In February's One for the Road, we asked industry experts to weigh in on what's out for 2025 trends in the bar and restaurant industry:
What trends are you currently seeing in hotel F&B?
Nicole Haarklau, Corporate Director, Food & Beverage Operations, Coury Hospitality
Hotel restaurants are quickly becoming a go-to destination for locals, with 74% of diners now choosing to go out during the week. While Saturday remains the most popular night, the growing trend of weeknight reservations is shaping 2025 dining habits. Guests appreciate the ease of securing a reservation, a more personalized level of service, and the relaxed pace that weeknights offer.
We have seen an increase in searches on our websites and inquiries in our restaurants for dessert menus and small plates for groups looking to share a small meal instead of full courses for each person. With this, we have started offering menus separately, such as a dessert-only menu, to highlight options for those interested in something to share. And, adding to the rising desire for desserts, we have also seen an increase in diners indulging in liquid night caps, including Cordials and Digestifs. Diners are looking to share more, stay longer and connect more throughout their meals, which is a trend we anticipate blossoming further in 2025.
Our recent culinary trends report shows that 95% of Americans say seasonal menus are trending this year. Seasonal menus are not only about the freshness of ingredients, but also the experiences and comfort they can create, such as a warm soup with fall produce or a bright salad to refresh in the summer. We are seeing a stronger desire and demand for seasonal comfort food across our portfolios, and our Chefs focus on creating innovative dishes that meet these needs, while keeping our guests coming back to see what’s in store for the next season.
According to our recent survey and 2025 culinary trends report, 76% of Americans say that non-alcoholic drinks are ‘In’ in 2025. Inclusivity is important at Coury Hospitality. There is now more accessibility to alcohol-removed wines than ever, and the quality has improved dramatically, which allows us to have varietal-focused options. Non-drinkers can still have the same experience as their drinking friend by not sitting at a wine dinner without a wine glass.
Andrei Marcu, Bar Manager, Bar Bota at Four Seasons Hotel Osaka, Japan
I think we are living in a very interesting era when it comes to trends within hotels. The definition of luxury has changed so much, and it’s all for the better. I feel like hyper-locality is one of the biggest trends. Guests are increasingly curious about where the produce comes from and how it’s made, while also wanting to experience as much of the local culture as possible during their visit.
Creative programs are also very much on trend. Guests are constantly seeking new and interesting venues, menus, dishes, or drinks which, to me, feels like a dream come true.
The last trend I’d mention is flavor-forward but nostalgic experiences. If, through our work, we can create stories that evoke nostalgia, then we’ve either won a new regular or, at the very least, earned great appreciation from our guests.
Adam Crocini, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Design, Wellness and Food and Beverage, Hilton
Creative High Tea: Hotels have long been known for high tea, with many providing a traditional, more formal offering. We’re now seeing high teas designed to be fun, not fussy. A great example is the Cherry Blossom- themed tea at Waldorf Astoria Washington DC. Beyond the incredible décor that transformed Peacock Alley into an enchanting spring retreat, the menu pays homage to the season with items like Cherry Ricotta Toast, Cherry Chipotle Shrimp Cocktail, and the indulgent Chocolate Cherry Financiers.
Multi-Sensory Dining Experiences: Guests are looking for immersive dining experiences – dinner with a side of storytelling. We keep that in mind for every F&B outlet across our 24 brands. Ceiba, the signature rooftop restaurant at Conrad Orlando, showcases sophisticated regional Mexican dishes with an expansive exploration of regional techniques and ingredients, but also happens to offer the best view of Disney World’s fireworks every evening. At FYR Short North at Hilton Columbus Downtown, Executive Chef Sebastian La Rocca incorporates the use of fire and smoke into most dishes to bring the historical ritual of cooking over an open flame tableside.
Local Spirits: Local sourcing continues to be increasingly important – to chefs and operators, as well as to their guests. Now we are seeing more hotel bar programs featuring craft spirits from their regions, which is interesting when you consider that states like Kentucky long dominated the whiskey scene. By way of example, Rosebay, located at Hotel 1000 in Seattle, offers a Dirty Vodka Martini made with Timberline Vodka from the Pacific Northwest and their Old Fashioned is made with McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, a spirit credited with starting the craft American Single Malt revolution. At the forthcoming Waldorf Astoria New York, we have partnered with renowned mixologist Jeff Bell – who is also managing partner at the award-winning PDT (Please Don’t Tell) – and he plans to feature several New York state spirits in the cocktail program he is designing for the bar at Peacock Alley.
