Market Trends

🍴 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.

📅 On September 15, 2024, an article featuring a meeting with Horst Schulze, the creator of The Ritz-Carlton and Capella, was highlighted. The story, shared by Josiah Mackenzie, can be found on a podcast platform offering various episodes from experts in the hospitality industry. Listeners can tune in through platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The article also provides a sidebar featuring categories like "Featured Episodes" and "Recent Episodes," with titles ranging from leadership lessons to innovative technology in hospitality.

🍞 MA Studio designed "Common Breads," a bakery in London near Victoria station, showcasing kaak, a Lebanese bread. The 65-square-meter former office space now features an interior inspired by Lebanese architecture, with a speckled floor resembling sesame seeds, caramel-toned wooden frames, and checkered tile counters reminiscent of backgammon boards. The transformation aims to provide an immersive cultural experience, blending traditional elements with a contemporary setting.

🏠 In Montreal, Atelier Échelle refurbished Clinique Monkland, featuring a residential atmosphere, in a century-old building in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood. The 90-square-metre clinic includes light wood features, a walnut desk, a white-painted brick fireplace, green velvet benches, and fluted glass panels for privacy. Custom millwork offers storage and display, while a coffered ceiling conceals electromechanical and dental equipment. The clinic is nominated for Dezeen Awards 2024 in the health and well-being interior category.