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Over the last few years, there have been a number of brands from the USA which have made headway on the UK hospitality scene. From long established brands such as Hilton and Best Western, to newer faces including NoMad Hotels.
We recently visited Dallas, Texas, where our USA office is based, and undertook a study tour, diving deep into what American hospitality businesses are doing in order to make waves, stand out from the crowd, and keep customers coming back. Here are the top three trends we found and expect to head across the pond this year:
Experiment to find what fits
In the land of big dreams comes big spending power. When money is no object, we saw that the larger hospitality brands and groups are spending big bucks in order to put experimental concepts into the marketplace. This could be as impactful as launching six to eight brands in one big hit, running them for a trial period, and only taking the most successful one (or ones) forward.
We know it’s not possible for every – or many – businesses this side of the pond to experiment on such a large scale. For hotels specifically, which might only have one restaurant space, a different approach may need to be taken. However, the theme of experimenting should still be explored whether that is starting from scratch or revamping an existing concept; there is always room for a little experimenting in hotels.
One particularly exciting avenue, especially as hospitality continues to be a challenging recruitment market, is bringing in guest chefs for a new and fresh perspective. While popups have been popular in other areas of hospitality for a few years, we are seeing hotels begin to embrace this approach – Como’s Belgravia hotel will welcome Chef Tommi Tuominen of Finnjävel this spring, for example, while NoMad London will have a series of wine-focused dinners with Silver Oak.
This allows hotels to have more creative freedom, get a better gauge on what their customers genuinely engage with, and potentially find the push needed to rise above the parapet and become the next ‘hot thing’ on the scene to attract both guests and external diners, too.
Embracing region-specific cuisines
For hotels looking to explore specific cuisines, be it American BBQ, Italian, Indian or anything else, we recommend delving into the specific regions of that cuisine. For example, when it comes to BBQ in the US, there is a much bigger focus on regional styles, flavours and preferred cuts that shine a light on what makes each variation unique. We expect to see the same regional focus take over in the UK, showcasing what makes a good Kansas City Burnt end compared to Carolina Style BBQ, for example.
Italian restaurants are stepping away from generic pasta and pizza dishes, which made up the bulk of Italian-British cuisine, and instead embracing the ‘family feel’. From fried bocconcini from Venice to Roman ragu, menus are becoming more expansive and varied than before.
For hotels in towns and cities, it’s these restaurants which are the biggest evening competition, so by creating a comparable, targeted offering and a restaurant which is a strong and standalone entity, it will encourage both hotel guests and non-guests to become diners.
Creating a unique brand identity does not have to mean a complete overhaul; it could be as simple as changing the menu design, or adding new dishes, and a few interior design tweaks to create interest.
Hospitality experiences reign supreme
Worldwide, hospitality experiences are getting bigger, better, and more extravagant. While other countries, especially those in the Middle East, are snapping close at their heels, no one does hospitality quite like the Americans. Large-scale luxurious hotels, top-of-the-line customer service, and experiences to remember are all coupled with beautiful décor and exceptional interior design.
In the UK, space is at a premium and many of our hotels are in older or listed buildings. However, small by no means equals bad; our hoteliers need to create more intimate and personalised experiences and use what is at their fingertips to create exceptional experiences instead of relying on new, shining and grand spaces.
We think that one of the best ways for UK hoteliers to create a truly unique experience that will ooze charm is to create a strong link to what is special about the area they are in. We don’t mean take the stereotypes or create a gimmick, but research the history of a location and build the hotel’s brand identity from there.
For example, when working with Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Harrison unlocked the bespoke personality of the hotel in order to immerse visitors into the ‘brummie’ experience. Stripping back the incumbent spaces, we improved the hotel’s connection to Birmingham to create dedicated environments which each drew on a different element of the city’s history to keep traditions alive today.
