Market Trends

🍴 Award-winning chef Sean Brock opened Joyland's first location in Nashville in 2020; the second opened in Birmingham, Ala. in mid-August. The fast-casual restaurant serves biscuits, burgers, fried chicken, and features a popular Crustburger. The Birmingham location seats 84 inside and 49 on the patio. The menu includes items like breakfast burritos, biscuit sandwiches, and seasonal hand pies. Organic chicken is sourced from Springer Mountain Farm in Georgia, and Bear Creek Farm in Tennessee provides a proprietary beef blend. Joyland is in partnership with Nick Pihakis of Pihakis Restaurant Group and Southall Farm & Inn founder Paul Mishkin. More Joyland locations are expected to open in the South in the coming months.

👨 Bashar Wali, CEO of Practice Hospitality, has stayed at 249 New York City hotels and numerous others globally, never repeating a stay to better understand the guest experience. He critiques the hotel industry's reliance on shock and awe tactics, emphasizing the importance of meaningful gestures and emotional connections over points-based loyalty programs. He highlights a personal experience at W Hotel Bangkok, where personalized teddy bears created a memorable moment. Wali encourages the hospitality industry to shift from transactional service to creating memorable, emotionally resonant experiences, comparing hotels to theater where the staff's performance is key to leaving a lasting impression on guests.

🖤 REM, a furniture manufacturer for over a century, caters to the Salon, Beauty Spa, and now the Hotel and Hospitality sectors. They focus on high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, and durable furnishings like massage tables and Pedispas. Their Design Team prioritizes trends, sustainability, ergonomics, and materials. REM's environmentally-friendly product line, REM Earth, targets eco-conscious consumers. For custom-designed spa furniture that integrates comfort and ergonomics, REM collaborates with hospitality businesses. Contact at [email protected] or visit www.rem-earth.co.uk.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, guides F&B trends reporting since joining in 1999. Hosts "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. Wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), and in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times (1995-1997). Magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University (1990), studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986), and reported for ABC News during the Tiananmen Square protests (1989). His column won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award. Inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Contact: [email protected]; Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (@foodwriterdiary), Instagram (@foodwriterdiary).

🏨 Paradise Resort Gold Coast achieved an average upsell per reservation of A$139 using Mews. Hostellerie Cèdre & Spa increased revenue by €14k+ in less than a month. Old Stocks Inn saw an 8% ADR increase within two months. Green Hotels attained an 18% direct booking conversion rate. The Julius, Prague, generated over €55k from parking in the first half of 2023. GuestHouse Hotels earns €9,000/month through upselling. All benefited from Mews Hospitality Cloud's automated solutions for rate management, upselling, secure payments, and direct bookings.

🔔 U.S. Leisure & Hospitality sector added 8 million jobs since April 2020, reaching 16.9 million employed by April 2024, yet travel industry unemployment remains at 6%. Over 1 million job openings were reported in Accommodation in May 2024, despite a 7% decline in accommodation employees since March 2019, contrasting a 16% increase in room revenue. Between 2019 and 2024, hotel industry employees decreased by 7%, hourly salary rose by 32% (from $17.98 to $23.76), and room revenue grew by 16% (from $167.9B to $195.5B).

🏦 The EU's Action Plan on Skills and Labour shortages, adopted on 20 March 2024, addresses labour and skills gaps in Member States, especially post-pandemic in sectors like hospitality. It includes five policy areas: activating underrepresented groups, supporting skills and education alignment, improving work conditions, promoting intra-EU mobility, and attracting non-EU talent. European Year of Skills saw over 2000 events, the Pact for Skills reaching 2500 members, and campaigns touching 69 million via social media. The tourism sector can utilize funds like the €99 billion European Social Fund Plus (2021-2027), the Recovery and Resilience Facility with 13% budget for education/training until 2026, and the €26.2 billion Erasmus+ program.

🏠 Australian studio YSG redesigned the Superfreak cafe in Sydney's Marrickville, transforming an old ice cream factory into a vibrant space with a 1970s aesthetic, featuring carpet-lined seating, cork flooring, and high-gloss green paint. Vintage furniture pieces add to the retro ambiance, including a maple timber banquette with inbuilt storage and a record player. A statement lamp by artist Autumn Casey and rice paper lanterns illuminate the cafe, while a mural by Creative Finish adorns the bar area. The exterior facade echoes the interior's green color scheme, complete with a coffee hatch for takeaway orders.

📅 On September 18, 2024, an article titled "What's Changed in Hospitality Since The Ritz-Carlton Was Founded - Horst Schulze" was published, exploring the transformations in the hospitality industry since the establishment of The Ritz-Carlton. The article includes links to listen to the podcast on platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as featured and recent episodes about hospitality leadership and innovation. The footer features a logo linking to the Hospitality Daily podcast.

🏖️ In Adelboden, Switzerland, Amsterdam-based Nicemakers revamped The Brecon, a century-old chalet with 18 rooms and four suites into a boutique hotel designed to feel like a "high-end version of your own home". Aimed at creating a non-traditional Swiss hotel experience, the retreat features a domestic aesthetic with an open lounge, dining and living areas, a spa with sauna and steam rooms, and an infinity pool. Vintage items were sourced from Europe, and ceramic crockery was handmade in Wales. The project showcases Nicemakers' mid-century modern approach and includes a "collected" feel with various items instead of uniform minibar fridges and furniture.