Will guests go for casual dining in full-service hotels? Hilton Worldwide seems to think so.
The hotel company is presenting three new restaurant concepts to its Hilton, Embassy Suites and DoubleTree brands. The new eateries, , are more like Panera (NASDAQ:) or Whole Foods (NASDAQ:
) than traditional hotel restaurants.
Hilton is counting on more customers eating in their hotels if they can get quick, quality meals at a reasonable price. And “reasonable price” definitely is a factor, as recession-battered guests have made a habit of trying to spend less on meals while traveling. While hotels traditionally are not thought of for having value-priced food, the new dining options play to that cost-saving behavior.
The company is in the early stages of the roll-out, but at some Hilton hotels guests will find Herb n’ Kitchen, an open-plan restaurant with a view of the kitchen from the dining area. Some Embassy Suites will feature Brickstones Grill, which has booth seating and a wood-and-stone design. Finally, some DoubleTree by Hilton hotels are presenting Made Market, a pub concept centered on brick ovens.
Hilton plans to open 800 restaurants in the next three years. Additional concepts are being discussed.
