F & B
agave tasting room , named La Biblioteca , has been created and features a selection of more than 200 tequilas , mezcals and other agave-influenced spirits .
CAREFULLY CUTTING CORNERS Meanwhile , some planners are finding ways to adjust their food and beverage offerings that cut costs without compromising the overall attendee experience .
“ Hotels have to find ways to manage what they are capable of making with the staff that they have ,” said event professional Tracy Stuckrath , host of the “ Eating at a Meeting ” podcast and a specialist in safe and sustainable food and beverage experiences at meetings . Coping mechanisms she ’ s seeing at hotels include day-of-the-week menus , where all groups in-house eat the same items , thus reducing inventory and staffing needs ; cutting the number of menu options ; or changing items to ease labor requirements .
Further , she noted , chefs are having to order food at different intervals for 2024 so they ’ re asking planners for menu selections 45 days out , versus the 72 hours they allowed at one time . “ That doesn ’ t mean hotels have to ask for guarantees that far out , but this gives them a better sense of what to order ,” she said .
And , she noted , some properties are outsourcing their hors d ’ oeuvres and other items from caterers or ghost kitchens , since they do not have the staff to produce them .
She ’ s also seen a surge in groups altering their attendance numbers , often at the 11th hour . But hotels still are finding ways to recoup some profit , or at least to prevent major losses , when such changes happen . “ Hotels are charging fees for 10 % increases or decreases in the guarantees ,” she said .
For her part , meeting planner Eisenstodt found an end-run around a problem with providing a cost-effective breakfast during a recent military reunion . “ We did not have enough interest from our group to justify a setup in a meeting room , so the catering manager had the chef add a daily buffet at breakfast each morning in the restaurant ,” she said . “ It was just added to the usual breakfast options , no headcount required . It
NOW THAT THE LEISURE WAVE HAS PASSED , THERE IS MORE OF A FOCUS ON GROUP BUSINESS
– PATRICIA SHEA , SVP OF REVENUE , KNOWLAND
was a big hit and nobody was late , or left on the curb in the mornings , before our offproperty event .”
MANAGING MONEY On the flip side , some companies are flush with cash and able to earmark it for events , Knowland ’ s Shea said . “ There ’ s a trend where remote companies that are reducing
HOTELS HAVE TO FIND WAYS TO MANAGE WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING WITH THE STAFF THAT THEY HAVE
– TRACY STUCKRATH , HOST OF THE “ EATING AT A MEETING ” PODCAST
86 hotelsmag . com Nov / Dec 2023
At Maui ’ s Grand Wailea , A Waldorf Astoria Resort , group guests have an array of experiences at their disposal .