Hotel guests are increasingly seeking flexibility in their hotel dining options, and since food and beverage sales are the second largest item on hotels’ income statements, hotel organizations are beginning to take notice of this trend. According to Marriott International corporate chef Brad Nelson, “People don’t want to ask to be seated and be given menus…they want flexibility”. Since upscale and casual dining restaurants have been a hotel staple for decades, altering this traditional format will carry uncertainty and risk. For some hotels that consider their food service to be a cost of doing business, offering new options provides a potential opportunity to minimize losses. Executives can test innovative restaurant programs to learn how they can profitably adjust to traveler dining trends, including introducing “fast casual” restaurants and other non-traditional formats in place of sit-down restaurants, and extending hours to capitalize on late night sales. (more…)