Airports merge travel, tourism, and hospitality industries - HMSHost

Roundtable continuedDenver ChopHouseDenver International AirportDWSheila makes sure we see all customer comments thatpertain to our specific areas. We respond quickly toeach customer email, usually within 24 hours if notimmediately.expressing more interest in understandingingredients, nutritional content, and the healthbenefits of their food; I believe that trend willcontinue.”Stone Rose Bar & GrillJFK International AirportWolfgang Puck ExpressIndianapolis International AirportVMDWAlso, we have a pretty evolved “mystery shopper”program. And don’t forget, executives who work forour branded partners themselves travel a lot. Theylove to “pop in” to our airport locations just to checkout how things are going. At any time, our folksmight be serving the president of the restaurantrepresented by the logo on the server’s uniform!We’re always on our toes.Going forward in airport food concessions, what doyou see as the next big thing?Specialization will continue to evolve. Today’stravelers want more than the basics of fast food,newspapers, and coffee — which we already offer.They have individual preferences, and they expectour airport restaurants to accommodate them.They choose their meals based on lifestyle, so they’realways drawn to a specific ethnic category, or anorganic restaurant, or a brand known for itssustainable practices, and so on. These are thechoices they make streetside, and they won’tcompromise just because they’re in an airport.Today’s travelers are more mobile than ever. Manyhave been around the world and have developed ataste for regional recipes and international flavors.Why shouldn’t they be able to find those dishes inairports as well? Our new, one-of-a-kind restaurantconcepts, inspired by our celebrity master chefs,bring exotic menus to life that satisfy everydemographic. Just because customers are on thego is no reason to limit their food choices.AGFSSBTechnology will play a big role. Our digital menuboards are just the beginning. We already havekiosks in place that let travelers order their meals andpay at computer stations — then pick up their to-goorders at the counter. Lots of customers tell us theyprefer this kind of service option — no lines. Acoming tech wave we’re focusing on is a cell phoneapp that lets travelers do all that from their cars, orthe jetway.We need to stay nimble and resourceful. As otherconcessionaires learn from our initiatives, we need tostay a step ahead with our concept introductions andinnovations. This means bringing in more local andregional restaurants — intact with all their streetsidecharm — yet managed to deliver profits in thevolume-intense whirlwind of airport concessions.Four of you have been with HMSHost for 20 yearsor more. Isn’t that unusual in today’s businessenvironment?Absolutely. But we haven’t always had the samepositions or areas of responsibility. We’ve all seenlots of different departments and specializations atHMSHost. And that’s all good. Since there are somany moving parts in the airport concessionsbusiness, it helps things run smoothly when eachof us understands the entire process.Thanks, folks — I see what you mean, Sheila, about“a lot of moving parts” to the travel concessionsindustry.LD“Today’s traveler knows more about food — andnutritional content — than ever before. Customersrely on the labels on our pre-packaged items. Severallocal governments have passed new regulationsaround nutritional disclosure. Customers areSBTrue — but don’t forget HMSHost has been inthe business for 100 plus years. We’ve learned afew things! HGladstone’s SeafoodLos Angeles International AirportStarbucks CoffeeNorfolk International Airport“Specialization will continue to evolve.Today’s travelers want more than thebasics of fast food, newspapers, andcoffee … they expect our airportrestaurants to accommodate them.They choose their meals based onlifestyle, so they’re always drawn to aspecific ethnic category, or an organicrestaurant, or a brand known for itssustainable practices.”— Vince ModicaHMSHost F&B Concepts, Marketing, Supply Chain and Standards Group