IN APRIL 2021 , F & B AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REVENUE IN CHINA WAS
34.5 %, WHILE IN THE U . S ., THE PERCENTAGE
WAS 19.5 %.
Contributed by DAVID EISEN , HOTSTATS heavily on the sale of rooms than the sale of burgers and fries . In April 2021 , F & B as a percentage of total revenue in China was 34.5 %, while in the U . S ., the percentage was 19.5 %.
Pre-pandemic , the delta was similar . Consider January 2019 : In that month , F & B as a percentage of total revenue in China was the exact same percentage as rooms contribution : 48.3 %. In the U . S ., the number was 31.8 %.
The data points to the indomitable spirit and importance of food and beverage within Chinese culture that , by the numbers , extends to its hotels . A dinner or banquet is used to celebrate the important events in life , such as a wedding , a baptism or a religious belief .
Even international hotel brands recognize the significance of Chinese ritual and culture . In 2012 , IHG launched Hualuxe , an upscale brand designed specifically for the Chinese traveler and their needs . The brand ’ s website features F & B prominently , with a large image of a Chinese family sitting around a large table filled with Chinese delicacies .
It ’ s clear that as China ’ s hotel industry continues to work its way back to profitability , F & B will play a pivotal role in the resurgence and path back to normalcy .
July / August 2021 hotelsmag . com 47