Sticking to Basics and Developing New Tastes

THE SECOND BW Hotelier F&B Conclave and Expo, 2016 held at the Grand New Delhi on July 27, began on an interesting with a panel discussion which was moderated by BW HOtelier Consulting Editor, Sourish Bhattacharyya.

Paneist Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Executive director, HRH Hotels said that people coming to a particular region wants to taste the authentic food of the region. "In the end people want simple food and the part where we operate is known for dishes like Lalmass and Dal Bhaati. Demand for authentic food is on the Rise," said Mewar. He was discussing 'How Five-Star Hotels Have Regained F&B Leadership' in a panel discussion during the BW Hotelier F&B Conclave and Expo 2016.

Tristan Beau de Lomenie, General Manager, Pullman New Delhi Aerocity said, "We operate in India so its obvious our customers will look for Indian food." He said that giving a new flavour to the traditional dishes has worked for them. 

"Sticking to basics and developing new tastes has earned us good response," said Prashant Gaurav Gupta, Hotel Manager, ITC Maurya. In the past decade, there has been a boom of new restaurants in the metros. So, in order to offer better value to customers, hotels have started reinventing their F&B section.

Over the past few years, revenues from food and beverage in hotels has bounced back and some hotels are reporting nearly half of the entire revenue from this segment alone. Dinesh Verma, Director, F&B, The Leela Ambience Gurgaon said that with clubbing various activities of our services with foods we are able generate more footfalls.

We witnessed double digit growth last year," said Verma. Parmeet Nayar, General manager, Shangri-la's Eros Hotel said that adding freshness in their offerings has helped them to become a major player in the segment. " To bring true authenticity in our menu, we have hired chefs from different corners of the world," said Nayar.