Hotelier India - February 2017

According to a HVS-FHRAI report, hotel revenue from the F&B segment rose to 42.6 % in 2014-15 from 36.6 percent in 2010-11 while average room revenue declined to 50.9 percent from 57.2 percent for the same period. Hoteliers are now paying closer attention to the F&B business, coming up with new ways to encourage customers to eat, drink, and make merry.

In this issue of Hotelier India, we ask leading chefs how they create unique culinary experiences for guests given the varied expectations that their clientele often have. We also get them to reveal culinary trends that will gain ground this year and how these can be leveraged to drive F&B revenue.

In the face of stiff competition from standalone restaurants, hoteliers have to come up with F&B concepts that are relevant and interesting for their target audience. They also have to think of inventive ways to encourage resident guests to dine at the property and attract local guests. David Mathews, general manager of Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai, shares some pointers on how hoteliers can do all this.

In Industry Debate, we talk to F&B heads to understand how they are creating a distinct identity for their dining outlets to increase footfall and out do standalone restaurants. They tell us how they rely on the right kitchen equipment for this, opting for products that are top of the line, easy to use and keep clean, and, to top it all, energy efficient. The reason? These products translate into huge cost savings–elements that we further explore in our Design column. We also explore how the right kitchen equipment and appropriate tableware is helping chefs to plate their food better as well as improve their efficiency.

The flavour of this month’s issue is definitely the F&B vertical. That said, we also interview two industry leaders–David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, and Anuraag Bhatnagar, multi-property VP-Luxury, India, Marriott International–who share plans for their respective brands.