Six considerations for hoteliers in 2021

Here’s how to maximise planning for a post-COVID world

As the vaccine continues to be rolled out at pace and we begin to look towards a post-COVID world, now is the time to get ahead and plan for success.

We all know that hotels are a fundamental part of people’s lives. Whether they’re used for business trips, family holidays, wedding venues or just a weekend away, you’ll be busy planning your reopening strategy. Some hoteliers are simply looking to relaunch their pre-COVID offer, others have reimagined their proposition to an entirely new one. Whichever you decide, consumers will be eager to revisit their experiences with you and with expected high volumes of bookings, a streamlined operation is required.

Whether it’s navigating the new EU-UK trade deal agreement with your suppliers, or future-proofing your business, there are many challenges to face as you plan to maintain a high-quality service and offer in your return.

Here are six considerations for hoteliers in 2021

1) Purchasing power and system

By partnering with Foodbuy, you can take advantage of cost savings on an unrivalled scale – thanks to our £1 billion in purchasing power. We also have an expert team of systems specialists supporting leisure businesses worldwide every single day:

2) Depth of resource

With a 150+ strong team of food procurement experts, let us leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to share valuable insights with your business. Our category development and food procurement experts monitor the market and make recommendations that will improve buying efficiencies, as well as creating a more streamlined operation underpinned by complete transparency.

3) Cross-sector expertise

At Foodbuy, we support a broad range of channels and industries. Our supply chains are still going strong across multiple industries such as healthcare, defence, infrastructure sites – to name a few! Whilst many businesses in the leisure and hospitality market have grinded to a halt, our cross-sector expertise has helped us to maintain purchasing power throughout the last 12 months, making it possible for us to still command best-in-class pricing from suppliers.

4) Safety and Sanitation

Understandably, there will be a hyper-awareness of safety and sanitation on the part of consumers in the post-COVID world. As a result, all businesses in the hotel sector are going to have to keep up with expectations, including stocking new products like guest room hand sanitisers, display of indoor air quality and more. Products and information such as this will be key to promoting consumer confidence across your hotels, whilst demonstrating your focus on new safety and sanitation protocols.

At Foodbuy, we’re proud to be supporting healthcare businesses, including the NHS via our contract with NHS Supply Chain and leading Care Home groups. We have supported these businesses over the last 12 months to ensure their supply chain delivers the highest levels of due diligence. We also provide a market-leading services, equipment and supplies programme with access to non-food items like gloves, chemicals, pest control and janitorial products. Find out more here.

5) Menu cost management

Following the COVID-19 crisis, the Leisure market will be more price-driven, and with some consumers having less disposable income, affordability is likely to be in high demand. Thanks to our culinary heritage, our food procurement experts can help you adjust your menu and operations to meet new market needs.

6) Transparency

Consumers will be looking closely at their moral compasses and will only want to buy from brands they can trust and really relate to. Meet Epsys, our revolutionary e-procurement system. With our system in place, you can add our corporate social responsibility module; Green 10. This tool provides real-time metrics to monitor and measure specific targets including food mileage, local sourcing and food waste.

With Epsys, you can also check the source of your ingredients at any given time, giving you complete confidence in the food and drink you serve to your customers. We also work in partnership with Oritain, a specialist in product and supply chain traceability, to verify the origin of our products.

We keep our finger on the pulse. That’s what makes us and our clients stronger, faster and more resilient.

We support multiple businesses across the Leisure industry to bring goals and objectives to life, with local experts on hand to assist with day-to-day trials and tribulations, as well as leveraging global expertise, learnings and experiences – all of which can support you in making a show-stopping return, post-COVID.

As one of the largest food procurement businesses in the world, Foodbuy is always looking toward the future. We are restless in our desire to seek out sustainable innovations that we can provide to clients to meet the heightened challenges of food, drink and service provision – especially in the current climate and for future generations in the years ahead.

If you require support with your post-COVID planning or you'd like to start your procurement journey with Foodbuy, contact us here.