2017 travel trends have been rather impressive; we’ve had an increase in hospitality establishments keen to create an unforgettable experience for guests, there’s been a rise of people choosing to sample another way of life in Airbnbs and there’s been more of a desire for short, exploration city breaks. 2018 is set to be another exciting year for the travel industry, and here’s our top three travel trends that will think you’ll see and possibly experience... Extreme Trips Lousing around the pool with a cocktail in hand may be a thing of the past for many holidaymakers. Instead, people are wanting to explore new countries and discover the unknown. There’s a rise in extreme TV shows such as from Russia to Iran which follows the journey of presenter Lev who wings his way through country to country, coming across new ways of living that we’ve never experienced before and revealing new and exciting cultures that haven’t had much coverage before. These ‘extreme trips’ are now drawing more and more visitors to places that the government do advise against such as Iran, Korea and Iraq. Already there are travel companies in place who are taking on these bookings to cope with the demand for these extreme - and somewhat dangerous trips. Creating cruises for younger people To those under the age of 30, sitting on a cruise around the med could possibly be one of the worst ways to spend a holiday that’s usually associated with the older folk. We know that they will probably want to be out exploring and sampling food and drinks from local restaurants - and experiencing the nightlife. However, there are now river cruises who are keen to change the traditional perspective of a ‘cruise’ by giving it a younger feel. Uniworld’s luxury ships are set to have DJs on board, rooftop lounges and more exciting excursions from whitewater rafting to rock climbing. Sounds fun, but will it have the ability to replace those long summer Ibiza nights? The rise of holidays for all of the family Normally, having a ‘holiday’ means a break from the family. It’s a bit of alone time for you and your partner, friends or kids to have a bit of you time without inviting everyone. However, travel companies are really keen to get families reconnecting again, and getting the whole family to get away as one to enjoy themselves. Perhaps this trend might take a while to catch on, but we must say we do love a good family holiday! What travel trend would you like to see? Let us know over on Twitter #GBLOVES
0 Comments
Christmas is around the corner, hurrah, and the GB team are super excited...we’ve even got our Santa hats at the ready! Hotels and restaurants around the world are now preparing for the biggest time of the year. To get us in the festive spirit, we’ve chosen some of the top places you can enjoy this Christmas in the North West. Ho, ho ho! The Mere Golf Resort & Spa Experience your very own White #MEREyXmas Christmas moment at the beautiful Mere Golf Resort & Spa. There’s something for all the family to enjoy - including the Santa Sunday Lunch where Father Christmas makes a special appearance with his friends, a Christmas Day Lunch or a festive residential getaway. If you’re looking looking for a relaxing festive break, you can cosy away in one of its snuggly rooms or suites - or head to the award-winning Spa and enjoy a cocktail by the indoor pool. The Stanneylands Following its stunning refurbishment, The Stanneylands will be hosting its first Christmas and is inviting its neighbours to come and join them this Christmas in the heart of the Cheshire countryside. Why not cosy up with your loved ones around the log fire, or enjoy a brisk winter walk followed by one of their festive lunches or festive afternoon teas? A perfect way to enjoy those cosy winter days! Leasowe Castle There’s nothing more perfect that snuggling away in the Winter than in the magical Leasowe Castle. Why not visit with the family to find out The Untold Story of Mrs Claus, or enjoy a fine evening with its Musical Opera Spectacular? Or if you’re simply looking for a way to avoid the cooking on Christmas Day, why not book in for Christmas Day Lunch and even make a night of it. So perfect. Hard Days Night Hotel Enjoy a festive season that you will never forget at the Beatles inspired Hard Days Night Hotel. With a fabulous team of Chefs, you can experience a glorious menu of festive dishes from their Festive Swing Afternoon Tea, Christmas Lunch with Santa or Festive Lunches and Dinner. A perfect City Christmas escape... Where will you be spending Christmas this year? Tweet us and let us know… #GBLOVES October. A time for ghosts, ghouls and pumpkin lattes... But this year, not only do we have Halloween to contend with, we also have Friday 13th. And the internet is loving it. Cinemas are bombarding us with horror films, and fear attractions are going all out. To get us in the ‘spirit’, we thought we’d share with you some of the most haunted pubs from around the U.K. if you fancy a fright with your pint... Jamaica Inn, Cornwall Okay, Cornwall is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the U.K. It’s got the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Michael’s Mount - and not to forget plenty of ghouls ( if you’ve ever been to Bodmin Jail then you’ll