It used to be about providing a service, now, increasingly, it’s an opportunity to increase revenues, and very often involves external customers. Hotel catering is central to Italian hospitality but what trends are being seen?

An indication of developments taking place is provided by a very recent Federalberghi survey that involved 1,300 hoteliers and started with an important statistic: 89% of hospitality structures in Italy offer catering facilities and 69% offer them through both bars and restaurants. This is a feature found across the entire receptive system, from small establishments to grand hotels, and the services offered range from star-rated restaurants all the way down to small establishments, through either a traditional offering or more innovative formulae.

The snapshot of this world starts with a fundamental moment in the hotel day: breakfast. This service has changed over time, becoming more diversified to cater to the needs of a varied target: it could be a light, healthy breakfast for those starting the working day or a more energy-rich meal for tourists preparing for an exploration of the local area. More than half of all hotels provide a continental breakfast, while 40% offer a combination of continental and British or American breakfasts. Innovative offerings include breakfasts based on local produce, with some partner firms providing the best the area has to offer (clearly labelled and with a minimum of storytelling) or others that give a show cooking demonstration.

Another trend is that of extending the service for a longer period of time, to meet the needs of smart workers, or those returning from night shifts. One way this is done is by offering brunch, which is often also a way of opening up to external customers. Other methods include new formulae ranging from room service to do-it-yourself kits and snacks offered around the clock, in some cases through vending machines, which are now starting to become more common also in Italy.

A wider range of foodstuffs is also being offered: as well the preference for typical local produce, there is a growing attention to sustainability and plastic-free products. More and more hotels are making efforts to respond to tourists’ desire to have an “authentic” experience, immersing themselves fully in their holiday destination. The breakfast hotel room makes a great showcase for local produce.

The other seemingly unstoppable trend is the one where the hotel opens up to the city and its residents: in more than 75% of cases, establishments have the necessary authorisations to serve food and drink to customers not staying at the hotel (72% for bars and 80% for restaurants). In the remaining 25%, the food service provided is only for hotel guests, but many would gladly open up to the general public if their municipalities allowed them to.

A mention, finally, of the pandemic, which has hit the sector hard. Many hotel restaurants took steps to prevent the spread of infection by placing tables further apart (93%), introducing a buffet service (70%) and requiring bookings (46%), and indeed some of the changes made are likely to be kept also in post-Covid times: for example offering outdoor spaces (95%) and new methods of payment (98%).