Hotel Effie Sandestin Announces Feb. 2021 Opening

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort plans to start 2021 in style with the opening of the new luxury hotel, Hotel Effie Sandestin. Facing setbacks due to COVID-19 that delayed the 2020 opening, Hotel Effie is now confirmed to open February 1, 2021.

Located between the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay, Hotel Effie was designed to welcome all guests of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort to an experience that exemplifies genuine southern hospitality and exceptional service wrapped in comfortable luxury. The 250-room hotel features multiple room configurations with thoughtful design and exquisite detail. Taking inspiration from the locale, the fully appointed rooms and suites will welcome guests with a complement of amenities, including an upscale spa, state-of-the-art fitness center, and the only rooftop pool on Florida's Emerald Coast. Add 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, to include a 13,000 sq. ft. ballroom, plus all of the unique offerings of the hotel and resort, and Hotel Effie is the perfect setting for a dream wedding, corporate meetings, memorable events and unforgettable vacations.

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An Initiative to Train & Certify the Rural Pockets to Boost Rural Tourism amidst Pandemic by NOM

An initiative to educate communities all across rural villages and empower them with various facets of health, hygiene, sustainability, and responsible tourism practices 

India, October 20, 2020: NotOnMap and Help Tourism in association with ICRT India (The International Centre for Responsible Tourism) backed by Booking.com, has come up with an ingenious project, “TraVival”. NotOnMap is a sustainable and Socially-driven initiative that works with an aim to empower local and rural communities. The initiative TraVival has come up at a time when the entire world is struggling to keep up with the pandemic; this project aims to aid rural India to manage the impact of COVID crisis on Travel and Tourism.

The initiative will be coming up with a series of 150+ training videos in over 18 regional languages divided in 12 modules for Homestay owners, Village Panchayats, Teachers/Youth and Women of villages and travelers across India thus covering all stakeholders of ‘Rural Tourism’ in India. The entire training will be kept as open source, free of any expenses and it aims to touch around 1 lac villages in India in next 1 year. The project is an outcome of 3 months of continuous efforts after conducting more than 30 webinars involving over 2000 community members and around 50 organizations from across 17 states in India.

NotOnMap is a sustainable and Socially-driven initiative with an aim to empower local, rural communities by helping them capitalize on their untapped culture and heritage value, realized the need for this in these times for rural pockets and created pool of expert think tanks from industry who came together to conceptualize, design and execute “Project TraVival- Training for Travel Revival” exclusively for Rural communities. Today in these times, when rural pockets of India are dried up economically and socially due to no business, TraVival plans to help in such rural parts categorically with the training for travel revival, and follow the extensive SOP for the COVID-19 prevention while enabling the business to sustain and grow.

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Time to explore Areas which are not on the map

To Spend or Not to Spend: What Hoteliers Should Prioritize for a Faster Recovery

While it may, at first, seem tempting for hoteliers to proceed with extreme fiscal caution right now, hoteliers must also consider the long-term, post-pandemic vision. As the industry braces for recovery, those properties which have invested in platforms and technologies that empower them to pivot and innovate traditional touch-points are positioned to thrive. In many respects, the selective investments that hoteliers make now will help to define their path to recovery.

So, the question becomes, how can hotels reduce operating costs in an intelligent manner, while prioritizing technology that ensures a faster recovery?

Out With the Old

It might surprise you to learn that, oftentimes, outdated technology costs hoteliers more money than it saves. Not only are legacy platforms limited in their infrastructure and functionality, but they also boast a variety of hidden costs. Unlike new-age platforms which are cloud-based. maintenance-free and always updated.

The lack of flexibility associated with legacy systems becomes especially problematic when we consider the current circumstances. In the era of COVID-19, flexibility is paramount. Employees should be able to access critical property data anytime, anywhere, without any tech-specific roadblocks. Fortunately, cloud-based technology provides hoteliers with uninhibited access to the digital infrastructure of their hotel, helping to streamline workflows while ensuring that important processes and procedures are always accessible. Even better, cloud-based solutions are notoriously user-friendly and often extremely affordable when compared to the full picture of legacy systems and their associated costs and dysfunction. These platforms can also integrate seamlessly with the tools you already use, creating an optimized 'stack' of critical hotel systems and applications that work together as a cohesive, revenue-generating unit.