know exactly what we are talking about). The Jamaica Inn is said to be one of the UK most haunted pubs and was described as ‘one of the scariest episodes’ on Most Haunted. It’s been there for 300 years playing host to visitors passing through and is said to be haunted by a gentlemen who was murdered centuries ago who lingers outside sitting down and not engaging with anyone. Others have reported hearing voices of foreign tongue and the sounds of horse and carriage passing by when no one has been around… The pub has had a few TV appearances including the BBCs adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's Novel, Jamacia Inn. Spooky. The Mermaid Inn, East Sussex If you love a good scare, then why not head to The Mermaid Inn in East Sussex? There’s been countless reports of spooky noises from the building that dates back to 1120. One of its most popular ghostly sightings is of a lady dressed in white who sits in a chair by the fireplace. The story goes that this lady was murdered by smugglers and walks across the pub, through the doors and also stands at the bottom of the beds upstairs (imagine waking up to that, we’d be well out the door)! Other guests have spotted a man walking around, bottles flying from shelves and finding their clothes wet when they were dry. The Spaniard’s Inn Built in 1585, The Spaniard’s Inn used to be an Inn for those passing by - including the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin who was born here. Report has is that he still roams the pub along with the ghost Juan Porero, a Spaniard who fought with his brother over a woman who was killed. These have been seen outside the inn and heard within it too. The pub has had plenty of coverage from literary geniuses including Bram Stoker who mentioned it in Dracula and John Keats who was inspired to write Ode to a Nightingale one summer afternoon. We hope we didn’t scare you too much. Have you ever visited a haunted pub? Tweet us and let us know over at GB Hospitality #GBLOVES Food trends are always changing, and as we’re big foodies we are always keen to sample something new. Around the globe, different countries have numerous foods that catch on, some being pretty normal with a select few being somewhat very weird. If you’re a regular blog follower, then you may have caught up with our post, ‘Instagram: The Latest Food Trends’ the other week where we featured some of the most unusual food trends appearing on our Instagram channels including the infamous ‘black food’. We took a look at some of the newest food trends that have just hit the U.K. Enjoy... Cheese Tea Us Brits are tea lovers. And if you’re one of the people who are particular about the way your tea is brewed, look away now. This new trend is not for you! Cheese Tea is a new trend that first started in Taiwan and has since become a popular choice of beverage in places including Singapore and New York (especially among the ‘hipsters’)! The ‘tea’ is an iced drink that’s topped with frothy whipped cheese - with some comparing it to a macchiato. It can be served with a variety of flavours including salted cheese and chocolate. You can try one of these at Happy Lemon, a Taiwanese bubble tea chain in London. Unicorn breakfast cereal It feels that the unicorn trend is never ending. Fashion stores are bombarding us with ‘unicorn’ PJs, cafes are serving up unicorn cakes and home decor trends feature this magical look. Now Kellogg’s have jumped on board with this trend and created Unicorn Froot Loops breakfast cereal which is available to be here in the U.K. They believed that the unicorns was one of the biggest consumer trends of 2017 - and as you can imagine, it’s gone down a treat already and does add a bit more excitement to having to get up in the morning. We are really fascinated by the trends that people are loving across the world - and look forward to seeing some of the latest foods that are set to hit the U.K. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram and Twitter where we will be sharing the latest industry news and views. Have you tried any weird food trends? Let us know over on Twitter #GBLOVES With the help of baking show, The Great British Bake Off, the rise of people whipping out the butter and the cream is on the up with Monday 18th September marking the beginning of National Cupcake Week. Organised by British Baker Magazine, the week has been created to celebrate the glorious ‘sweet bundles of joy that are cupcakes’. And as you might be able to tell, we are super excited as the GB Team have a sweet tooth! The week is designed not only for people to enjoy those delicious treats, but it’s also an encouragement for those who don’t bake to get involved to understand everything about baking - from the ingredients to making it and how to present it with different toppings and embellishments. The week is also not only designed for people at home, it’s targeting businesses to get involved too - by asking them to get create something for their customers to raise awareness of the week. So this week, our challenge will be to get in the kitchen, get on our baking hat, and create a work of art (or at least try too). We hope you all have a great time eating cupcakes this week, here are 3 facts that might come in handy for you...
