going. We can imagine a future from our current stand point but as things happen that future is rarely what we imagined. And while it may have some parts of it, there are always twists and turns we didn't predict. Our industry has the advantage of being one of the few that can't entirely be replaced by tech or other solutions. As long as we live, we'll need a place to sleep, but that doesn't mean things wont change. Amazon's founder famously said they focused on what wont change and tried to build for that, the trick is pinpointin...
How Hotels Are Upping Their Game on Food and Drink
JLL Real Views | July 23, 2018
By Emily Perryman From partnering with world-renowned chefs to letting guests order room service via Amazon Alexa, hotels are increasingly offering innovative food and beverage (F&B) experiences. F&B is an important revenue generator for hotels, with overall consumer spending in the U.S. alone rising by 5.5 percent annually since 2011, according to Technomic. The biggest driver of F&B, however, is a desire among hotels to tap into today's experience-led economy. "Having a memorable experience is especially important among today's young people," says Alexis Marcoux-Varvatsoulis, Consultant – Hotels F&B Specialist at...
PolyU Study Finds Food Tells Stories on Social Media
July 19, 2018
Understanding what motivates travellers to share their food-related experiences through social media is important because that information influences others' behaviour and acts as a form of destination marketing, according to Dr Ksenia Kirillova of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and her co-researchers. Having conducted interviews with South Korean social media users, the researchers identified various patterns of food-sharing behaviour, revealing that the motives for sharing were related to both psychological and functional benefits, and to self-focused and altruistic benefits. ...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Credits to Cost of Sales in Food & Beverage
David Lund | July 16, 2018
By David Lund Giving the proper credits to your food and beverage operation is an important task. You want to ensure it is done consistently and fairly. This article examines all the usual credits, different types, the proper way to take them and why we need to take them. The first question to answer is why we need to credit the F&B operation for its goods used in other parts of our business. Someone once asked me why we don't credit maintenance for their costs when used in other departments. Or better still, why don't we credit rooms when staff members stay over because of bad weather or business volumes? Why is F&B so special?...
Enhancing Your Coffee Service With Ten Tips
Larry Mogelonsky | July 11, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) One of the most important elements of a modern hotel property is its coffee service, both within the guestroom and at any restaurant outlet. Given this beverage's significance in everyday life, it's a definite no-no for a hotel that cuts corners in its procurement and preparation of this brown elixir. Hardly a drug, though, coffee is not only big business but an aspect of our culture that continues to evolve. To witness this evolution, look no further than guests' expectations for a property's in-room coffee and tea service. Within the past decade, we've seen a migration from metal ...
Bartech Demonstrates Advances in Hotel Minibar Revenue-Enhancing Technology at HITEC 2018
Bartech | June 13, 2018
Hospitality's leader in minibar design to showcase C32, eTray and DD46 solutions, alongside company product line recognized for efficiency and style. Houston — June 13, 2018 — Bartech, a world leader in profit-generating automatic minibar solutions for the hospitality industry, is set to exhibit the latest developments in minibar technology and design at HITEC 2018, taking place June 18 - 21, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. Located at booth #1420, Bartech will demonstrate how solutions such as the C32, eTray and DD46 can simultaneously maximize in-room revenues by appealing to guest impulse buying...
HFTP Launches New F&B Bytes Site, an Addition to Its Online News Portfolio
HFTP | June 5, 2018
A daily, online news source for professionals working in the food and beverage industry Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) continues to build on its online news series with the addition of its F&B Bytes website. Powered by Hsyndicate, an electronic media-hub based in The Netherlands, F&B Bytes is an aggregated content destination where users will find the latest food and beverage news all in one place. Recognized as a global educator in the hospitality industry, HFTP now offers hospitality professionals online news resources specific to technology, clubs, finance, GDPR, F&B and its association at ...
Coffee Chat: Pure Salt & HEBS Digital
HEBS Digital | June 4, 2018
Our newest blog series, Coffee Chats, gives us the opportunity to sit down with our partners and other people in the travel industry to learn more about what they do and hear some tips for success. HEBS Digital's Executive Vice President Jason Price connected with Pure Salt's Director of Sales and Marketing Miguel Amengual Delgado to discuss his career, Pure Salt, and some of the ways in which the multi-property group is engaging with digital marketing and CRM. What do you do and what was the path that led you not only into the hospitality industry, but the career you have now? At the moment I lead a young and dynamic group of excellen...
