The Food People - Menu Watching Hotels 2023

 Our latest menuwatching report - those that collate the latest trends on what's happening across food and beverage menus in various sectors, takes a deep dive into hotels.

There are lots of exciting things happening in the world of hotels across food, drink, sustainability, experiences and more. One exciting development is we've seen hotels turning to AI and technology to improve efficiency and to replace hard to come by staff. The industry is expected to show annual growth of 1.59%, with projected market volume of $22b by 2027 (Statistica) and thankfully visitor numbers are on the up in the UK from post-COVID levels.

We deep dive into all the trends in our Hotels 2023 report, and our three key takeouts are below:

1. Stay Green. Continuing from last year, even more consumers are looking for more environmentally friendly holidays, and hotels are responding favourably. New build hotels are built in sustainable ways, using recycled and reclaimed materials, and creating green spaces around the hotel. Established hotels are also doing their 'bit' too by reusing, mending, and repurposing products, like linen being remade into cleaning clothes or tea towels for use around the hotel.

2. House Made Signatures. Bars and kitchens are using every bit of every ingredient, even trimmings from fruit, vegetables and herbs are turned into new ingredients – think candied fruit peels, or carrot top martinis. And herb stalks can be used to flavour alcohol or syrups, or used in flavourful stock pots. As well as having eco credentials, this approach creates one-of-a-kind, unique products – and perhaps even that all important signature drink or dish.

3. Business, Leisure & Bleisure. Hotels are creating experiences for their guests, helping to make memories for the future. Using local produce for food and drinks, these experiences can be secret places to dine created around the hotel, for example, brunch in a private pool, or a romantic beach picnic with a hamper full of local goodies. 'Bleisure' is tipped to be the next 'big thing' for hotels, where business guests can tag a personal holiday onto their business trip – cutting back on flights and travel, and allowing more time with family and friends.