José González, Executive Chef, The Restaurant & Bar at The Gilded Iguana Surf Hotel, Costa Rica
We’re seeing a focus on sustainable, health-conscious dining. In today's society, many people are more conscious about the ingredients that they are eating and putting into their body, so restaurants are trying to keep that in mind when coming up with new dishes and menu listings, especially with a focus on sustainable produce given the eco-conscious consumer. With this in mind, for the menu at The Gilded Iguana restaurant, I wanted to highlight cuisines and dishes authentically rooted in Costa Rica's culinary landscape, specifically using ingredients from the region, which I know is very important to the hotel and the guests visiting. My vision is for every dish to resonate with originality and the fresh spirit of Costa Rica.
I am also seeing the return of experiential dining, such as tableside cooking experiences, at many hotel restaurants. I think guests like to feel as if they are part of the experience, which is why many restaurants are allowing guests to cook their own food and/or chefs are cooking it directly in front of guests, so they can experience the unique cooking techniques firsthand. At The Gilded Iguana Restaurant, I offer a tableside Volcanic Stone Grill & Steak experience. This is a unique option where you choose the cut of meat you want – the meats are then served lightly seared and guests will then finish cooking their meats tableside on volcanic stones, extracted from the imposing Arenal Volcano. I think guests enjoy this because it's unique and hands-on.
Mark Maggiotto, General Manager, Hotel Ivy, Minneapolis, MN
Today, some of the best dining experiences can be found within remarkable hotels, redefining the concept of a "hotel restaurant" and transforming them into restaurants inside of hotels. By embracing the culture of their communities, restaurants and bars craft experiences that celebrate local flavors and traditions. Understanding what guests love—even when they’re not traveling—allows for the creation of truly unique moments, whether it’s a nostalgic dish like the elote served corn-on-the-cob style at Masa and Agave or the energy of locally inspired live music. Thoughtfully curated menus featuring regional ingredients, craft cocktails infused with local character, and inviting atmospheres turn hotel restaurants into vibrant social hubs. But ultimately, it’s those unforgettable, memory-making moments that leave the greatest impact, turning guests into regulars.
Bobby Carey, Creative Director, Proof Creative
Hotels are leveraging data and service rituals to offer tailored drinking experiences. Personalization is no longer a gimmick—it’s the foundation of modern luxury service. The best hotel bars are no longer relying on memory alone; they’re integrating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to track guest preferences, drinking habits, and even the pace at which they like to drink.
Another thing we’re seeing is that the best hotel bars today don’t just serve drinks—they create story arcs. Every guest journey should feel layered, offering a sense of progression that encourages return visits and deepens emotional connection. Instead of a static experience, bars are crafting multi-chapter drinking narratives, where guests move from one phase of service to the next, guided by intentional design and bartender intuition. Hotels at the highest level are treating bartending less like a transaction and more like a form of performance art.
As for cocktail menus, they’re now storytelling tools, which are designed for immersion and discovery. A cocktail menu should function as a living document, evolving with the seasons, the bartender’s creative direction, and even the guest’s level of familiarity with the bar. The most successful hotel bars are ditching static cocktail lists in favor of narrative-driven menus that unfold over time, encouraging repeat visits by revealing new layers of the story with each interaction.
While hotel bars previously just felt like an extension of the hotel’s F&B program, they’re now becoming their own independent brands, with their own dedicated following, merchandising, and reputation. These bars are leading the way in blurring the line between hotel bars and world-class cocktail destinations, ensuring that they are culturally relevant within their city rather than being perceived as just another hotel outlet.
In our work on a global scale, we’re seeing the hotel bar industry is moving towards a global circuit of talent exchange, where the best venues are creating constant movement and evolution through bartender residencies, international collaborations, and strategic cross-border partnerships. The most elite hotel bars are treating bartenders like headline chefs, ensuring that their team’s individual creativity is just as much of a draw as the bar itself. Guest shifts and rotating bartender residencies have become a key tool for maintaining freshness and relevance. The best hotel bars aren’t just showcasing their in-house team—they are bringing in some of the most well-regarded bartenders from other cocktail capitals, ensuring that their offering remains fluid, surprising, and constantly evolving.