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Full-Featured Platforms

When considering the transition from legacy platform to new-age technology, hoteliers should look for those platforms which offer an impressive portfolio of features. Fortunately, many of the best-in-class sales and catering, PMS and CRM systems on the market today boast 'all-in-on' capabilities.

For hotels looking to maximize occupancy and increase group business through events and meetings, a full-featured sales and catering solution is paramount. With CRM functionality, booking management, streamlined workflows, advanced reporting, and enhanced lead optimization and customer management all within one, user-friendly interface, closing business has never been easier.

Full-featured systems should also offer hoteliers revenue generating insights and capabilities, as hoteliers look to get creative in their bid for guest bookings. Platforms that provide data-backed insights can help hotels pave the way to improved processes and an optimized sales approach.

Focus on Automation and Efficiency

Labor is expensive, but a lack of productivity is even more expensive. Moving forward, hoteliers should focus on platforms which enable increased automation and efficiency across all touch-points. Not only does this help to streamline once tedious and time-consuming operational tasks, but it also empowers hotel staff to focus their attention where it matters most: the guest experience and their safety. This also reveals an opportunity for cross-training staff, which helps to ensure hotel properties have the support they need from staff across all departments.

Of course, in a post-pandemic era, automated technology has become especially valuable to those hotels which are currently operating with reduced staff and resources, while working to maintain brand standards of service. Moreover, as we continue to shift towards a largely 'touchless' future, technology which allows for automated processes and self-service will become the new industry standard. Hotels should look to utilize mobile-first technology, including mobile check-in/out, keyless room entry, mobile chatbots and concierge, mobile payments, and so much more. Not only that, but hoteliers should prioritize those solutions which help to streamline personalization efforts, leveraging guest data to enhance the guest experience both online and offline.

Going Digital

In the wake of COVID-19, hotel properties around the globe have aptly reconsidered and reformatted traditional touch-points and, within guest rooms and lobbies, common high-touch items. Fortunately, from a cost perspective, this is good news. Transitioning printed materials to their digital counterparts can, in the long-term, save hotels money, whilst also reducing their environmental impact.

It's also important to recognize that, in today's day and age (and especially right now), consumers crave a digital experience. Unsurprisingly, hotel guests are no exception. With this in mind, hoteliers should take this time to invest in the virtual experience and resources they offer guests, including website properties, images, virtual tours, mobile booking engines, and more.

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Ginger Opens In Kalinganagar, Odisha Now open – 93 Rooms Property

Ginger announces the opening of a new hotel in Kalinganagar, Odisha. The hotel is designed around the brand's lean luxe philosophy. It presents a co-existence of contrasts through dynamic spaces, seamlessly blending the lines of work and play.

Ginger Kalinganagar hosts 93 lean luxe rooms, Café Etcetera - Ginger's signature all-day diner offering a mix of global and local cuisine, which also doubles up as a workstation, a meeting room and fitness centre. The new look will bring together attractive public areas as well as spots designed for solitude, allowing the smooth transition from one to the other. They come alive with vivacious high energy glocal music and unique artwork installations.

Kalinganagar, a planned and modern town, is a major global hub in steel, power and ancillary products. A large number of steel plants are located here.

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The Best Hotel Reopening Email Campaigns

In our recent Email Benchmark Report, it was overwhelmingly clear that email is the preferred channel of communication for marketing and businesses. With the shift towards contactless technology and social distancing measures still in place, email continues to be one of the most effective ways to stay connected and communicate with hotel guests.

While personalized marketing emails are important, pre-stay communications are also top of mind for hotel guests. Hotel News Now conducted a hotel guest satisfaction survey which showed that 'pre-stay communications are very important to guests and overall satisfaction scores fall approximately 66 points when pre-stay communications don't happen'. Guests want to feel prepared for their hotel stay, so it is key to update with them with information around new mandates and safety protocols on-site.

As summer comes to a close in the Northern Hemisphere, we'd like to share with you the best reopening emails we've seen over the last few weeks. Each email was carefully selected based on email design, content and offer. We are proud to share these with you, as it is a testament to the hard work our customers put into delivering the very best for their guests during these unprecedented times. These emails are just a snapshot of how our customers are communicating with their guests and offering a safe, stress-free guest experience.

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A Budget Opportunity To Invest In Your Brand

Travel is currently a strange beast. Each destination has its own restrictions and regulations. Italy, for example, is proposing people wear masks even whilst outdoors where Sweden seems to be back to a level of normality.

