Qatar’s hospitality outlook is promising and will emerge even stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic, Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas’ Food and Beverage Director Andreas Landsvik has said.
“This is due to the different government initiatives focusing on health and safety, the gradual opening of borders to the rest of the world and the ability of the government to innovate,” he told Gulf Times.
Landsvik said the Qatar government’s proactive approach in dealing with the outbreak helped track and prevent the spread of the virus, as well as ensure the wellbeing and recovery of the F&B sector in the country.
Restaurants, he noted, are able to use technology-based solutions introduced by the government such as Ehteraz in providing a safe dining environment for guests.
“This is due to the different government initiatives focusing on health and safety, the gradual opening of borders to the rest of the world and the ability of the government to innovate,” he told Gulf Times.
 Andreas Landsvik |
Restaurants, he noted, are able to use technology-based solutions introduced by the government such as Ehteraz in providing a safe dining environment for guests.
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He underlined the importance of following the laid down safety measures by the government and health authorities, saying that dining venues need to strictly adhere to hygiene and social distancing rules in their day-to-day operations.
With the current situation and the recent positive developments in the region, Landsvik said the industry starts to see a shift in travellers’ expectations and their demand for local travel and dining options.
As an example, he cited the rising popularity of Italian cuisine in the country, noting that the Italian Trade Agency in 2020 identified that Italy recorded a 4% growth in its F&B exports to Qatar compared to previous years despite the impact of Covid-19.
Landsvik said such growth was also witnessed during the Week of Italian Cuisine – designed to facilitate trade exchange between Qatar and Italy in the F&B sector.
He described the dining scene in Qatar as dynamic and competes with the very best in the region, saying that “Qatar has plenty of fascinating homegrown F&B concepts as well as a number of internationally acclaimed F&B brands that has made the nation a key culinary destination.”
He added that Hilton Salwa Beach Resorts & Villas, has a variety of food and beverage concepts - Levantine, its Middle Eastern restaurant serving unique dishes from various Levant areas with a twist. Nesma Lobby Lounge showcasing hand-crafted afternoon tea menus and traditionally prepared beverages. Other restaurant openings during the year are the Souk Kitchen, a modern and vibrant eatery focusing on Middle Eastern, Asian and Western Flavors; Octa seafood restaurant and Miss Wong Chinese Restaurant Landsvik said.
“The broad spectrum of offerings also includes great comfort food options for the water park as well as inspiring lounge concepts which combine stunning seaside vistas with exceptional cuisine. These concepts have been developed based on years of research on the F&B preferences of local and international guests,” he added.
“Our overall goal is to provide unique experiences in a safe environment to attract visitors and boost Qatar’s hospitality and F&B industry. We take care to follow the health and safety protocols and find ways to keep on delivering extraordinary and unique experiences while keeping our guests and team members safe.
“We do this through the Hilton Clean Stay Programme which has been designed to disinfect all public spaces and guest rooms and to ensure that any area a guest enters is safe. We have also installed signages across our facilities and closely monitor to ensure that social distancing is applied at all times,” Landsvik said.
About popular offerings among guests in the current situation, he said they have seen a gradual increase in tabletop style dining due to the changes in the buying behaviour of customers. These include food served at the table as opposed to the traditional buffet service where variety of meals are displayed.
“The overriding message here is that less is more. This new trend will contribute to our common responsibility and commitment to drastically reduce food-waste,” Landsvik said.
He pointed out that F&B operators in Qatar need to be bold and daring in their endeavours to wow the dining-scene with new and exciting offerings.
With the current situation and the recent positive developments in the region, Landsvik said the industry starts to see a shift in travellers’ expectations and their demand for local travel and dining options.
As an example, he cited the rising popularity of Italian cuisine in the country, noting that the Italian Trade Agency in 2020 identified that Italy recorded a 4% growth in its F&B exports to Qatar compared to previous years despite the impact of Covid-19.
Landsvik said such growth was also witnessed during the Week of Italian Cuisine – designed to facilitate trade exchange between Qatar and Italy in the F&B sector.
He described the dining scene in Qatar as dynamic and competes with the very best in the region, saying that “Qatar has plenty of fascinating homegrown F&B concepts as well as a number of internationally acclaimed F&B brands that has made the nation a key culinary destination.”
He added that Hilton Salwa Beach Resorts & Villas, has a variety of food and beverage concepts - Levantine, its Middle Eastern restaurant serving unique dishes from various Levant areas with a twist. Nesma Lobby Lounge showcasing hand-crafted afternoon tea menus and traditionally prepared beverages. Other restaurant openings during the year are the Souk Kitchen, a modern and vibrant eatery focusing on Middle Eastern, Asian and Western Flavors; Octa seafood restaurant and Miss Wong Chinese Restaurant Landsvik said.
“The broad spectrum of offerings also includes great comfort food options for the water park as well as inspiring lounge concepts which combine stunning seaside vistas with exceptional cuisine. These concepts have been developed based on years of research on the F&B preferences of local and international guests,” he added.
“Our overall goal is to provide unique experiences in a safe environment to attract visitors and boost Qatar’s hospitality and F&B industry. We take care to follow the health and safety protocols and find ways to keep on delivering extraordinary and unique experiences while keeping our guests and team members safe.
“We do this through the Hilton Clean Stay Programme which has been designed to disinfect all public spaces and guest rooms and to ensure that any area a guest enters is safe. We have also installed signages across our facilities and closely monitor to ensure that social distancing is applied at all times,” Landsvik said.
About popular offerings among guests in the current situation, he said they have seen a gradual increase in tabletop style dining due to the changes in the buying behaviour of customers. These include food served at the table as opposed to the traditional buffet service where variety of meals are displayed.
“The overriding message here is that less is more. This new trend will contribute to our common responsibility and commitment to drastically reduce food-waste,” Landsvik said.
He pointed out that F&B operators in Qatar need to be bold and daring in their endeavours to wow the dining-scene with new and exciting offerings.
