Marketing

🍽 Chef Michael O’Hare closes his Leeds-based fine dining restaurant, Psycho Sandbar, after seven months, ending a 10-year presence in the city. O’Hare opened The Man Behind The Curtain in 2014, which earned a Michelin star in 2015. The closure reflects personal future plans and shifts in the experience market, following the restaurant's relaunch from a set menu to a more flexible "surf shack" style amidst Brexit, the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis. O’Hare expresses pride in his achievements and anticipation for his next steps.

📱 Social media marketing for hotels is vital for enhancing visibility, guest engagement, brand building, and increasing bookings. Hotels can leverage platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok to engage with potential guests and showcase unique offerings. Strategies include maintaining a content calendar, promoting user-generated content, influencer partnerships, engagement campaigns, and utilizing analytics monitoring. Essential tools mentioned are Canva, Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social. Recent trends include Instagram's Collab Posts, Facebook's Business Suite update, and TikTok's Shop feature.

🍺 Mike and Brian McMenamin founded McMenamins Pubs & Breweries in Portland, Oregon in 1983. Capitalizing on the 1985 Oregon Brewpub Bill, the company now owns a dozen hotels, 64 restaurants, pubs, and bars across Oregon and Washington, with its operations extending to breweries, distilleries, a winery, coffee roasting, bakeries, and gardens. The transformation of the 74-acre Edgefield property in Troutdale, Oregon, a former "poor farm," into a hotel and entertainment venue marked a significant point in the company's history. With a strong emphasis on local art, history, and music, McMenamins venues offer both pub fare and upscale dining while maintaining a distinctive, location-specific appeal.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, also served as a columnist for The New York Sun from 2005-2008. A graduate of Tufts University (BA in History, 1990; Phi Beta Kappa), he studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (1986) and in China (Nanjing University, Fall 1988; Peking University, Spring 1989). Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. He is based in Brooklyn, NY.

📌 The Global Distribution System (GDS) exposes hotel inventory to 600,000 travel agents. To optimize GDS hotel listings: include detailed descriptions and quality images; monitor online reputation; highlight sustainability; set targeted rate strategies with 10% commissionable Public Rates and Negotiated Rates for partnerships; offer promotions; automate updates with systems like STAAH GDS for content accuracy and streamlined management. GDS is popular with business travelers for integrated travel bookings.

🏡 Sutton Hall, a Georgian house in Norfolk, offers an exclusive 12-person country retreat with 6 en-suite bedrooms and amenities including an open-plan kitchen, hot tub, and pool room. Implementing the STAAH booking engine and channel manager resolved previous guest booking and distribution issues, enhancing the online experience and increasing revenue, while also connecting to 500+ OTAs. STAAH's customer support was commended for helping the property harness the full potential of these tools.

🍴 Restaurateurs Alexis Gauthier, Jon Davis, Mandy Yin, and Will Beckett join OpenTable's advisory board to provide local insights and expert perspectives. They represent Gauthier Soho, The Ivy Collection, Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar, and Hawksmoor respectively. The group aims to guide OpenTable in supporting restaurants in the UK, leveraging their decades of experience. OpenTable's VP of EMEA, Laure Bornet, seeks to enhance the company's impact with this collaboration.

🏝 John Clune, Global GDS Development Manager at STAAH, cherishes Sydney for its iconic landmarks like the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, stunning beaches, diverse food scene, rich cultural life including the Vivid Sydney festival, beautiful weather facilitating an outdoor lifestyle, outdoor adventures in the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley, friendly locals, a thriving business scene, and vibrant nightlife. Sydney embodies a perfect balance of excitement, beauty, and community for John.

🍕 Perrine, a French-American eatery at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, launched in 1930, introduces an Indian menu honoring The Pierre Grill's Indian cuisine offered from the 1940s-1970s. Executive Chef Michael Mignano unveiled nine new dishes, drawing inspiration from Taj Hotels' Indian heritage. The menu, which may expand based on guest feedback, includes modern and traditional Indian dishes like dhaba chicken curry. The Pierre, known for seasonal and sustainably sourced menus, may incorporate Indian dishes into its main offerings.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, reports on F&B trends and oversees coverage. Host of podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn," he also wrote for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008. Thorn lived in Thailand, writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper, later joining Restaurant Hospitality's staff in 2016. Awarded the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award in 2006, he's a magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and studied French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014, Thorn resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. and has expertise in various cuisines, restaurant operations, and service trends. Contact at [email protected] and find him on social platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.