Grab-and-go dining at hotels used to mean unhealthy items and not much selection. But with consumers pushing for healthier and more diverse options, hotels are expanding their offerings.
“We’ve seen that people want to customize their experience to their own unique needs, and now more than ever we see influencing trends in health, wellness, local sourcing, continence and quality matter,” said Jonathan Wilson, VP, product innovation and brand services for Hilton Worldwide. “According to the ‘2015 Nielsen Global Health & Wellness Survey,’ 88 percent of consumers will pay more for healthier food.”
Hand-in-hand with healthier F&B options are those for special diets, and hotels are doing their best to accommodate those requests, as well.
Wilson said all of Hilton’s on-property grab-and-go markets were developed to offer multiple offerings for multiple needs.
“We always offer gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan offerings,” he said. “On top of that, each individual hotel operator adjusts their individual offerings based on demand. A market may be driven by demand for fresh fruit and health snacks while another may require craft beers and locally made potato chips. Being flexible and creative allows the opportunity to cater to a wide variety of needs.
“Guests love the choice and control and it is very important to us that we make it comfortable for a guest to maintain their lifestyle while staying with us.”
Danny Williams, GM of the Wyndham Orlando Resort – International Drive, said he also has seen a need for items that appeal to a wide variety of needs.
“We have a good mixture of that to make sure we have items such as sugar free and gluten free,” he said. “We have hummus snack cups and other items to make sure we’ve taken care of vegetarians. Snacks are well-marked and people know exactly what they are purchasing.”
He said his property always features fresh fruits, as well.