How will you be getting involved with National Cupcake Week? Let us know over on Twitter #GBLOVES We are sure you’ll agree that lunch times in the office are never the most exciting thing - and if you’re like us, a butty and cuppa will suffice until dinner. But, don’t worry - we are not alone. In actual fact, there are one in three of us who continue to eat the same lunch every day - with 70 per cent of workers agreeing they are stuck in a lunch rut with the average Brit having a repertoire of just three meals that they rotate each week - with the ham sandwich coming out on top. Food delivery chain, Deliveroo, carried out the the survey to find out what people were choosing to eat come 12 o’clock as part of their new programme, Lame Lunch Amnesty on Tuesday, to give workers the chance to ‘upgrade their soggy sandwiches to restaurant quality food’. The survey revealed many people continued to eat these plain lunches are they felt it was fairly healthy - and they were trying to stay slim. Here are the top 10 most popular lunches for the UK office worker...
British office supply company, Viking, did their research into what a typical office lunch looks like in ten different countries around the world including Austria and Italy - we must note these put our ham butties to shame! Italy A classic Italian pasta dish is enjoyed at lunchtimes with a small side salad and Turkish coffee, with some opting for a slice of bread too. Austria Schnitzel (thinly pounded pork or veal) served with potatoes and salad. Delicious but not all that healthy… America Top of the American food list? Pizza. As much as we’d love to eat this every day, our bellies say otherwise India The most popular lunch choice is rice and moong dal, peas and potato curry chicken saagwala, chapati and chai tea. Comfort food at it’s best. Germany Sticking to tradition, Germans enjoy curry sausage with fries, an apple coffee and water for their lunch time delights. Brazil A favourite dish for Brazilians is a bean stew, Feijoada which is served with rice and coconut water. Netherlands Vaguely similar to us - they enjoy a sandwich and some fruit! Turkey A common lunch is Spinach and feta pride served with coffee. France Ham and butter sandwich, apple pie and water. Ooh la la, we like. What do you eat for lunch? Let us know over on Twitter #GBLOVES From creating the perfect foodie masterpiece in the kitchen, to meeting and greeting guests, working in the hospitality industry has plenty to offer anyone, and everyone! It’s one of the most fast - paced industries to be part of, with more and more people across the globe wanting to become part of it. We took a look at some of the reasons for this, and why it will we believe it will always continue to grow… Being able to create that ‘moment’ for the guest In hospitality, one of the main goals of any successful establishment is to create an unforgettable moment, or experience for every single guest. It could be that guest celebrating a special anniversary, to someone who is visiting spontaneously. As a member of the team, employees want to give the best service they can possibly provide to ensure that everyone they meet, greet or serve will remember their visit forever - and to be part of that memory is priceless. There’s never a dull moment With the industry being so fast moving, it can at times be very challenging for team members - but a challenge that all employees love to embrace. They might find themselves learning skills and knowledge that they perhaps wouldn’t gain in any other field of work, and can have more freedom and responsibility in a number of areas of the venue allowing them to never stop learning, and to never stop progressing. Meeting new people from around the world One of the best perks of a role in hospitality has to be the audience diversity - and the opportunity to meet new and exciting people from all around the world; from your colleagues to your guests. It’s one of the best feelings in the world to work alongside people who are passionate about providing a top service to guests, but also to engage with new people who might be visiting your city, or country and getting to know them and making them feel welcome to the area. The caterer have recently launched the award entries for best places to work. Why not submit your entry here? thecaterer.com/articles.510597/best-places-to-work-in-hospitality-2018-open-for-entries Do you work in hospitality? If so, let us know what you love about it over on Twitter! #GBLOVES Autumn is here. The dark nights are upon us, jumpers and boots have made their return - and Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced lattes are calling us already. It’s without doubt, one of the most spectacular seasons that we all enjoy. We thought we’d share our top Autumnal foods with you that you’ll be sure to enjoy on those cosy cold nights in… Pumpkin Soup The GB team are big Pumpkins fans and enjoy foods complete with anything Pumpkin inspired. When it comes to the top Autumnal food, it HAS to be Pumpkin Soup served with warm, buttery bread. It’s a delightful treat if you’ve been on a crisp walk, pumpkin picking with the kids - and perfect to serve up to friends if you’re out in the garden on Bonfire night. Hot Apple Cider There’s nothing more cosier than snuggling up indoors with a mug of hot apple cider to warm you up. It’s created with cinnamon sticks, cloves, berries, allspice and orange and lemon peel to give it that spicy