General managers are prioritising F&B operations ahead of Ramadan, which for some — from Saudi Arabia to UAE — represents the peak period for F&B business.
In Saudi Arabia, AKMC Al Shohada Hotel in Makkah generates more business for the food and beverage division during Ramadan than any other month of the year.
“Ramadan is the best month as it represents approximately 24% of the total budget of food and beverage. The average spend increases by 35% and the number of covers increase by nearly 200% when comparing iftar to dinner normally,” said general manager Sameh Elnashar, who also reported a 70% increase in his room service business.
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He continued: “We usually open one restaurant and two banqueting halls for iftar which accommodate up to 1500 people and one restaurant for suhour for 600 people as well as a full lobby for Ramadan special dishes and drinks. AKMC Al Shohada Hotel also experiences high demand for outside catering for both iftar and suhour for many corporate clients”.
Capitalising on every opportunity during the evening affair is where most hotels succeed in achieving their targets for the month.
The team at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa drives business using every facet of its food and beverage division, said director of food & beverage Ralph J. Hayes.
“Compared to the previous month, we see an increase of about 10% to 15% in covers if we combine restaurants and the outside catering events we do during the holy month of Ramadan,” explained Hayes.
Similarly, Andreas Mueller, general manager of Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai, reported a positive impact year on year for iftar with covers and revenue doubling from 2009 to 2010.
Thierry Perrot, general manager of InterContinental Cairo Citystars also reported an increase stating: “Revenue increased on average by around 12% in 2010 as well as the number of covers increasing [in 2010 vs 2009] by around 17% for both food and beverage and banqueting.”
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