Requirements can even vary from town to town and street to street. In the UK, where local lockdowns alter what is permitted from one week to the next it can be hard to know how to respond. In some areas, total closure has been the only option and this has been traumatic for many well-known brands. Premier Inn owner Whitbread only recently announced it was to cut 6,000 jobs as a result of a dip in demand.

Despite the emergence of a second wave of COVID, travel is still possible and the industry is continuing to open up overall- but it must do so in a way that recognises the altered landscape and work to accommodate not only regulatory concerns, but new customer needs.

Budget travel is in a particularly strong position to capitalise on a slowly emerging sector. They are expected to see growing traffic numbers as constantly fluctuating local lockdown measures look set to inspire more spontaneous but local trips. A quick weekend break has much less at stake than a two-week long-haul holiday that could mean a long quarantine after.

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Four Interior Design Trends for the Post-Pandemic Hotel

Once the greenlight was given, all businesses looked to reopen as quickly as possible after the lockdown. This has resulted in countless slapdash efforts for achieving the minimum of viral safety compliance, with most structural upgrades meant as only temporary installations and most of them particularly garish at that. As is becoming increasingly apparent, though, COVID-19 is here to stay and thus so too are the new measures that have been put in place.

The problem is that most, if not all, of the provisional objects and signage implemented in the wake of the pandemic look just plain hideous when bolted onto well-designed indoor hotel spaces. While all is well and good during patio season as most customers will remain outside, our current lobbies and public interiors in the age of COVID do not create environments that people actually want to spend time in. Come autumn and winter, this can mean decreased F&B revenues and lower overall guest satisfaction as all visitors won't feel warm and cosy amidst so much gaudy viral safety mania.

Trend #1: Experiential Hygiene

Trend #2: Natural Materiality

Trend #3: Branded Wayfinding

Trend #4: Protective Shield Design

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NSW announces further easing of restrictions

Hospitality venues in New South Wales can now accept bookings for groups of up to 30 people from Friday 23 October.

Physical distancing rules continue to apply: venues can have one patron per 4 square metres indoors while those that use electronic entry recording can have one patron per 2 square metres outdoors. Mingling is still prohibited, with guests required to be seated.

Venues are currently limited to a maximum capacity of 300 people. For venues with multiple areas this limit applies to each separate area.

All venues should businesses must implement electronic contact tracing methods, such as QR codes, before taking advantage of the eased restrictions.

With homes still considered high risk environments, Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged the public to consider making bookings at COVID-Safe venues for any festive season celebrations.

“Now this is good news to allow people to prepare for Christmas and the celebrations over summer,” said Ms Berejiklian. “Interestingly, the health experts agree, and have given us advice, that it could be actually be safer to go to a restaurant or hotel or somewhere that’s COVID-Safe for your Christmas lunch… and we want everyone to plan ahead for that.

“These changes will provide a big boost to our hospitality venues. As we ease restrictions and find new ways to get businesses moving it is vital that customers and venues continue to be COVID-Safe.”

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Leading Hotels of the World Adds 12 Members

NEW YORK—The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd. (LHW) has added 12 new members to its portfolio. LHW’s fall collection is defined by their independence and their deep cultural connections within their destinations. Property additions include hotels around the globe that are set in restored monasteries, luxurious tented camps, expansive farm estates and even new waterfront masterpieces.

“It is my pleasure to welcome these 12 distinguished new members to our LHW community of more than 425 hotels around the world. Our newest additions embody our community’s commitment to being the leader of independent, luxury hospitality. The hoteliers within these properties demonstrate the creativity and agility that makes the experience of independent hotels so special,” said Shannon Knapp, president/CEO, The Leading Hotels of the World. “For more than nine decades LHW has been at the forefront of creating the highest standards that have set the bar for worldwide luxury hospitality. The passionate hoteliers of LHW have welcomed guests for generations with remarkable care and we are certain these 12 new members will continue this proud tradition of excellence.”

