The UAE has 26,989 hotel rooms under construction, according to recent figures from STR. This undoubtedly presents a challenge for hotel F&B, but I’m all for identifying problems and creating opportunities.
Let’s be frank; 26,989 rooms in 93 hotels, built to accommodate the several million visitors predicted to visit by 2020, is a tall order. In a market that is already saturated with dining options, how do you offer customers something new, interesting and exciting?
Want to eat at a restaurant with a Michelin star winner at the helm? No problem. Want to dine somewhere run by a celebrity chef? Can do. How about gluten-free, farm-to-table, traceable cafés? We’ve got those covered too.
So, for these 93 hotels springing up across the UAE, what’s the secret to creating restaurants and cafes that are here to stay?
I like to think the secret to success lies in the customer experience. Traditionally, hotel food offerings consist of an all-day dining outlet, a signature restaurant, a lobby lounge and a pool bar. I’m generalising, but often these are uninspiring.
Guests visit all-day dining for breakfast (as it’s included in the package), grab something at the pool bar for lunch and eat out in the city for dinner.Where’s the memorable experience? How can we make this better or, to put it another way, what’s the evolution of hotel F&B?
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The ideal is to drive visits from guests and residents alike. Recently we’ve noticed hotels partnering with restaurateurs in a bid to develop spaces worth talking about, which I think is a great approach. Restaurateurs know their business, understand customer preferences and can see market gaps. Their entire focus is to drive footfall to their outlets, and hotels can only benefit from this passion and enthusiasm.
Additionally, today’s restaurateurs are tech savvy and speak to customers at their level. They are often the ones driving new trends. In this column, I have previously talked about how technology continues to play a major role in the development of F&B outlets.
For example, AR games — the latest being Pokémon Go — are the future and US outlets are already reporting profits by getting involved, connecting instantly with their target audience. In Pokémon Go, restaurants or cafés can use ‘lures’ (in-game pins that show your location as somewhere they need to visit), thus driving footfall.
But I’m getting side-tracked. As I said, I like to look for opportunities everywhere and I don’t think the only option is to outsource. For those hotels wanting to operate F&B in-house, I hope we will see greater emphasis on finding the right staff. While F&B directors make great managers and have a wealth of experience, appointing one person to oversee the F&B development of 40+ hotels doesn’t allow room for change within the industry.
Staying ahead of trends, global best practices, customer behaviour patterns and competitor offerings requires a team of specialists. So, as the UAE F&B market continues maturing, it is possible to outsource this job to an agency, just as you would the PR or advertising needs. As for the risks, if a hotel chooses to operate F&B internally it needs to loosen the strings becaause an outlet and its staff must have personality. The hotel is one entity and the outlet another.
In summary, capability and creativity abound, plus tech assistance, so hotels have an abundance of options readily available. I think we are all in agreement that today’s consumer expects more therefore we all need to work hard to meet demands — predictability will not cut it.
Sanjay Murthy is the MD of Figjam, the Dubai-based food & beverage agency. For more information, visit www.figjamco.com.
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