Marketing

🍴 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.

🎄 Celebrate the festive season by booking a UK Airbnb for Christmas. Find the perfect spot from seaside escapes for two to countryside retreats for the entire family. Choices are curated based on Superhost status, customer ratings, amenities, location, and décor. Note: Editors at Condé Nast Traveler independently select featured products and listings; affiliate commissions may be earned from purchases.

📝 Booking faces legal challenges due to perceived negative relationships with supply partners. LVMH garners attention as possibly the new "winner's brand," overshadowing Nike's traditional dominance, evidenced by their presence at the Olympics. IHG reimagines its core technology with Amadeus, focusing on attribute-based selling, which could revolutionize hotel pricing. The article also discusses the nuanced role of influencers in hospitality and the importance of employee satisfaction in hotels. Hyper-personalization in the hotel industry, powered by AI and technology, promises enhanced customer experiences but is hindered by legacy systems and the complexity of integrating various data sources.

🏦 Sayaji Group of Hotels, an Indian luxury hospitality brand with 15 hotels and 1400+ keys across 11 cities, has experienced significant growth. By partnering with STAAH and integrating its channel manager and booking engine, Sayaji has seen a 70-85% increase in occupancy rates, a 30% rise in revenue, and a 40-60% surge in direct bookings. The adoption of STAAH's platform, featuring dynamic pricing and analytics, has enhanced operational efficiency and guest experiences, leading to more profitable revenue growth.

💰 Deliveroo reports first-ever half-year profit with £62m adjusted EBITDA, a 57% increase from H1 2023's £39m. In the six months to June 30, 2024, they turned a £1m profit, recovering from a £83m loss the previous year. With initiatives like the Plus Diamond loyalty tier, grocery growth, and new retail partnerships, orders grew 2%, revenue rose 2%, and Gross Transaction Value (GTV) increased 6%. UK & Ireland GTV grew by 7%, international by 5%, with positive trends in France, UAE, and Italy. A £150m share buyback reflects confidence after these results, expecting GTV growth of 5-9% and EBITDA in the upper half of £110-130m for the year.

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🍔 Bojangles is fostering long-term loyalty by amplifying word-of-mouth and analyzing customer data to understand consumption patterns and preferences. Using its mobile app, third-party delivery services, and ezCater, the chain studies variations in weekday vs. weekend behavior and identifies popular "menu hacks." The company also values insights from employees and franchisees for new product development. Personalized offers, tested regularly, help segment audiences based on loyalty to products, offers, or meal times, informing targeted marketing strategies for new, lapsed, and current guests.

🏨 Wowcher partners with SiteMinder to offer more deals to travellers, targeting Wowcher's 20-million-plus subscribers. UK and Irish hotels using SiteMinder can now market a wider range of rooms, tapping into Wowcher's base where up to 80% are first-time guests at featured hotels. SiteMinder's Changing Traveller Report 2023 found nearly 50% of UK travellers opt for package deals or shorter stays due to increasing prices. This integration seeks to provide exceptional value and drive incremental bookings amidst rising living costs.

📌 A majority of travelers, 57%, use social media for trip planning and sharing, with 75% under 35 and 35% aged 55+ engaging in this behavior. Travelers aged 35-54 show a significant usage rate at 63%. Content sharing is popular, with 62% of social users posting about their trips. Travel content on social media influences 62% of users in their trip decisions. Cruise travelers exhibit the highest social media usage for planning, while lodging content is less viewed despite two-thirds of users researching it.

🍸 Restaurant experts Pat Cobe and Bret Thorn recognize national food holidays as potent marketing tools amid rising costs and lowering guest counts. La Palapa, a decades-old Mexican restaurant in New York City’s East Village, received praise from Pat for its Margaritas and churros. Bret explores Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, highlighting Wheeler’s for its longstanding service and good food. New York Restaurant Week extends to a month this year, with advice to restaurants to showcase their best. Trevin Hutchins, beverage director at Aphotic in San Francisco, distinguishes the seafood restaurant with a unique beverage program featuring house-distilled gin with seaweed and in-house non-alcoholic pairings for tasting menus.