New to The Americas

Nobu Hotel Chicago (Chicago, U.S.)
Nayara Tented Camp (La Fortuna, Costa Rica)

New to Europe
Grand Park Hotel Rovinj (Rovinj, Croatia)
Relais San Maurizio (Santo Stefano Belbo, Italy)
Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte Hotel (Sicily, Italy)
São Lourenço do Barrocal (Monsaraz, Portugal)
Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine (Sardon de Duero, Spain)
Anantara Villa Padierna Palace (Marbella, Spain)
La Reserve Eden au Lac Zurich (Zurich)

New to Asia
The Murray Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR, China)
The Kahala Hotel Resort Yokohama (Yokohama, Japan)
Capella Bangkok (Bangkok)

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Self-pour beer hall opens in Brisbane

Dude & Duke Beer Hall is set to open its doors in Brisbane on 23 October. The Deception Bay bar will feature a self-pour system accessed by prepaid cards, putting the power in the customers hands. A total of 10 taps will rotate and include brews from Slipstream, Revel and Your Mates Brewing. “We get to deliver a truly unique craft beer experience with self-pour beer taps, allowing our bartenders to interact closely with patrons and share their love of craft beer before diners take over and pour their own schooners,” says owner Alyce La Fauci. Self-pour wine, cider and cocktails will also be available alongside a menu set to showcase slow-cooked meats, wings, burgers and house-made sauces.

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Hotels, SaaS and ‘The Great Leap Forward’ - Gregg Wallis

VANCOUVER—Hotel Business spoke with Michael Driedger, cofounder of Operto Guest Technologies, who recently stepped down from his position as CEO, to get his take on how the COVID-19 has affected hotel technology, specifically software as a service (SaaS) offerings.

2020 has been the year in which everything changed for global business and the hospitality industry. Where do you think the opportunities lie for hotels to capitalize on the current situation and make progress into 2021?

 Hotels have a real chance to leapfrog over legacy technologies that were just “placeholders” for modern software as a service (SaaS) offerings. A good example of this is the hotel door lock that can be opened with a phone app. While that seemed great at the time, it only dropped front desk visits by less than 20%. The app was confusing and hard to use. Guests were perplexed by the process and needed education. Now there are smart locks that can be opened with a phone or a code. A code has a 99% success rate at allowing people to skip the lobby and get into their room.

Examples like this have happened alongside the emergence of multichannel and automated hotel booking software, which are better than anything from five years ago and constantly improving. Since these new SaaS companies are based on a monthly subscription, hotels are always going to have access to the newest and best—upgrading is no longer a large, fear-inducing project. Contactless and online experiences are going to be easier to offer and that’s really what guests have been wanting for some time.

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Accor Implements All Safe in Hotels and Resorts Worldwide

PARIS—Following operational disruptions stemming from COVID-19, Accor has successfully reopened most of its hotels with 95% of them having already adopted the group’s All Safe cleanliness and hygiene protocols jointly developed with Bureau Veritas. To date, Accor has successfully certified 65% of these hotels with the All Safe label through a third-party review and accreditation process with professional auditors like Bureau Veritas, SGS, Clifton and Ecolab, and is working to have additional hotels independently verified as All Safe compliant over the coming months.

“At Accor, we are grateful for the trust our guests have placed in us to protect their health, safety and well-being and this is a responsibility we prioritize above all else,” said Chris Cahill, deputy CEO hotel operations. “Throughout this difficult year, our hotel teams have risen to the challenge of enhancing their already stringent protocols and following increased public safety regulations while continuing to welcome, safeguard and take care of others; this remains at the very heart of what we do and who we are as hoteliers.”

Proprietary research undertaken by Accor over June/July 2020 indicates that a hotel getaway ranks among the top three activities that Accor guests feel ready to do over the coming months, in addition to going to a beach and visiting friends and family at home. While consumer spending intentions in the travel sector remain low compared to pre-pandemic levels, 75% of consumers say they would feel comfortable staying in a hotel where they can rely on high-standards of cleanliness and professional staff.

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Hotel Owners Launch 10,000 Letter Campaign to Save America’s Hotels

ATLANTA—America’s hoteliers forcefully answered a call to action by AAHOA, sending more than 10,000 letters to Congress and the Trump administration as part of the “10,000 Letters, One Purpose” campaign. Hotel owners and members of the hospitality industry were called on to write to their lawmakers and the White House to implore the two branches to pass a stimulus package that would help ease the unprecedented liquidity crisis gripping the hotel industry. With the initial goal achieved within hours of the campaign’s launch, AAHOA is urging more members to make their voices heard in the hopes of doubling the amount of engagement.

