The food and beverage sector of hospitality is one of the elements that can either make or break a hotel.

Over the years, a hotel’s buffet breakfast, in-room dining offerings, and even the delicacies offered at the pastry shop in the lobby have helped draw in both staying guests as well as walk-in customers.

But in these days of globalisation and food and bev trends shifting almost at every hour, can a hotel’s F&B component still have the power to make or break their reputation?

According to the experts at the power session Food & Beverage: The Top Trends to Expect in 2026 at AHICE Southeast Asia, the answer is still yes.

The wrong priorities

According to EVT’s director of hotels and resorts Norman Arundel: “Food and beverage is what gives a hotel its heart and soul.”

Given hospitality’s historical origins wherein innkeepers provided food as well as shelter for travellers, this is a statement that has rung through over the centuries and remains a non-negotiable aspect of the global hotel experience.

It has been noticeable, however, that hotels have erred in terms of excess in buffets, gunning for Michelin nods and other accolades, and overhyping the establishment to the point that staff need to explain the concept to guests who leave the place unsatisfied in both mind and belly.

Indeed, as Studio Ryecroft director Bobby Carey pointed out: “So many successful venues open and close because they spend the first 12 to 18 months chasing a Star; that's what their one goal is. Once they get that, they have nothing else.”

Carey further explained that many stellar but short-lived establishments spent more time building their public relations hype and marketing, but failed to set themselves up for long-term success.

As he put it: “Everyone wants a short-term gain, but they should really be looking at long-term sustainability.”

The logical solution here would be for establishments, especially those just starting, to ensure that their basics are properly grounded: staff skills, a properly curated menu that pleases customers, service quality, facility maintenance, and especially sustainability in terms of sourcing and operation.

Potential growth areas

For independent F&B consultant Evelyn Chen, China stands to become the boom town for regional, potentially even global, dining.

According to Chen: “I think we should look to China. Within Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore, we've been exposed to Cantonese and Teochew cuisines. That's pretty much mostly what we know about Chinese cuisine; but if you go to China, there are eight great Chinese culinary traditions. Cantonese is one of them, Zhejiang another, but within Zhejiang cuisine, there’s Ningbo cuisine, Hangzhou cuisine, and that of Taizhou and Fuzhou. China is just full of opportunities for F&B beyond its borders.”

For his part, OUE Restaurants chief operating officer Andrew Ing pointed out how hotel restaurants have been turning into showcases for the work of innovative chefs.

Ing said: “[Lately,] hotel owners are constantly bringing in more chefs, as well as independent restaurant brands. Hotels are more open to working with independent restaurants; and that’s a really good sign.”

For Ing, dining establishments at hotels aren’t just hotel restaurants anymore, but establishments with their own following outside of resident guests.

Interestingly, this isn’t exactly a new trend: we have seen this in the Philippines with Michelin Starred chef Chele Gonzalez’s establishments Enye at Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan and Samira at Anya Tagaytay, as well as chef Wang Wei’s Canton Road at Shangri-La at the Fort.

While all these were originally placed for the exclusive enjoyment of property guests or those attending events at these hotels, they have gained a following among guests who don’t stay in, thus boosting foot traffic and revenue for their host properties.

Where technology comes in

Technology has become a point of discussion throughout the hospitality sector, particularly where streamlining operations and making operations more efficient are concerned.

For Milos Polovny, segment development leader for UNOX Australia, institutional kitchen technology is changing quite rapidly and we could potentially see some dramatic changes in the near future.

Polovny said:  “With our systems, we have AI-based and connected systems, so all our items can be connected to the internet. This will enable more chefs to design and create their own individual menus within the oven itself and then, from the platform, be able to roll it out through all the outlets within the hotel chain.”

Keeping this in mind, Polovny feels that the key driver is simply achieving consistency through programming as AI and other technologies are not there to replace chefs, but more to ensure that product and service quality remains consistent throughout hotels within the same chain.