LOS ANGELES—F&B is on the minds of Choice Hotels International during its annual convention being held here. Building on the positive response to the recent launch of the Clarion Bistro C food and beverage concept for its Clarion brand, Choice has decided to invest up to $2 million in development-incentive payments to encourage and expedite more Clarion franchisees to develop a Bistro C at their hotels.
Bistro C, a new restaurant solution the brand introduced for its midscale hotels last year, is a component of the Clarion brand’s broader strategic efforts to become the go-to option for group travel in the midscale lodging segment, according to the brand.
Guests traveling to gather for events such as meetings, reunions and social occasions account for 70-to-90 million room nights a year in the mid-scale market. The brand created the food and beverage concept to enable franchisees to respond to guests’ demands for freshly prepared meals and still turn a profit. The Bistro C concept includes hot menu items prepared to order economically and with minimal labor while also being scalable and flexible enough to support banquet and business catering.
Dan Sweiger, head of domestic brand management for Clarion, said, “Through our strategic vision for this brand, the Clarion brand’s service and offerings are getting even better. The Clarion brand tag line is ‘Get Together’ and we are committed to making sure that when people meet up at Clarion hotels it’s convenient, relaxed and memorable. Bistro C is just one of the first steps in our strategy and it’s making giant strides. Owners at the first Bistro C location have told us they are extremely pleased that with this new concept, we have figured out a winning formula to make food and beverage profitable in midscale segment.”