Jeremy Johnson, Director of Outlets, Omni Interlocken Hotel, Broomfield, CO
Since we've recently renovated our on-site restaurants, we've noticed that guests aren't in a rush to get out the door, and they are hanging out and enjoying everything more. The renovations have made both outlets a lot more inviting and comfortable. People are sticking around in The Camper on the weekends enjoying a Latte after their Benny, and at Shep's, they are having another Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA or capping their night off with a Black Cherry Walnut Old Fashioned.
We've noticed that our clientele at both on-site concepts tends to be more hotel guests than local visitors. At The Camper, we've been the busiest at breakfast, but we are seeing our weekend brunch become more popular with locals. Shep's, which has our bar, also sees mostly hotel guests, but it is gaining some local people who come in and play pool, shuffleboard, or darts. Shep's is the busiest at dinner, whereas lunch tends to see a lot of large groups that are visiting the hotel. Increasing the number of local visitors we see in the restaurants is a goal this year for both concepts.
At The Camper, our most popular dish is our Camper Breakfast which is our family-style breakfast meant to share. It comes with scrambled eggs, hot agave sausage links, smoked bacon, campfire potatoes, sourdough toast, and coffee. Think of a breakfast you would have camping with the family. At Shep's, the most popular item by far is our Fish and Chips with hand-battered Haddock, malt vinegar seasoned fries, and house-made tartar sauce.
Portia Hart, Founder of Blue Apple Beach & Townhouse Art Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia
It's exciting to see more of the hotel F&B industry make sustainable choices, because that's what customers are looking for. At Blue Apple Beach, operating from an off-grid island, we started taking sustainability seriously out of necessity. There's a particular buzz around ethical and healthy sourcing for food and beverages which I'm really enjoying when I look at menus around the world. What we put in our bodies matters, and the environmental and social impacts of global food systems are unimaginable - if we get them right or wrong, it changes lives, worlds and ecosystems. I'm seeing more and more chefs take a holistic view from sourcing to composting; more and more bartenders choosing organic liquors and wines, creating garnishes from what might have been tthrown away before; fermenting fruit scraps from pineapples into kombuchas; and looking to recycle their glass waste. Last summer I travelled across Europe and Morocco and noticed hotels offering one fixed dinner menu in the evening - not only in smaller B&Bs but also in luxe properties like Jnane Tamnsa in Marrakech. This is both a welcome relief for the guest (who has enough decisions to make!) and obviously reduces food waste. Seeing operators and travelers lean into these win-wins is heartening, after so many decades of wasteful, thoughtless 'luxury'. Ultimately, I think we're seeing younger travelers, hotel owners, chefs and mixologists combine their values with the product, which is bringing sustainability into the mainstream, not as a sad alternative, but as a competitive advantage. It's a thrilling moment for our industry, and a potential paradigm shift.
Ella Guzik, Director of Food & Beverage, Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver, Denver, CO
As all our menus change seasonally, we are excited to put new dishes in front of guests but there are certainly staples that stay put through the year due to their demand- like our Pork Green Chili Breakfast Burrito and Angus Burger. As we experiment with our bar program and make tweaks to what we are ordering and to our wine list, it has been easy to establish trends and then get creative with cocktails that people come back for, a perfect example is our Basil Lemon Drop Martini which we have kept on the menu for several cycles now due to its popularity.
So far in 2025, we have seen an uptick in business across the board, since this time last year the public thought that we had permanently closed. Our breakfast and lunch services remain to be the busiest, so one of our goals for this year is to get the same momentum going for dinner.
Arturo Cristiane, Pre-Opening Hotel F&B Operational Standards General Manager, Maxx Royal Resorts
There are several key trends shaping the future of hotel food and beverage right now. Wellness is at the forefront. More hotels are embracing health-conscious and plant-based menus, catering to the growing demand for nutritious and sustainable options. Farm-to-table dining is becoming a central focus, with many properties emphasizing locally sourced ingredients to provide guests with a fresher, more authentic culinary experience.
Sustainability is another major trend. Zero-waste initiatives are no longer a niche; they’ve become a core part of hotel operations. Hotels are taking steps to reduce food waste through better inventory management, composting, and creative re-use of ingredients. Some are even going a step further by implementing packaging recycling or repurposing practices, making sustainability a visible and integral part of their brand identity.