Phoenix Hotel Gains Better Control Over Beer, Liquor and Wine Inventory Thanks to Clear Sky Software
Clear Sky Software | May 22, 2018
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – May 22, 2018 – Clear Sky Software, Inc. – Clear Sky Software, Inc.® announced today that The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel has implemented the company's beverage inventory control system to help manage and control all beverage products. The Renaissance Phoenix is taking advantage of the features of this industry-leading beverage inventory system. Called Clear Sky BEVERAGE, this is a comprehensive, perpetual inventory system that tracks and controls all beverage products. Functions include purchasing/ordering, receiving, electronic requisition, outlet transfers/issues/returns and phy...
Best Practices in Food & Beverage Have Meyer Jabara Hotels’ Seeing Green
Meyer Jabara Hotels | May 9, 2018
MJH's collaborative F&B IMPACT Committee and a strong purchasing partnership are driving revenues and contributing to the Company's strong F&B performance systemwide [Danbury, Conn., May 9, 2018] — Meyer Jabara Hotels (MJH) is on a mission. The hotel ownership and management company is implementing best practices for creating elevated and differentiated food-and-beverage experiences that generate higher average checks and boost guest satisfaction. To enable its associates to achieve and exceed these goals, MJH has established an F&B IMPACT Committee tasked with Initiating Major Progress Around Culinary Tactics. Compris...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Beverage Cost or Contribution Margin?
David Lund | May 7, 2018
By David Lund We all heard about it every month. The beverage cost! And it usually was not very pretty. Seemingly always too high, and it typically created lots of finger pointing and much pontificating. Beverage cost was always a slightly complex beast and often misunderstood. That was largely because this poor cousin to food cost was shrouded in a bit of mystery and mystique, like a secret lost cocktail recipe. Let's have a closer look at the black sheep of the family. Many people are simply confused by beverage cost and, while it is an important standard to maintain, the real game to understand is contribution margin. What makes the ...
Special Job Titles Deserve Special Prices
Larry Mogelonsky | May 2, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) A fun solution to help drive more restaurant profitability may be in further specializing your F&B team then giving these dedicated experts uniquely alluring names. The inspiration that sparked this concept came about tangentially when discussing a somewhat recent initiative at select Ritz-Carlton alpine resorts where they have introduced a 'smoreologist' which is, in essence, a fancy name for a pastry chef who spends a bit more of his or her experimenting with fancy graham crackers and marshmallows. Still, though, the name resonates, helps create some excitement amongst the fam...
The National Conference Center Celebrates Earth Day
The Black Olive atThe National Conference Center | April 17, 2018
Announces Partnership with Four Local Farms Leesburg, Virginia, April 2018 … For the past 20 years, The National Conference Center has been fully committed to creating and implementing policies that minimize its impact on the environment. New this year and in time to celebrate Earth Day, April 22, The National is proud to enhance its food and beverage program by partnering with four local Virginia farms. "There continues to be a demand for farm-to-table cuisine, but The National is taking things one step further and going 'hyperlocal' working with as many local farmers as possible to source the food,' says Executive Chef Todd Gol...
F&B: Which Is More Profitable – Outsourcing or In-House?
Court Williams | April 10, 2018
By Court Williams Hotel Food and Beverage (F&B) operations increased in revenue value by 4.9% during 2017, according to a report from STR. This is clear evidence that F&B is still an important revenue stream, second to accommodation income, but it is profitable only if companies optimize the way they operate the division. Outsourcing is a popular way to take the problem off a company's plate, but is it necessarily the best option for their hotel and bottom line? At HVS, we believe that profit should not be the primary motive and that the main reason for having food and beverage facilities in a hotel is to enhance the Rooms Divis...
New Research Finds Hotels Saved $7 for Every $1 Invested in Reducing Food Waste
Champions 12.3 | April 5, 2018
WASHINGTON (April 5, 2018)– New research on behalf of Champions 12.3 finds there is a compelling business case for hotels to reduce the amount of food they throw away. For every $1 hotels invested in programs to reduce kitchen food waste, on average they saved $7 in operating costs. In a first-of-its kind analysis for the industry, The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Hotels evaluated financial cost and benefit data for 42 sites – including Sofitel, MGM and more – across 15 countries, finding that nearly every site realized a positive return on its investment to reduce food waste. Within just one year, t...
