Restaurants and hotels are finding ways to boost sales

I raised several questions in the my recent discussion on +MultiBriefs:

Is the restaurant industry in recession? If so, how can we deal with it? The restaurants are now facing many challenges, including rising food costs and labor costs, as well as the travel threats created by the terrorists. One solution I proposed (among some others) was to work closely with the local community to boost sales.

Co-incidentally, I also found hotels are luring travelers with local flavors, with the examples of the "running concierge" by +Westin Hotels & Resorts, rooms decorated by local artists in the +Park Hotel Tokyo, and the community engagement programs in +Hostelling International.

Would you consider "adding local flavors" to a hospitality or tourism product/service as a trend for the industry? Have you recently observed similar examples where businesses offer more local flavors to customers? Please share your story with us.

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Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

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