Hilton Chains Move Towards Casual Dining

by Nate Wooley | October 11, 2012 11:30 am

Will guests go for casual dining in full-service hotels? Hilton Worldwide seems to think so.

The hotel company is presenting three new restaurant concepts to its Hilton, Embassy Suites and DoubleTree brands. The new eateries, according to USA TODAY[1], are more like Panera (NASDAQ:PNRA[2]) or Whole Foods (NASDAQ:WFM[3]) than traditional hotel restaurants.

Hilton is counting on more customers eating in their hotels if they can get quick, quality meals at a reasonable price. And “reasonable price” definitely is a factor, as recession-battered guests have made a habit of trying to spend less on meals while traveling. While hotels traditionally are not thought of for having value-priced food, the new dining options play to that cost-saving behavior.

The company is in the early stages of the roll-out, but at some Hilton hotels guests will find Herb n’ Kitchen, an open-plan restaurant with a view of the kitchen from the dining area.  Some Embassy Suites will feature Brickstones Grill, which has booth seating and a wood-and-stone design. Finally, some DoubleTree by Hilton hotels are presenting Made Market, a pub concept centered on brick ovens.

Hilton plans to open 800 restaurants in the next three years. Additional concepts are being discussed.

More on hotels and restaurants:

Endnotes:

  1. according to USA TODAY: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2012/10/10/hotel-restaurants/1624617/
  2. PNRA: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=PNRA
  3. WFM: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=WFM
  4. IKEA Is Planning a Line of Budget Hotels: https://investorplace.com/2012/08/ikea-is-planning-a-line-of-budget-hotels/
  5. 13 Restaurants Up for ‘Great Places to Work’ Award: https://investorplace.com/2012/10/13-restaurants-chains-up-for-great-places-to-work-award/
  6. Chain Restaurants: Top 10 Social Media Stars: https://investorplace.com/2012/08/chain-restaurants-top-10-social-media-stars/

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