Beverage programs are also evolving. Hotels are moving beyond traditional cocktail menus to include non-alcoholic cocktails, craft mocktails, and wellness drinks that cater to the growing demand for alcohol-free options. This trend allows guests to enjoy complex flavors and sophisticated presentations without the alcohol. On top of that, sustainable wine and coffee programs are gaining traction, with many hotels focusing on sourcing ethically produced beverages.
Lastly, we’re seeing a shift toward more casual dining experiences. Guests are increasingly interested in creating personalized dining experiences that focus on the venue's ambiance and overall atmosphere rather than just the food itself. This has led many hotels to expand their F&B offerings with informal dining options, providing guests with more flexibility and variety in how they enjoy their meals.
Mark Weiss, SVP, Food & Beverage, Loews Hotels & Co.
The Rise of Culinary Nostalgia: Reintroducing “Classic” Dishes with an Elevated Twist
As a team, we noticed how much culinary nostalgia is trending and how a lot of our guests were craving classic comfort food when they got back from a long day of meetings or simply wanted a day to relax with family and friends, poolside. I read a report last year that shared that 82% of consumers seek comfort foods and Gen Z craves nostalgic flavors. As a brand, we’re committed to “welcoming you like family” and ensuring that every single property is equipped with the necessities a traveler needs to feel right at home.”
While every hotel has its own unique in-room dining concepts that are aligned with the respective destination, our Corporate Executive Chef, Olivier Gaulpin, saw an opportunity to launch a brandwide “Loews Classics” menu that celebrates the comforts of home and familiar Americana tastes, while still staying true to the upscale nature of the brand, its local partners and Instagrammable presentation that evokes a “restaurant within your guest room” feeling. Whether a guest is ordering room service at Loews Miami Beach, New Orleans New York City or Tucson, he or she will always be able to order any of the core five “Loews Classics”: Loews Classic Chicken Noodle Soup, Loews Classic Caesar Salad, Loews Classic Turkey Club, Loews Classic Double Cheeseburger, Loews Classic Steak Frites.
We’re really also seeing brands make it their mission that no matter how simple or intricate a dish is to make, local vendors will be top of mind for the ingredient sourcing. For example: Chef Olivier at Loews Hotels & Co. has mandated that items with bread must include fresh bread from a local bakery in the destination or, when available, fresh leafy greens should be sourced from local farmers.
Inclusive Kids, Toddler, and Baby Dining at Hotels (Restaurants and In-Room Dining)
Hotels are definitely striking a balance between maintaining their core brand offerings/identity and introducing new programming and amenities that align with relevant trends. I’m noticing that a lot of brands are seeing that kids dining menus do not need to be elementary in flavor. For example: Last year, we launched an Adventurous Eaters program that gives children the opportunity to expand their palates and explore destinations through regional cuisine. At various restaurants throughout the portfolio, signature menu items are available to kids with age-appropriate serving sizes. As part of our “welcoming you like family” commitment, we always want to ensure that we deliver programming that appeals to all ages and traveler personalities and do not only appeal to adults.
I’m also seeing that more and more hotels are being inclusive of babies and toddler food needs, as well. Mindful that food quality and flavor is important for guests of all ages, we’ve also partnered with Little Spoon - the award-winning leader in the DTC kids food space offering a range of products from baby's first bites to big kid years. Two of Little Spoon’s most popular pureed meals (Spinach, Mango, Banana, Hemp and Kale, Avocado, Apple, Chia) are available at restaurants and on in-room dining menus across Loews’ portfolio.
Seasonally-Focused Low ABV and No ABV Cocktails at Hotel Restaurants
Last year, the industry saw a lot of hotels developing zero-proof cocktail menus. This year, I think we’re going to see a shift to properties developing a lot of seasonal-focused zero-proof menus that are always evolving and changing. I think we’re going to see creativity go as far as these types of cocktails timed with big events taking place across each hotel.: Loews Hotels & Co. saw a lot of success with our “Free Spirited” program when we rolled out elevated holiday low ABV and non-alcoholic holiday cocktails in December. Just as social media worthy as our traditional cocktails, we saw our guests enjoying cocktails like the “Sonoran Nog” at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and the “Winter’s Kiss” at Live! By Loews - Arlington. Guests really want a personal experience that ties with what they’re at the hotel to celebrate. Even with our annual Summerfest programming, we really find unique flavor palettes that are trending and ensure we offer those to guests all summer long. Everyone should feel included in cocktail culture and not feel they are given a very basic mocktail that’s not flavorful.
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