)
The FIFA World Cup in Brazil fever is catching up at restaurant tables of major hotels in the country. From Mexican Bruschettas to French Quiches, hotels are gearing up to serve special menus and host screening of World Cup matches in a bid to cash in on the FIFA fever.
Hotels like Hyatt Ahmedabad, Starwood Group, Courtyard by Marriott, Pride Group of Hotels and The Grand Bhagwati (TGB), among others are either planning special theme-based menus or screening of games at their all night cafes and restaurants.
“Hotels across Starwood Group are trying to drive engagement to build footfall around the sporting event of FIFA World Cup. However, the same is very market specific,” said a spokesperson at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, while adding that in certain cases, special drinks linked with nations participating in the soccer event will be served at the bars of these hotels.
From naming dishes after favourite football starts like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to planning nation-wise buffet sections, hotels are doing their best to leverage on the event for enhanced footfalls. Hospitality players believe footfalls may see a decent 30-40 per cent during the entire sporting event duration.
For instance, Chocolart at Hyatt Ahmedabad has planned special buffet sections based on soccer participating regions such as ‘From the Land of Mayan Civilization’ (Mexico, Guatemala), ‘From the City of Romance’ (France), ‘Taste of Italy’, and ‘Trip to Europe’ (UK, Germany, etc.). Each of these sections will display and offer celebrated dishes such as quiches, bruschettas, tacos, nachos, Samba wave sandwiches, pizzas, pastries and mousses, among others.
“We will also host late night screenings for our customers, apart from serving dishes from as many nations as possible that are participating in the World Cup,” said Girish Ganeshan, General Manager at Hyatt Ahmedabad.
It is not just Hyatt Ahmedabad but also Café Piano at TGB and Pride Hotel who will be serving dishes either named after soccer players or originating from soccer nations. TGB’s Cafe Piano has conceptualized a special menu, keeping in mind the taste and preferences of soccer enthusiasts. From Miroslav Klose’s Sauerbraten soup to - Messi’s Asado Grilled Veggie to – Rooney’s Yorkshire Pudding, there is wholesome platter of dishes to treat your taste buds. The décor and the ambiance have been decked in football fever colors to represent the exhilarating spirit of the world cup.
“Bringing in some changes in the menu to suit the taste of fans was high on our priority list while crafting the menu. Picking and selecting favorite dishes of famous players was something which required good research to come up with some of the best dishes viz Ronaldo’s Bacalhau CR7 to Karim Benzema’s Normandy Pommes Tart,” said Executive Chef Krishna Khanal at Cafe Piano.
On the other hand, SP Jain, chairman of Pride Group of Hotels said, “We will be displaying special menus from major soccer playing nations and also deck up our restaurants to attract soccer loving customers. We will also provide all kinds of facilities for viewing soccer matches at our properties across the country.”
Meanwhile, Courtyard by Marriott too intends to open up its newly launched cafe Java Plus for soccer match screenings till 2 am. “However, we are yet to plan menus revolving around the soccer games,” said Gaurav Singh, general manager at Courtyard by Marriott Ahmedabad.
