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Published on January 11, 2026
Brad Peters, Founder & CEO of HRBUniversal & The Plate & Pour Collective Equity Partner Program
The landscape of modern hospitality is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. The intense battle for the contemporary traveler’s time and wallet has forced hotels to re-evaluate their core offerings. Facing formidable competition from hyper-localized short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and a burgeoning independent restaurant scene, the hotel industry is jettisoning the outdated model of the hotel restaurant as a mere convenience. Instead, it is pivoting toward Sensory Maximalism and “Eatertainment,” turning the once-staid hotel dining experience into a high-concept, multi-layered social event.
Hotels are consciously moving beyond their traditional role as a simple place of accommodation. Their food and beverage (F&B) operations are now being conceived as vibrant, standalone, high-concept destinations. The strategic goal is dual: to significantly increase on-property dwell time for staying guests and to successfully attract a discerning local clientele, effectively transforming the hotel into a neighborhood hub.
The Rise of Theatrical Desserts: The Culinary Finale Reimagined
In a significant swing of the culinary pendulum, dessert is reclaiming its status as the dramatic, theatrical “finale” of the meal, moving far past its previous incarnation as a simple, often-overlooked afterthought. This resurgence is fueled by a desire for spectacle and, critically, by the demands of the digital age.
The new focus is entirely on presentation and spectacle, meticulously engineered to captivate and be shared. This trend is a direct response to the “phone eats first” culture, where the visual impact of a dish is as valuable as its taste. The dining room is becoming a stage for a range of visually arresting, tableside preparations, including:
- Pyrotechnics and Vapor: The dramatic use of flambé techniques and smoking elements to introduce an olfactory and visual flair.
- The Shattering Moment: Desserts encased under delicate, smoked sugar or chocolate shells, which the server or guest cracks open to reveal the creation inside.
- Architectural Edibles: Elaborate, gravity-defying edible domes, structures, and sculptures that turn a sweet course into a temporary piece of art.
These elaborate moments are fundamentally an act of experiential marketing. They are designed to be instantly shareable across social media, effectively turning a simple sweet ending into an organic, viral marketing opportunity for the hotel’s F&B brand.
Competitive Socializing: The Evolution of ‘Eatertainment’
The integration of dining with amusement, or “Eatertainment,” is maturing rapidly, shedding its old association with low-brow sports bars and simple bowling alleys. High-end and luxury hotels are adopting a significantly more refined and sophisticated version of competitive socializing to elevate their communal spaces—specifically the lobby, lounge, and bar concepts.
This new, curated wave of on-property entertainment aims to foster social interaction and friendly competition in an upscale environment. Examples include:
- Refined Gaming: Upgrading classic bar games to a luxury level, featuring custom-designed darts zones, sophisticated shuffleboard tables, and pool rooms with high-end, contemporary interior design.
- Sonic Escapism: The Listening Bar: Introducing specialized, sophisticated “listening bars” that center around high-fidelity sound systems and curated vinyl collections. These spaces offer a communal, yet deeply focused, appreciation of music, often complete with a dedicated “vinyl sommelier.”
- Interactive Design: Utilizing high-design, interactive gaming tables and installations (such as digital touch-screen games integrated into bar tops or augmented reality experiences) that seamlessly blend technology with the physical space.
By artfully weaving these dynamic, interactive activities directly into their F&B spaces, hotels create compelling and sticky reasons for guests—and locals—to linger past the main meal. This strategy is highly effective, as it directly leads to increased revenue through higher check averages and profoundly enhances the overall perceived value and social appeal of the resort experience.
The “Lipstick Effect” in Modern Dining
A critical macroeconomic factor fueling the success of these experiential offerings is the “Lipstick Effect.” This long-observed phenomenon suggests that even during periods of broader economic caution or consumer retrenchment, spending on small, accessible luxuries remains resilient or even increases. Guests may be highly budget-conscious regarding major expenses like an extended stay or luxury retail, but they are still eager to spend on high-quality, experience-driven indulgences.
In the hotel dining context, this translates to a selective willingness to splurge:
- A guest might rationally decide to forgo an ultra-premium, $200 multi-course tasting menu or a major steak dinner.
- However, the very same guest remains highly receptive to spending on accessible indulgences that deliver high impact and memory-making potential, such as:
- A premium, intricately composed $25 cocktail that features rare spirits or house-made infusions.
- The spectacular, memorable tableside dessert experience serves as both a treat and a photo opportunity.
This behavioral shift underscores the consumer’s deep-seated desire for moments of accessible escapism and genuine sensory pleasure. Consequently, the high-impact, experiential components of a hotel’s F&B menu—the maximalist dishes, the unique entertainment, the complex cocktails—have become more crucial than ever as a lever for differentiation and revenue generation.
Hotels are placing a significant strategic bet: that these maximalist, high-touch, and inherently social experiences will be the definitive key to differentiating themselves in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace, successfully transforming a simple room reservation into a truly memorable, shareable social event.
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