Not only is a global, real-world perspective incorporated into the Kendall curriculum, but as part of their training, Kendall students can earn a Glion Advanced Certificate in International Hospitality Management, giving them a unique multicultural perspective as well as a highly respected international credential to help compete in an increasingly global marketplace.

Chicago will offer more than 165,000 hospitality careers by 2020, with Kendall students well poised for top positions.⁵ According to Knight, 96% of December 2012 hospitality-program graduates reported finding a job in their field within six months of graduating, in positions ranging from catering manager to event coordinator to guest-services agent (B.A. in Hospitality Management, Day Program).

2. Rankings Mean Business
Never has a user-generated online rating meant as much as it does now. The 21st Century is the age of digital referrals, and the power of what’s posted on the web via user-generated review sites—digital word of mouth—can drastically impact a business’ revenue. There are 3.3 billion brand mentions in 2.4 billion brand-related conversations within the United States. every day, and the typical American mentions brand names 60 times per week in online and offline conversations.⁶

According to the 2012 Luxury Trend report, more than 33% of its customers consider TripAdvisor reviews to be extremely important.⁷

3. Back at the Bar: Traditional Gets a Twist
The food and beverages sector is among the fastest-growing, with 75,000 new jobs created in June 2013 alone.

What’s currently on tap? Classic is the new contemporary, with bars serving up a renaissance of classic and pre-Prohibition cocktails.⁸ And one of the most classic beverages, tea, is giving cocktails a makeover. With its broad range of appealing flavor profiles and vibrant spectrum of visual characteristics, tea is being elevated to a contemporary status as mixologists and spirit bars across the country are using it to enhance their gin-, rum- and vodka-based cocktails. Whether it is incorporating a floral hibiscus tea to gin or a smoky lapsang souchong tea to vodka, they can add interesting subtle or assertive dimension as a complementary ingredient. Tea offers adaptability to cold or hot and savory or sweet cocktails, making it more user friendly and appealing to a wider audience in the marketplace.

Go sweet … on sour beers. A traditional method of beer making from Belgium and Germany is making a comeback. The “sour” element comes from the wild yeasts and natural bacterias that caused beers to taste funky prior to the advent of refrigeration. Modern brewers have learned to control this process better, and the resulting beers provide intriguing flavors for the adventuresome beer drinker. These high-acid beers are great for pairing with food, but less desirable for quenching your thirst on a hot day. Many restaurants have added sour beers to their beer lists and, with their high acidity content, chefs are happily pairing them with Carolina barbecue, vinaigrette dressings, deep-friend cheese curds, Tex- Mex chili and New Orleans gumbo, to name a few.

4. Sustainability Is the New Standard
In the United States alone, hotels represent more than 5 billion square feet of space, nearly 5 million guest rooms and close to $4 billion in annual energy use, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.⁹ That’s a big impact the industry can make and has made on the environment, in an effort to make sustainability the “new standard” and better appeal to environmentally conscious business and leisure travelers.

In fact, 2013 marks the “tipping point” for sustainable hospitality, with eco-friendly practices becoming the norm, rather than the exception, so expect 2014 to see standard “green” practices, products, programs and packages. The message that sustainable practices can save money for a hotel operation has come through loud and clear. According to research released earlier this year by Travel Advisor¹⁰, 58% of travelers said that they would either not pay more or expect to pay less, nearly two-thirds (62%) of travelers expect hotels to have some type of environmental program in place, and the majority (84%) do not see these practices as having a negative impact on comfort or luxury.  The survey found that only 17% of travelers would be willing to pay more for eco-features.

5. Room Service Reinvented
With room-service revenue drastically decreasing—and with properties like The New York Hilton forgoing the amenity later this year—the majority of hotels are dedicated to reinventing the concept, contributing to an 8% increase in the number of hotels offering room service from 2011-2012.¹¹

What’s hot? Well-known chef names, concept-driven restaurants and artfully crafted menu items to digital in-room dining menus and online ordering to brown-bag meal deliveries.  Hotel Belmont in Dallas enlisted Chef Tim Byres, voted best Southwestern chef by Food & Wine to head up Smoke, a barbecue restaurant with an emphasis on smoked and cured items. And, the Omni Chicago Hotel offers a digital in-room dining menu, which includes pictures and descriptions of each meal. The term “at your service” will continue to evolve to support consumer needs for simple, fast and quality service. Room service isn’t going away anytime soon.

Sources:
1: World Travel & Tourism Council: Economic Impact 201uhttp://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/world2012.pdf
2: US Travel Association: US Travel Answer Sheet, March 2013
http://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/page/2009/11/US_Travel_Answer_Sheet_March_2013.pdf
3: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics Highlights. August 2013. Released September 6, 2013. http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/ceshighlights.pdf
4: International Trade Administration, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, June 10, 2013. http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2000-99-001/forecast/Forecast_Summary.pdf
5: Choose Chicago: http://www.choosechicago.com/articles/view/NEWS-RELEASES/29/
6: WOMMA
7: Angelsmith.net “Can Hotels Trust Trip Advisor’s Friend of a Friend To Influence Travelers” September 2012?“http://angelsmith.net/inbound-marketing/can-hotels-trust-tripadvisors-friend-of-a-friend-to-influence-travelers/
8: TravelandLeisure.com: “Top Mixologists Forecast Cocktail Trends.” June 18, 2013. http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-blog/carry-on/2013/6/18/top-mixologists-forecast-cocktail-trends
9: U.S. Green Building Council “Hospitality” http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2119
10: Trip Barometer by TripAdvisor, Winter 2012/2013.
11: Chicago Tribune: “The End of Room Service? Not so Fast.” June 19, 2013.

Check out The Top Five Hospitality Trends Infographic on Kendall College’s blog.