Global hotel brand AccorHotels taps into key consumer trend to build brand affinity
In the highly competitive world of hotel brand loyalty the battle is raging for the hearts of consumers. Air bnb – the worlds largest hospitality brand that doesn’t own a single room, restaurant or flower filled foyer – has genuinely disrupted a market that had evolved little the last century. The category shake-up has been the catalyst for product development innovation as boutique hotels and serviced apartment offers have popped-up in every corner of the world catering to different niches. The large hotel chains too are sorting themselves-out, identifying distinctive core customers and getting their differentiated brand proposition houses in order. One of the most powerful trends driving brand engagement is food, or more accurately a whole basket-full of food trends such as; five star food, cutting edge nouveau cuisine, gourmet fast food, celebrity chefs, paddock-to-plate – you name it. Now, AccorHotels plans on growing its own vegetables in order to lessen food waste.
Whilst growing your own vegies has been adopted by a number of noted restaurants and chefs who use urban spaces such as rooftop gardens to grow their own vegetables and create dishes with these seasonal ingredients, this is a new space for a hotel chain. The UK’s The Guardian Newspaper, reports; AccorHotels hopes to cut down food waste by as much as 30%. The move taps-into a significant consumer trend toward being more sustainable in both what we cook and what we eat. The chain plans on creating and maintaining gardens within some of its hotels and introducing a management process requiring their restaurants to report on how much food they throw away. The move will result in menu changes with a focus on local foods and shorter course offerings. As such the hotel chain is looking to emotionally engage those aligned to this food movement and create a sense of brand affinity.
Dave Ansett
Truly Deeply Founder & Creator of Brands
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