When you think of James Bond, what is one of the first things you think of? If you’re like most people, it’s the iconic line (and cocktail): “Vodka martini… shaken, not stirred.” This famous line – always said by Bond, dressed in a tuxedo with a gorgeous woman by his side, in a casino or a luxurious bar – has become the backbone of the Bond luxury brand image for years.
This same strategy can be applied at your hotel or restaurant; a high-quality cocktail – whether it’s offered as a welcome drink or added as an option in your minibar – can help your establishment embody the luxe lifestyle that guests are looking for – and it’s never been so easy to do…
Enter Ready-to-Drink (RTD) cocktails, a trendy product that has completely changed how North American consumers imbibe alcohol. Delicious, RTD cocktails make it easy for anyone to enjoy a perfectly made classic cocktail anytime, anywhere, no bartender required – and there are many ways that your hotel or restaurant can leverage this trend to improve your guests’ overall experience.
This strategic move caters to the evolving preferences of modern travellers and brings many operational benefits for your establishment, as RTD cocktails will improve guests’ overall experience, enhance the perception of luxury offered by your establishment and improve brand loyalty.
Exclusivity & Sophistication
By offering guests high-quality, ready-to-drink classic cocktails, hotels and restaurants can elevate the perception of their brand because guests often associate them with exclusivity and sophistication. This will help your establishment attract a discerning clientele seeking a premium experience. Offering RTD cocktails, served in a beautiful glass bottle, as a welcome drink can encourage guests to choose to return to your property or eat in your restaurant the next time they return to your destination, making it a powerful tool in building guest loyalty.
And think of the Instagram or TikTok-worthy moment that welcome drink will be! By boosting your social visibility with guest shares, your establishment will become even more desirable, with younger guests searching for a genuinely luxurious, exclusive, Instagram-worthy experience.
Convenience & Time Efficiency
Modern travellers value convenience and want everything on their vacation to be quick and easily accessible while maintaining high-quality standards; ready-to-drink cocktails align perfectly with this expectation. Offering a selection of expertly crafted RTD cocktails that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere saves guests the time and energy of standing in line at the bar, ordering and waiting while the bartender prepares the cocktail.
Serving RTD cocktails will also benefit your establishment as they enable you to offer guests a full bar without hiring a bartender to work all day and evening, decreasing staffing costs (a huge plus during the hospitality industry’s ongoing staffing shortage).
In addition, RTD cocktails streamline hotels and restaurants’ beverage service operations during busy times; by eliminating the preparation of individual cocktails by hand, the bartender can serve more guests, more quickly, improving guest satisfaction. The saved preparation time enables the bar staff to focus on other service areas, optimizing ROI on labour costs, boosting the guest experience and, as a result, improving overall profitability.
Consistent Quality
Preparing delicious cocktails perfectly every time requires high skill and training. By offering ready-to-drink cocktails, hotels and restaurants can ensure that each guest receives the same quality cocktail every time, which is crucial for maintaining your establishment’s reputation.
Cost Savings
Ready-to-drink cocktails offer significant cost savings for hotels and restaurants, as they can be purchased in bulk at wholesale rates. They also reduce waste associated with making cocktails by hand and ensure airtight inventory management.
Adaptability to Trends
Travelers can be fickle and often prone to following trends, making it difficult for a hotel or restaurant without an expert mixologist to keep up. Ready-to-drink cocktails offer hospitality establishments the flexibility to adapt quickly to emerging cocktail trends, staying ahead of the competition and appealing to the palates of a broader range of guests.
In the highly competitive hospitality industry, finding a way to stand out is essential for a hotel or restaurant’s ongoing success and financial profitability. Hotels and restaurants that embrace the trend of ready-to-drink cocktails will position themselves as forward-thinking, luxury establishments that prioritize guest satisfaction.
After all, if it worked for James Bond, imagine what a signature RTD cocktail could do for your establishment!