“Over half of America’s hotels are at risk of foreclosure because of the pandemic,” said AAHOA president/CEO Cecil Station. “America’s hoteliers and small businesses need a lifeline. I am proud of how America’s hotel owners responded to the ‘10,000 Letters, One Purpose’ campaign. So many of their livelihoods are at risk. Hoteliers are being pushed to the brink while Washington politicians play games with vital funding. Every day that passes, hard working hospitality workers lose their jobs, and hotel owners lose their businesses. It’s time for our leaders to step up for the small businesses and their employees that are being crushed by the pandemic and deliver a meaningful stimulus package.”

In addition to personally sending letters to their elected officials, AAHOA members are actively recruiting other hotel owners and industry partners to participate in the campaign. Hoteliers are asking elected officials to prioritize five specific areas in the stimulus package: authorize a second round of Paycheck Protection Program funding for the hardest hit small businesses; provide more resources for the Economic Injury Disaster Program; extend temporary relief from troubled debt restructurings through Jan. 1, 2023 to ease pressure on borrowers; resolve the commercial mortgage-backed security loan crisis; and allow hoteliers to access the Main Street Lending Program.

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Dublin's Hard Rock Hotel Nominated For 'Best New Hotel In Europe' Award

Dublin's Hard Rock Hotel has been nominated for the "Best New Hotel in Europe" award in the 2020 World Travel Awards.

As reported by rte.ie, Dublin's Hard Rock Hotel, which is located in Temple Bar, is the only Irish nominee in the category, which also includes the Mandarin Oriental of Lake Como, Italy, the Nobu Hotel of Barcelona, Spain, the Savoy Palace in Portugal and the Amara Hotel in Cyprus.

Hard Rock Hotel General Manager Statement

Rte.ie quotes the general manager of Dublin's Hard Rock Hotel, Sinead Derham, as saying, "At the beginning of 2020, we were so excited to open our doors as Ireland's first Hard Rock Hotel and begin to welcome guests from all over our country and all over the world. Less than a month later, we had to close again due to COVID-19, so it hasn't been the best start to launching a new hotel.

"However, when our doors have been open, the feedback from guests has been just fantastic - from the incredible music themed interiors and high spec finish throughout to the extensive art and memorabilia collection, and our Peruvian inspired bar and restaurant, Zampas.

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Autograph Collection Hotels Introduces The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike, Autograph Collection Hotel to Japan

The hotel is conveniently located within walking distance to Kokusaikaikan Station, and is approximately 58 kilometers from Osaka International Airport, making it accessible from other areas of Japan.

Situated in the heart of Kyoto’s Rakuhoku district, the hotel is adjacent to Takaragaike Park, which offers walking trails with scenic views of spring cherry blossoms and autumn foliage. Takaragaike for centuries was a favorite place for the city’s upper class to relax amid scenic nature. Local attractions including the 17th-century Shugakuin Imperial Villa, as well as the breathtaking gold leaf-covered Kinkakuji Temple, are within walking distance.

Designed by renowned Japanese architect Togo Murano, The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike showcases an interplay between Japanese tradition and Murano’s modernist approach to architecture and design. The main building is an oval shape, with an atrium at its center. The hotel’s 310 spacious guestrooms are all appointed with thoughtful amenities including free Wi-Fi and captivating views of Takaragaike Park and its surroundings. Guests are graciously welcomed upon their arrival at the hotel with a cup of matcha, or powdered green tea, prepared in Urasenke style.

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Meliá Hotels International Introduces New Virtual Community Meliá PRO Travel Labs Launches for Travel Advisors in the United States

The past seven months have completely transformed the travel industry. In response, Meliá Hotels International (MHI) has created a new virtual community dedicated to closer communication and relationship rebuilding with agent partners.

With the launch of Meliá PRO Travel Labs in the US, a new Private Groups community on Facebook created exclusively for Meliá PRO Travel Agents will provide updated information on the MHI portfolio, including properties such as INNSiDE New York Nomad, Paradisus Los Cabos, and Meliá Orlando Celebration. The unique selection of live virtual events gives travel advisors the opportunity to actively participate in exclusive webinars, workshops, "coffee breaks," virtual FAM trips, and round tables led by experts in the tourism industry, General Managers, and other MHI team members.