tang which are bundled up and placed into the cider and heated in a saucepan. If you haven’t tried it already, now is the perfect time to do so. Homemade Toffee Apples Forget supermarket toffee apples and have fun making your own at home! There’s so many flavourings you can use, from toffee to golden syrup which can be decorated how you like. It’s the perfect treat for those with a seriously sweet tooth; and of the main reasons we love this time of year! Pumpkin Spiced Latte If you love a tasty treat, then the Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte is perfect to get your tastebuds tingling. It’s made with gorgeous tastes of pumpkin, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg (delicious) to create the drink we all know and love. Enjoy whipped cream on the top to give it that extra edge; amazing. What’s your favourite Autumnal food you’ll be enjoying this season? Tweet us over at GB Hospitality #GBLOVES Hospitality trends are forever changing, and this summer we’ve definitely seen some massive changes across the restaurant side of things. It’s a new and exciting era for food lovers who can enjoy some of the latest innovations from the industry. Here’s some of the hottest restaurants trends that have caught our eye this Summer... Instagrammable dishes Instagram has taken the restaurant industry by storm; it’s a quick and efficient way to encourage customers to snap their meal and tag themselves in at your establishment (for free)! However, there’s a very clever tactic behind this which doesn’t involve serving up somewhat drab dishes. Instead restaurants are now keen to create something spectacular - and something that’s perfect for an Instagram feed. Think funky glasses and mesh tins to replace plates and you’ll get the idea. The food itself also needs to look incredible, with plenty of time and love now being added to the serving before it’s delivered to the lucky diner. Dining away from the restaurant Traditional ‘Take-away’ food is often associated with that gorgeous crispy pizza from Domino’s or that Chinese meal from the local chippy; but in today’s foodie world, this concept has changed dramatically. Today more and more people are ordering full meals from local high-street restaurants, and independent ones to be delivered at home, rather than enjoying a dining in experience. Restaurants - especially city based ones - are teaming up with brands such as Deliveroo and UberEats who will take an order, collect it freshly made and deliver to someone’s door. One of the main reasons for this is to expand their reach, and attract new audiences that might not fancy dining out and would prefer to enjoy their food in the comfort of their own home. Food for everyone In the past couple of years, phrases such as ‘gluten free’ and ‘veganism’ have been on the rise. And as a result, restaurants have adapted their menus and food choices to suit the needs of everyone; regardless of their dietary requirements. These food choices as a result have seen a steady increase in fruits and vegetables which is set to continue increasing. As a result of better eating, and these dietary needs, there are a number of businesses who have opened up to suit these eaters - such as Vegan restaurants, and Gluten Free ones in cities throughout the U.K. What kitchen trends have you spotted this Summer? Let us know over on Twitter! #GBLOVES Whether you’re working in a restaurant, or a local bar, providing a quality service to each and every customer is vital. Not only does it make them feel valued, but it also makes you stand out among your competitors and most importantly - making their visit to you memorable. There’s numerous factors that need to be accounted for in order for you to really delight guests. Discover our top three ways that you can carry out to make that visit extra special for your customer. Making customers feel special From the moment they step through the door, it’s important that you are central to the customer’s experience. Now we know it’s hard to provide the highest calibre of service to every single one of your guests but light touches such as a warm welcome, a personalised greeting, a “how is your day” really can go a long way. It will make your guest feel valued and will appreciate the time you’ve given them, and most importantly, will create a lasting memory of your superb. Knowledgeable Staff From the dish of the day, the newest Gin or what’s on in the local area, it’s important that every team member should act like an Encyclopedia on the latest happenings. From this, they can offer guidance and advice to guests to show that they care about making their visit extra special - especially for those who may be staying in an unfamiliar area who need that little bit of guidance. It also shows that the team is passionate about the area and happy to give their time gladly to everyone. Taking control of a bad situation A guest with a noisy neighbour? A long wait for that meal? Or issues checking in- they’re all things that can quickly unsettle guests, especially those expecting a premium service. By being efficient and responding to any queries with immediate effect will dilute the situation as quickly as possible. Know where to offer an apology or if you need to go that extra bit further to really make up for your guests dissatisfaction, a token gift. Let us know what you think is great service on Twitter #GBLOVES |
Author
Categories
All
Archives
November 2017
|