The Locavore is also referred to as a Hyperlocal trend with a primarily gastronomic meaning to it. It refers to a preference for eating foods that are produced and cooked in the local/surrounding area.
This global food trend was first adopted by some US hotels and is now emerging as one of the most followed practices across both, budgeted and premium hotels. There are no defined scales or mannerisms in which a hotel can become or offer Locavore.
While boutique hotels have chefs growing indigenous herbs and procuring honey from local beehives, the smaller establishments are promoting avenues that allow guests to interact with the locals and get a taste of the authentic, regional foods.
From premium Wall Street hotels in the NY Manhattan area to budget hotels in Europe, the practice of helping hotel guests get a taste of foods the neighborhood residents patronize is becoming popular.
Hospitality Tech too is Adopting Locavore
I guess, any growing trend cannot remain untouched by Tech in contemporary times and this applies to the Locavore too. For starters, there are dedicated Locavore apps offered as a part of Apple’s App Store. These help travelers to find hotels that provide an option to feast upon the local culinary offerings.
Now, the core principle driving the Locavore movement has been applied to hotel management systems too!
The best example in this case is that of Hotelogix. This property management system has global relevancy, i.e. it can be used by hotels of any size or type across the world. However, it has adopted an exclusive approach that its makers refer to as being “Glocal”—this essentially means a blend of global and local.
To Understand the Similarity, Read Further: the Locavore food trend has caught the attention of international travelers. Thus, it has a global relevancy to it, just like the Hotelogix hotel management software. Locavore seeks to promote foods offered in the local markets, i.e. it is a global trend with a local/regional sensibility. Similarly, Hotelogix is a globally-relevant, web based hotel management system. It can be used by the hotel owner to maximize reservations from the local/regional market (or even internationally).
Is this trend sustainable?
Whether it is patriotism for local foods or tech which ensures that a hotel booking software has local/regional business applicability, the Hyperlocal trend seems sensible, self-sustainable and defiant.
Why? Simply because it doesn’t seem to have a downside to it: what could be the possible disadvantages to a hotel promoting local cuisines? Why would a hotel owner complain about a hotel reservation system that allows him to tap the local market and offers the option of plugging into the overseas marketplace?
If you don’t agree with this observation, please comment below.