Ghost kitchens popping up in hotels worldwide
Hotel room revenues have tanked during the coronavirus pandemic, but some leading operators in the industry hope underutilized kitchens can pave the way for future profits. Even before the pandemic depleted hotels of high occupancy rates and coveted business like corporate travel and conventions, full-service hotel owners struggled with food and beverage programs generally operating at a loss. While necessary for amenities like room service, on-site restaurants were often scaled back to generally operate on limited hours or even just for breakfast to stop some of the financial bleeding. Those underutilized spaces now may become a rare segment of profitability while the global hotel industry lumbers along an uncharted pandemic recovery path.