Insights from the Lodging Conference

Several Entegra team members attended the annual Lodging Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

In two sessions, How to create profitable F&B operations in hotels and Cash Flow: Operational tactics that improve the top and bottom line, Entegra VP of Enterprise Sales Martin Schellenberg shared his expertise. Key insights from the Lodging Conference include:

Food & Beverage

F&B will continue to drive profitability and play a key role in incentivizing return stays and overall guest satisfaction.

• Provide guests with “experience-forward” F&B; for example, a 5-star French hotel recently created a soothing “Sleeping Beauty” mocktail in tandem with the Taylor Swift Eras concert tour.
• Focus on creating limited menus to help diners avoid decision fatigue, which also helps with faster table turnover and greater inventory control.
• Challenge chefs to get creative with dishes based on trending food prices. Share the Entegra Managing Supply Chain culinary video series to get the wheels turning.
• Focus on beverage programs that drive profitability, including creative mocktails that tap into the trend of zero-proof and healthier drinks.
• Keep sustainability front and center: Cage-free eggs, responsibly farmed seafood and chicken that meet Better Chicken Commitment¹ standards are just a few examples of sustainable ingredient options for which hotel operators are seeing increased demand.
• Consider staff-free super pantries to offer a greater selection of snack and meal items that increase profit.
• Use Entegra’s Cost Outlook to stay on top of fluctuating markets including macro trends, commodity forecasts and inflation. Entegra’s Cost Outlook is issued twice annually.

Procurement Services with Added Value “Operators need to have a strategy around procurement. There is so much more that your supply chain can do for you…it’s not just about savings, it’s also about driving value and customer perception.” -Martin Schellenberg, VP of Enterprise Sales, Entegra and Lodging Conference speaker

Labor

Training remains an important way to engage staff, whether temporary or permanent.

• Show staff you are willing to invest in them for the long term and increase retention with online platforms like the Pineapple Academy² (a valued Entegra supplier).
• Increase recipe card training for both menu consistency and labor efficiency.
• Continue to assess recruiting and onboarding processes and implement best practices.

Technology

From filling the talent gap to streamlining procurement efficiencies, technology is always a hot topic for lodging professionals.

• Keep an eye on robotics and various labor-saving technologies. Carpet vacuuming and scrubbing robot units, especially for properties with convention center or meeting spaces, are gaining popularity.
• Consider ancillary opportunities like electric vehicle charging stations and cellular antennas.
• Opt-in to technology that can help automate ordering and inventory processes across multiple suppliers and locations — and more. The Entegra PurchasingIQ platform does this and more.

Capital Improvements

Strategic, thoughtful planning drives the most successful capital improvement hotel projects.

• Ensure any renovation project aligns with energy-saving measures to help mitigate cost and improve efficiency for the hotel’s future.
• Include suppliers in PIPs (Property Improvement Plans) to meet industry and guest support for local and direct suppliers — think landscaping, building, furniture and more, all of which should be available from your GPO.
• Entegra Energy Management Services can help operators garner energy efficiency and implement energy cost savings.

A look at how GPOs service branded hotels and hotel management companies

Glenn Haussman, founder and host of No Vacancy News, dives into how GPOs work with both branded hotels and hotel management companies alongside Jason Gillespie and Thomas Fraim from the Entegra Enterprise Sales Team.

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Entegra: A procurement partner that helps hotels improve performance

From technology to labor to facility equipment and supplies, Entegra supports the lodging industry. As the largest food group purchasing organization in the world, we use our $36 billion purchasing power to negotiate lower prices on the goods and services the lodging community needs.

Through Entegra's negotiated contracts, you can save up to 30% on nearly everything you purchase.^* And that includes custom contracts including bespoke products from local suppliers.

Call us at 833-977-1765 or contact us to get more information about putting Entegra’s business performance improvement services to work for you.

^{1 The Better Chicken Commitment
2 PineappleAcademy.com
*Savings based when compared to supplier list prices.}