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Richard Polhemus Joined Four Seasons Resort Hualalai as Executive Chef

Richard Polhemus joins Four Seasons Resort Hualalai as Executive Chef. Polhemus has 15 years of experience with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts worldwide, and will lead the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond Resort's dynamic food and beverage program. Overseeing the Resort's five dining outlets, in-room dining, catering, and Hualalai Resort's residential clubhouses, Polhemus will lead the culinary team to ensure each outlet and each event is carefully executed and uniquely considered.

At Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, 75 percent of the ingredients used are from Hawai'i Island and are sourced from more than 160 farms. The Island of Hawai'i is unique in that it hosts 11 of the 13 world climates, allowing a wide spectrum of diverse foods to be grown and raised on the island. Chef Polhemus and his team understand the importance and embrace the nuances to working with the multiple farmers and purveyors that provide the local ingredients for the Resort's restaurants and other dining experiences daily. On-site at the Resort, an herb garden supplies various fresh herbs and vegetables, and carefully created ponds are home to two types of oysters and shrimp, grown and harvested a stone's throw from where they are served fresh to guests.

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Shadab Amin Appointed Director of Sales & Marketing At Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium

Shadab brings with him a wealth of hospitality experience having started his career in 2010. He joined InterContinental® Hotels Group in Manila and subsequently, moved to Crowne Plaza Muscat and Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, before settling down in Singapore. During his stint in Manila, Shadab played a pivotal role in laying the foundation of IHG's India Global Sales Team while at Muscat and Maldives, he held key sales positions that drove revenue targets.

Shadab moved to Singapore in 2017 and joined Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium as a Senior Business Development Manager. During his 3-year tenure in Singapore, he has grown progressively to the position of Director of Sales where he was minted IHG's Best Director of Sales SEAK (South East Asia & Korea) in 2019. His promotion to Director of Sales & Marketing during the unprecedented times of Covid-19 is a testament of his ability to lead the team to drive performance and growth.

Tuncay Bockin, General Manager of Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, said, "Shadab is instrumental in growing key corporate accounts and has reinforced our brand presence in Singapore for both business and leisure travellers. In this new normal, Shadab's leadership will be critical in reinventing our suite of products, from work from hotel packages to staycations to weddings, in accordance to market demands and trends to drive results."

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La Cantine du Faubourg appoints new head chef

The softly-spoken chef graduated from the Ecole Hôtelière de Paris Lycée Jean Drouant at the age of 15 and gained his Baccalaureat from L'Hôtellerie Restauration.

His work has taken him to London, the French Riviera, New York, and back to Paris, before bringing him to Dubai.

While in Dubai he worked as a sous chef alongside Gregoire Berger at Ossiano at Atlantis, The Palm, before taking the helm at La Catine.

Yahoui’s describes his cooking style as “creative and intuitive”, and believes the spotlight should always be on the sauce or jus that forms the basis for a dish.

A team player, Yahoui encourages collaboration in his kitchen and is always happy to mentor young chefs starting their careers in the culinary field.

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Is Saudi Arabia ready to take the Middle East's F&B crown from Dubai?

While the likes of Riyadh and Jeddah have long lagged behind Dubai in terms of quantity and quality of restaurants, that could be about to change. Saudi’s Vision 2030 campaign aims to make the country a thriving and vibrant modern society, with a number of initiatives underway to achieve that.

The launch of Saudi Seasons cultural events have been used as a springboard for many familiar brands to make moves into the Kingdom. La Petite Maison, Gaia, and Scalini are all household names in Dubai that have held pop-ups in Riyadh or Jeddah over the past 12 months.

La Petite Maison global operations director Nicolas Budzynski tells us he was surprised at how many people already knew the brand in the country, saying: “We knew LPM had many fans in Saudi Arabia, but we could not have imagined how big the following was until we opened our pop-up restaurant. On average, the pop-up has had 220-250 covers a night in a 70 cover restaurant and 99% of the guests are already very familiar with LPM. Guests will come in and order without even looking at the menu.”

The French Mediterranean restaurant has plans to open a permanent location in Riyadh in 2020, and is far from the only brand to do so. Bulldozer Group founder Evgeny Kuzin told Caterer Middle East last year that it plans to move all of its concepts to the Kingdom, while Sunset Hospitality is in the middle of taking Black Tap and Luigia over.

The growth of the F&B scene naturally means more competition for the brands already established in Saudi, including Japanese concept Okku which moved from Dubai to Riyadh at the end of 2018.

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