Hotel Loyalty is Going Down

People seem to be cheating on more than just their partners.

According to a Deloitte survey, a small eight per cent of consumers are always loyal to specific hotel brands.

"With heightened competition and eroding customer loyalty, hotels and airlines, now, more than ever, need to focus on enhancing and personalizing the consumer experience," said Adam Weissenberg in a statement. He is the vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. Travel, Hospitality and Leisure leader.

The survey also found that customers believed grocery stores had better loyalty programs. About half of respondents were satisfied with their hotel's loyalty program.

The most important aspect of choosing a hotel is comfort and location for consumers. When it comes to the actual booking, 61 per cent of respondents said they used hotel sites the most to book their stay and they primarily want a secure and easy purchase process, along with email discounts and up-to-date news.

"Travel brands need to be more innovative and clear in communicating their product and service offerings," said Weissenberg. "For example, Deloitte's research showed that while earning and redeeming points are the most important attributes for choosing hotel and airline loyalty programs, travel brands should focus on enhancing the customer experience, making rewards personally meaningful, encouraging loyalty with unexpected rewards if they want to boost consumer engagement, and ultimately building long-term customer relationships."

Menu Trends for 2013

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) surveyed upwards of 1800 chefs from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) to find out what menu trends will be for 2013.

The following is the list of top 10 trends:
(from  www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease/?ID=2346)

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood 
2. Locally grown produce 
3. Healthful kids' meals 
4. Environmental sustainability as a culinary theme 
5. Children's nutrition as a culinary theme 
6. New cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, teres major) 
7. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens) 
8. Gluten-free cuisine 
9. Sustainable seafood 
10. Whole grain items in kids' meals 

Children's nutrition is being taken more seriously, seeing as three trends revolve around just that. Parents can feel more relaxed taking their little ones out to eat. Also trending will be local food sourcing for menu items. This will be a cheaper option for restaurants, as well as a healthier option for customers.

“Making sure that nutritious food is available for children and their families, and for everyone in the U.S., is paramount to the future of foodservice," said Michael Ty, ACF national president, in the press release.