Is The All Day Dining Lounge As We Know It A Thing Of The Past ????♂?

Picture this scene….

I was in a five-star hotel in Downtown Sydney back in January and I headed down to the all-day dining lounge and sat on my own in a big empty space, only me and the bartender to be seen. After finding the only table with a plug socket (that wasn’t a house socket with those blasted round pins!) I logged on to be faced with a black screen, and before you say it, my camera was turned on!

I sat there waiting for my turn to introduce myself when someone on the call asked, “Is someone in a loud bar, I am hearing loud music”?

Yes, that was me, 10:30 pm in an empty lounge, sat in a badly lit atrium with a nightclub in the background!

Where am I going with this story….

As I walk through hotel lobbies I can't help but think about the empty lounges and whether the old days of ‘all-day’ dining lounges have passed their sell-by dates.

Is an outlet that serves too many purposes appealing to guests?

Is the hotel lobby conducive to being the home of reception, Concierge, F&B and more?

Can you create the right ambience if the space is pulling against each other because of the functions required of the space?

These are all questions that were niggling away at me as I sat on that Zoom call late one Thursday night when no one could see me but could hear the music deafening in the background.

Why is it, as hoteliers we are so attached to this outlet, creating the same space over and over again, making them part of brand standards but not fulfilling the needs of the modern traveller.

Now, by reading this, you might be sitting there thinking I am tarnishing every hotel with the same brush and this is not the case.

I can name hotels globally that have created fantastic spaces that would be seen as all-day dining spaces that are busy, have a great vibe and are popular with guests… BUT while on face value they seem the same, they aren’t

This is why;

• They are clear on who will use the space, at what time of day and why and these pillars are the benchmark of everything else that happens between conception to going live.
• The design is curated to make sure that these pillars are catered for and hit the for guests but also offer flexibility.
• Check out what they do in The Social Hub, who is one of our clients at Auden Hospitality . They want their community to work, play and meet in their common areas and have created zoned areas for each criteria so that the guests can choose what is the right area for them. Put this together with, flexible seating, power, lighting and the right music, it creates a space that encourages you to spend more time there.

• Their offer is flexible and simple but innovative, offering a burger, club sandwich and Ceasar salad isn’t the way things are done anymore or maybe it is but this has to fit with the concept and the design!

The key thing to remember is that it's ok to close outlets and create a clear story and concept. Often, the lounge is used as a one-size-fits-all that ends up with no identity when instead, creating two smaller outlets with clear stories and concepts can have a greater success and generate FOMO amongst guests.

Some of the best restaurants I visit right now are no more than 30 seats. Busy, hard to get a reservation and super fun!

A great example of this is the Civillian Hotel in New York, I love how they have super clear concepts that all have a clear story and purpose for visiting. You don’t look at these outlets and think about what they are or why you would visit.

Another great example I always point to is The Hoxton in Shoreditch, London - well known for the place to remote work and meet in London, they have created the lounge space in the main entrance and made it the central point of the public spaces, throw in a Grind coffee concession, great menu and the perfect ambience and you have a place non-residents flock to and hotel guests want to stay - win-win

I have to caveat this with history…

My old colleagues at The Dorchester, would argue with me here, sometimes, your lounge is so engrained in the history of the hotel, such as the Promenade in The Dorchester, that you need to honour the past because it is so synonymous with your hotel.

This strategy though, has to be done with care, like the Dorchester Collection have done recently to make sure the outlet is still relevant moving forwards.

So, is the ‘all-day dining’ lounge a thing of the past?

In its old form (that still very much exists in the main)

I believe it has.

I have said before in our Trends of 2024 prediction that the multi-generational shift that is happening means guests want more experiential stays and by creating clear concepts that have a purpose you will give your guests reasons to visit, foster a connection and thus create loyalty to return because you solve a problem.

I am aware that not everybody reading this will be in the position to rip up what has been done and start again so here are my simple questions to ask yourself that make the best so successful;

• Is it obvious what purpose you serve or what problem you solve?
• The purpose or problem - do you truly solve them? For example, if you want to create a place where people can work, do you have sockets on every table and a great wi-fi connection?
• Can you create zones if you need to serve different sessions which means each one can create the environment you need? (PS. And don't ignore your transitional spaces, we have a post coming on this in June's Auden Standard.)
• Is your ambience set correctly for the time of day and guest purpose?
• Can you collaborate with anybody to help enforce your purpose? For example, can you replicate The Hoxton and look to bring in a coffee roaster as a concession?

These ideas all seem pretty obvious but sometimes starting simple is the best way to go.

If you are looking at zoning your F&B spaces right now on a new build or renovation project, sit back and think about how the space will work and whether it will set your operation teams on the track to success.

I always urge project teams to zone F&B spaces but not to go into detail until absolutely necessary so that the hotel opens with relevant spaces that have concepts to stand the test of time and not just be obvious or worse, out of date come opening day.

Let’s put 'the way we have always done it' as a thing of the past and look to curate purposeful and impactful outlets that will grow your F&B proposition to create outlets your guests will love.

Thanks for reading this week’s issue, see you next time.

Scot ???

Here are some of the projects we are working on right now at Auden Hospitality , if you have similar projects that need a different mindset, reach out and book a call to chat.

• Restaurant & Bar Concept Development - Country House Estate, UK
• Afternoon Tea Concept Development - Country House Estate, UK
• Hotel F&B Strategic Advisory, Independent Group, UK
• Branded Operations Toolkit & Design for a 20-strong European Hotel Group
• Restaurant Management Contract, London
• Independent Restaurant Ongoing Advisory & Strategy, London
• Official Catering Partner for International Sports Event at a major hotel golf resort, UK
• Brand Development & Training, Major Hotel Brand

Learn more by visiting our website www.audenhospitality.com