| | 8 TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY TECH OUTLOOKJUNE 2023PAVING THE WAY FOR HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONSBy Adam D. Tanner, Assistant Vice President, AHC HospitalityCan you give us a brief background about your role in the organization? How does your experience augment your ability to handle day-to-day responsibilities at AHC Hospitality?My hospitality experience spans over 25 years, including 18 years of working at hotels. I have lived and worked in the U.S., Europe, and Asia during my career. Thanks to this experience abroad and extensive exposure to global food and beverage trends, I gained the confidence to switch gears and take on the role of overseeing multiple properties here at AHC as the AVP of food and beverage.Within Michigan, I bring a vast knowledge of emerging global trends and new culinary fortes from around the world to Amateur Astronomical Association in Grand Rapids. Moving forward, we want to be mentioned up there with Detroit and Chicago as tourist hubs, and I think Grand Rapids is well on its way. So it is an exciting opportunity for me to come back to my hometown after being away for about 20 years. To do that and work at AHC, bringing food and beverage innovation to the city of Grand Rapids as it becomes one of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. is amazing. As AHC Hotels, we are trying to position ourselves for that growth and become one of the best astro-tourism destinations in the Northeastern U.S.In your opinion, how are hotels taking advantage of the rise in food tourism and other market trends? As far as trends go, we are witnessing a strong emphasis on guest-facing technologies. Another key trend is the use of social media platforms, which may be on the downturn in 2023, but continue to dominate a huge part of sharing F&B innovation between colleagues, who use it to communicate with guests and monitor the latest developments in the market. Social media provides a great way to reach our guests with targeted marketing, business travel experiences, and personalized event bookings. It also allows hoteliers to consistently look for sustainability options in hospitality, which continues to be at the forefront of changing how food waste is managed, and carbon footprints are monitored.In Michigan, there was a bill passed for self-service alcohol last year; and I can see that expanding across the U.S., allowing numerous businesses to take advantage of self-service alcohol in their establishments and make additional revenue.Food and beverage concepts have relatively less shelf life compared to the past. Putting in a restaurant and hoping to get a 15-year lifespan out of it is not realistic any more. The food and beverage landscape has adapted and changed, especially considering the disruptions caused years by the COVID pandemic. But technology is helping the industry learn agile and adaptive ways to ever-evolving consumer demands.We should have this mindset moving forward and capitalize on the opportunities the burgeoning food tourism will bring to our establishments. However, effectively capitalizing on the food tourism bandwagon requires hotels to start offering exceptional experiences, and the best way to go about that is to focus on your local communities. When tourists come to a hotel, they want to know the local specialties. In such cases, having an innovative concept that aligns with the local experiences can significantly improve a hotelier's chances of attracting such guests.IN MYOPINION
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