As the end of one year finishes and another new year begins, I eagerly wait for the avalanche of articles on the trends and predictions for the year ahead.
I optimistically read each article with an open mind and absorb the wisdom of these writers and influencers, product pushers and visionaries, as they gaze into their respective crystal balls!

• How will our hotels change?
• What did we learn from the past year?
• What is the next restaurant phenomenon?
• Will smashed avocado dominate the breakfast scene?

Well, here is my summary of the key takeaways gleaned from reading a mountain of said articles to save you the trouble…

Chicken!
Yes chicken, who knew…  According to the ‘Nation Restaurant News’ in the US, Chicken tops their list for the next BIG thing in 2018!!
http://www.nrn.com/beverage-trends/15-food-and-beverage-trends-expect-2018/gallery?slide=1

Turndown is dead!!
Coming to a 5 star hotel near you… no more choccy on your pillow! – boy that will really be missed… Well, that’s according to Bloomberg and who are we to disagree…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-08/seven-ways-hotels-will-change-in-2018

Personalised Guest Service…
Yes, you heard it here first folks  – hotels will aim to personalise guest service to guest needs according to Accor… (well, maybe that is something new to Accor! 😊)
https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/accorhotels-just-predicted-7-hospitality-trends-for-2018

Robots!
Your friendly porter or room service waiter better start searching for a new job, because according to Hcareers, the robots are coming to a hotel near you in 2018!
https://www.hcareers.com/article/employer-articles/7-industry-trends-that-every-hospitality-employee-should-pay-attention-to-in-2018

In Conclusion…
In all seriousness, most changes in our industry will mirror the changes in society generally. Hospitality is rarely a leader in any field, and historically has been slow to change and adapt to the next and the new.

However, technological developments are certainly a major focus of most articles reviewed and whilst this makes for good reading, it does reflect the likely pace of change in advanced economies. The internet has already revolutionised the way we do business, and social media has changed hotel marketing forever. The “internet of things” has been heralded as the next quantum shift in technology, and despite reading many articles, I still can’t get my head around blockchain technology and how it will revolutionise hospitality as mooted.

As usual, it remains to be seen how quickly our industry will react and adapt. Our track record is not the best, so in December 2018 and January 2019 I will eagerly look out for the reviews of 2018 and the new trends for 2019!!

About the Author

Tim Johns is a former Hotelier and Managing Partner with Elite Search – a leading hospitality recruitment firm. For more information about Tim and Elite Search visit http://www.elitesearch.com.au and The Elite Hotelier http://www.elitehotelier.net