The Growing Use of Technology and Robotics in Food Service
Court Williams | April 5, 2018
By Court Williams Opponents of artificial intelligence (AI) have long predicted the time will come when robots take over the jobs of human employees. That day has arrived, with a number of food service companies using technology in previously human-filled roles. Reasoning Behind the Shift Ever since vending machines started to dispense food in 1897, food service automation has gained ground, moving towards self-service and eventually machine services. There are multiple reasons why food service companies are looking for alternatives to the traditional ways of producing and serving food, including: The shortage of kitchen workers, whic...
Avendra Releases Findings from Lodging Industry F&B Study
Avendra | April 4, 2018
Research provides food-and-beverage demand outlook through 2020, and reveals performance and occupancy trends, investment plans and new food formats ROCKVILLE, MD, April 4, 2018 – Avendra today releases findings from a new F&B trends report titled "Lodging Food & Beverage Outlook" that gauges demand for hotel F&B over the next two to three years. The findings reveal current F&B and occupancy performance, identify hoteliers' investment plans, and detail new food formats for the future. "Today's restaurants face multiple pressures based on shifting consumer behaviors," said Chip McIntyre, senior vice president of str...
Building Your F&B Reputation Through Events
Larry Mogelonsky | March 28, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Good food can help put heads in beds, but few hoteliers fully grasp how this symbiotic relationship works. For today's case, events that showcase on-property chefs are not on every manager's calendar, most likely because they typically deliver an expense line well above operating revenues. However, they provide significant value in several indirect ways. First, events like this allow a hotel to demonstrate unbridled culinary excellence. Next, they allow your chefs to demonstrate creativity. Thirdly, they afford your public relations team with great fodder for continued media interes...
Ten Steps to Revitalizing Your Coffee Experience
Larry Mogelonsky | March 21, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) We all love caffeine and coffee happens to be among the most components in your F&B arsenal. Let's start by recapping what should you already know or have gone through with your team prior to starting to think about this ten-step process. Firstly, you've reviewed your brew and you're convinced it is a contender to of note to guests as well as locals. Next, you've done your best to include a great decaf companion. And lastly, you're offering, at a minimum, espresso, cappuccino and lattes to flesh out your menu beyond mere percolated beans. Now, how do you lever this into creating...
The Importance of Bottle Design in Selling Wine
Larry Mogelonsky | February 28, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) A riff on the classical adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover," let's first examine this more common expression a bit closer to see how it applies to wine, spirits and the pursuit of restaurant profits. We are told not to base our opinions or conclusions about objects and individuals solely on their outward appearance because there is often far more happening beneath the surface worthy of our consideration, if you were only to give said object or person a chance. It's a valuable piece of advice, hence why it sticks. But its popularity, aside from its terse and catchy qualities, ca...
Hospitality Financial Leadership – Is Your Hotel Culture Blame or Appreciation?
David Lund | February 19, 2018
By David Lund In my career, I have seen both. Lots of appreciation for hard work and a challenging workplace. On the flip side a horror story of the blame for "mistakes" and lack of preparedness. Blame is the easy one to master. Management by embarrassment as I like to refer to it. One of my past hotels was a classic blame game hotel. After a much-publicized error or screw up or service interruption the GM would warmly ask, "Where is my victim?" or state, "Bring me the victim." What usually followed was paramount to a public flogging. Everyone got their turn and the others would just watch in stunned disbelief only being thankful that i...
What Winesday Teaches Us About Restaurant Marketing
Larry Mogelonsky | February 14, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) One clever practice used in restaurants to drum up sales during the midweek druthers is to devote a given day of the week or period of each day (otherwise known as 'happy hour') to a special promotion, either in the form of unique offerings or unbeatable deals. While this a good start for boosting those slow midweek cycles, numerous other eateries already have these types of programs fully set up with established marketing engines. And when everyone else is running something like this, how will you stand out by directly imitating your competitors? You can't, not unless you change th...
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