The ‘Secret Sauce’ for Hotel Food and Beverage
Tips for Hiring, Training and Serving Up Memorable Experiences
By Robert Rauch
See original article posted on CoStar HERE
The hospitality industry runs on creating memorable guest experiences.
If not, it becomes a business with no differentiation, merely selling commodities. It is paramount that hoteliers go above and beyond for our guests, and the best way to do it is to truly differentiate from our competitive set by doing something bespoke.
Food and beverage scare most hoteliers in the focused-service sector, so go for it! Exceed guest expectations with a combination of creativity with food and beverage and smart hiring. The creative food and beverage might include education, wellness, nutrition or just plain cool drinks and good food. Smart hiring makes all the difference!
Hiring Based on Attitude
Skills are not that important. Rather, a positive attitude, a sales mindset, tech-savviness and financial accountability often outweigh specific skill sets. Ultimately, it is the “attitude” that makes all the difference.
We recognize the value of team members who are passionate about delivering exceptional service. In addition, we want these team members to align with our organizational culture and values. By prioritizing attitude in our hiring process, we can cultivate a motivated and engaged team that consistently delivers for our guests.
Today, it is much more difficult to find the right person. We have found that we were perhaps too focused on experience and not focused enough on the person.
Valuing Guest Reviews
As an owner, I personally read every review of our hotels and particularly the reviews of our restaurants. Reviews provide valuable insights into guest perspectives, highlighting areas for improvement. These reviews are an essential source of feedback that we must not overlook.
By actively listening to our guests and taking their feedback to heart, we can continuously refine our offerings and enhance the guest experience. Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, demonstrates our commitment to guest satisfaction and encourages open communication.
Learning Through Training
By investing in employee training, we ensure that they appreciate the importance of delivering excellent service. Continuous skill and knowledge development empower our team to provide exceptional guest experiences. Focusing on key areas and excelling in them can have a significant impact on our guests.
Treating every individual as a VIP is a winning strategy as it fosters a great service culture and assists in our employees’ growth. We equip them with the tools and knowledge to create memorable moments for our guests and fully support them.
Food and Beverage
The “typical hotel restaurant” is more in line with today’s guest expectations. However, some hotels offer unique and much more enticing food and beverage experiences.
What are guests looking for? Well, health may not be the first thing on their minds, but when every choice is grease-laden, fat-laden and unhealthy, it is not acceptable to many guests. Some guests have high cholesterol and really do watch what they eat. Others are just plain health-conscious and want healthy meal options in conjunction with those healthy lifestyles.
Hotels that recognize a paradigm shift in customer preferences will outperform those that do not. Plant-based and vegan options have gained popularity over the past few years. Further, a sustainable environment and locally sourced ingredients continue to be a priority for some travelers.
Others have embraced mocktails as they either do not drink alcohol or have opted for a period of abstaining. Craft beverages are trending in the hospitality industry — from specialty cocktails to local beers and wines, our hotels are now adding education to the lineup. As an example, we recently hosted both a beer tasting and a wine tasting. The beer was from a local brewery and featured ales, lagers, stouts and more. The wine tasting was hosted by yours truly, fresh out of sommelier training. It was a blast and the guests loved learning about multiple varietals and drinking really good wine — no charge for loyalty members was really popular. The cost was my time as the wines were gifted by our suppliers.
Cheers to a great fourth quarter with no recession, no major tragedies, and lots of happy employees and guests!
Robert A. Rauch is founder of R.A. Rauch & Associates, a hospitality management and consulting firm based in San Diego.
