Hotel Operations

🍝 Chef Ben Tish releases his fifth cookbook, "Mediterra," offering a comprehensive guide to the Mediterranean basin's cuisine. The book, retailing at £26 by publisher Bloomsbury, spans 304 pages and is divided into Northern Shores, Eastern Shores, Southern Shores, and Islands, with recipes from less known dishes like Croatian fritules to twists on classics like gnocchi with bottarga. Notably, Tish directs the kitchen of Cubitt House and has a history with Norma, Salt Yard Group, and Al Duca. Recommended: Baked crab with Oloroso and marjoram.

🏠 Häfele, a hardware solutions company, partnered with Like Magic to create "Work and Sleep" hotel rooms, allowing operators to transform spaces for various uses with digital furniture and software. This innovation aims to generate new revenue and cut costs by utilizing rooms otherwise vacant. The ibis Styles hotel in Nagold, Germany, is testing the concepts, incorporating keyless room technology for enhanced guest services. Like Magic's platform integrates a booking engine, guest and employee interfaces, streamlining 80% of daily tasks and enabling guests to perform actions such as check-in and food ordering via smartphone.

🏨 Häfele strategically partners with Like Magic to innovate 'Work and Sleep' concept for multifunctional hotel rooms. Digitally-enabled furniture and advanced software allow rooms to transform into offices or meeting spaces. This collaboration targets reducing costs, activating empty rooms for new revenue, and providing seamless reconfiguration. Innovations include adjustable lighting and web-app for amenity access. First implementation is at the ibis Styles hotel in Nagold, Germany, aiming to enhance guest experience and operational efficiency. Like Magic’s platform centralizes hotel management, enabling 80% of daily staff tasks and digital guest journey, including keyless room access via smartphones.

🌻 During HITEC 2024, Beekeeper, Resorts World Las Vegas, and Pomeroy Lodging showcased mobile app technology for improving hotel operations and employee engagement. Resorts World Las Vegas, with over 5,500 team members, emphasized the importance of digital communication for operational efficiency. Pomeroy Lodging highlighted their HR system integration with employee platforms, noting 30% of staff engage with their reward system immediately on their work anniversaries. Both entities stress the significance of digital records for accountability and team member appreciation for business streamlining.

🏨 The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa, a family-run business for over 50 years located in Skipton, North Yorkshire, partnered with Journey to enhance its commercial strategy and increase direct revenue. The hotel offers 70 bedrooms, a 1,400-acre estate with amenities like a private lake and the Nàdarra Spa, and activities including fishing and off-road driving. Director Louise Bolton, with 25 years at the hotel, emphasized the need for digital expertise to attract a wider customer base.

🍴 Vodka sauce, a tomato-based pasta sauce with vodka for flavor depth, varies in color from reddish-orange to pink, appealing for social media. Named "New European" cuisine of 2024 by Datassential, it's gaining popularity on restaurant menus. Present on 5.5% of US menus, 35% of Americans have tried vodka sauce, a traditional Italian-American dish.

🍳 Lifetime, the UK's largest training provider, reports a 47% rise in female chef apprentices during 2022-2023, with 373 out of 1241 new starters being women. The hospitality sector faces a 21% vacancy rate. The number of female chefs has grown by 46% since 2018, reaching 24% in 2023. Stella Carter, 18, with Crohn's disease, began a Level 2 apprenticeship at The Boot & Slipper in Amersham in 2022 and aims to own a restaurant. Nyla, 20, from Nottingham, embraces the industry's diversity. Bianca Martens, 36, in Liverpool, leads a team after completing chef apprenticeships. Lifetime Training emphasizes changing workplace culture post-pandemic to attract diverse talent, while Marston's and Mitchells & Butlers promote inclusive cultures and development programs.

🍴 Chef Dani García recounts his unconventional journey into the hospitality industry, driven by childhood experiences and learning from renowned chefs along Costa del Sol. His process for blending traditional Andalusian recipes with global flavors involves structured work and adaptation to local ingredients. Successfully managing multiple restaurants worldwide, García emphasizes the importance of team dynamics. His transition from a Michelin-starred restaurant to more accessible dining formats like BiBo Andalusian Brasserie & Tapas involves creating a relaxed atmosphere. Media exposure has broadened public perception of his culinary scope. Adapting menus to local tastes—alcohol-free in Qatar, pork-free in Dubai—García's group tailors to each location while maintaining concept essence. Smoked Room, born from Leña, earned two Michelin stars within six months through constant culinary evolution. Global expansion of Dani García Group focuses on launching Leña globally, with new projects underway in Miami, and plans for London, New York, Barcelona, Ibiza, and Morocco.