Catering offers in hotels: an opportunity to seize?

Catering, brunch, breakfast, tea time... hoteliers have no shortage of opportunities to generate revenue from their F&B (Food & Beverage) offer. And more and more of them are trying to generate sales from non-hotel guests. This trend is not new: as long ago as 1995, the Hôtel Costes established itself in the heart of Paris with its restaurant, which livened up the district and the Rue Saint-Honoré. The Hôtel Amour also offered Parisians a warm and friendly setting in 2006. These hotel restaurant concepts have multiplied in recent years, encouraged by the arrival of new competitors on the accommodation market (Airbnb...) and by the seasonal nature of the business, which can have disastrous consequences on hotel sales. Through Food & Beverage, the hotel industry is seeking to reinvent itself, notably by focusing on the uniqueness and intimacy of its venues. The French benchmark in this area is the Mama Shelter, created in 2008, which has exported its success to major French cities and abroad (Los Angeles, Istanbul). This new generation of hotels is betting on lifestyle to offer its guests real moments in life. Serge Trigano, the man behind the Mama Shelter brand, describes his hotels as "restaurants with rooms above". In addition to bringing his establishment to life on a daily basis, these services help to energize the neighborhood and its surroundings. Indeed, the visibility and openness of the hotels' first floor attracts a new local clientele that mingles with tourists. As Pierre Moussié, owner of the Hôtel Providence, puts it: "When they come into a hotel, foreign guests want to be immersed in Paris, not just have breakfast with tourists. The Food & Beverage niche seems to be a real opportunity for hoteliers, since it broadens their sources of revenue and breathes life and good humor back into tourist accommodation. The proof is in the figures: