Hilton’s Emma Banks: ‘hotels must dare to think of F&B differently, there’s a world of possibility’
Emma Banks says hotel dining must evolve and take notes from independent venues
Hilton’s Emma Banks has issued a rallying cry to hoteliers, saying they need to rethink their approach to F&B, which she says is currently a ‘big white space’ to work in. It came as she delivered a keynote speech at GulfHost’s Foodservice Excellence Summit. Day 2 of the Summit was curated by Hotelier Middle East and Caterer Middle East.
Hilton’s Emma Banks has issued a rallying cry to hoteliers, saying they need to rethink their approach to F&B, which she says is currently a ‘big white space’ to work in. It came as she delivered a keynote speech at GulfHost’s Foodservice Excellence Summit. Day 2 of the Summit was curated by Hotelier Middle East and Caterer Middle East.
One of the region’s most influential hotel dining experts says more imagination is needed and lessons can be learned from success stories seen in the flourishing independent dining sector.
The hotel industry needs to take a leaf out of the independent’s book to realise their full potential,
said Hilton’s VP of F&B strategy & development EMEA at GulfHost 2022. It is a widely held belief that hoteliers can’t operate restaurants and bars; that restaurants and bars are just an amenity in a hotel; that F&B is merely a cost to be managed, a necessary service to be provisioned."
That the only area of real importance is breakfast that hotel guests aren’t interested in hotel restaurants – these may be accepted truths, but they needn’t be the reality.