One of the areas our clients have been asking us about most in recent months is loyalty programmes. Do they encourage footfall/spend/dwell time? What are the best mechanics for hospitality etc? Some time ago, we ran some customer research for a high-end restaurant group that was looking to implement a loyalty scheme. After running focus groups with its customers, we recommended that a loyalty scheme for its customers should focus on “exclusivity” rather than a traditional points-based card.

In a world obsessed with mass production, trends, and “fitting in”, having something that is considered a “limited edition” is a rare and valuable trait. The concept of scarcity has long driven human desire (not always in a good way), whether in luxury goods, exclusive experiences, or personal uniqueness. When something is rare, it immediately gains attention, value, and admiration. This principle applies not only to individuals who cultivate a distinctive personal brand but also to businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry, where exclusivity can be a powerful magnet for our customers.

Scarcity plays a fundamental role in human psychology. The economic principle of supply and demand tells us that when something is perceived as rare or in limited supply, people are more likely to want it. This is why collectors seek out limited-run trainers, art collectors chase exclusive pieces, and diners rush to try a pop-up restaurant or bar before it disappears.

We are wired to value what is scarce. This phenomenon is known as the “scarcity effect”, where people assign higher worth to things they believe they may not have access to in the future. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a potent driver, making anything with a limited availability far more desirable than something abundant.

So how can we utilise the scarcity effect in hospitality? How can our pubs, bars and restaurants drive footfall, spend and loyalty by using it well? Developing a signature style or skill seems like the obvious first action – whether that's a specific style of food, an unusual serving style (think Salt Bae), or a distinct way of communicating, cultivate something that sets you apart.

You may have heard of this little London pub called The Devonshire. Quite organically it has created a scarcity effect around getting a table to eat – it's bloody hard to get one, so you want it all the more. Being selective with “time” breeds appreciation. Don't be too available; let people anticipate and value what you provide.

Exclusive offerings are so well-suited to the hospitality industry. Michelin-starred restaurants, boutique hotels, and private members’ clubs all thrive on their limited access appeal. And the idea of exclusive offerings isn't just for the expensive venues. If you understand your customers and what makes them tick (KAM can help you with that!), then you can find exclusive offers no matter their level of disposable income! This is where invitation-only offerings (through a loyalty scheme) can work wonders.

Seasonal and pop-up bars, restaurants and experiences generate buzz, energy and urgency – limited-time menus, secret supper clubs are all great, of course, but, again, you don't have to throw the kitchen sink at it. Introducing guest drinks (beers/gin of the week etc) will still give customers the thrill of the rare.

At KAM, we have long been banging the drum for personalisation. A hospitality business that treats its guests as VIPs, offering bespoke experiences rather than generic service, becomes a sought-after place. Again, it's that understanding of the customer, but in the current time, a cookie-cutter approach just won't, er, cut it. However, creating scarcity in hospitality must be done with great care. While exclusivity is a powerful tool, it must be balanced carefully. Being too restrictive can alienate potential guests. The key is to make people feel special rather than excluded.

Invite, don't reject. Use phrases like “priority access” instead of “members only” Make customers feel lucky, not unworthy. Offer limited-time specials – Instead of permanently limiting access, create seasonal or exclusive events that rotate, ensuring more people get a taste of something special. And, of course, use “storytelling”. Luxury brands use heritage and craftsmanship stories to create an aura of exclusivity, and there is no industry in the world as good at telling stories than ours!

Being a limited edition and the hot new thing on everyone's lips is about knowing your worth – offering something unique, and making people want what you have to offer. In hospitality, it's about crafting unforgettable experiences that leave guests yearning to return. In a world where sameness is everywhere, dare to be different. The rarest things in life are always the most valuable.

During the heyday of the craft beer boom, there was a period when a visit to a pub involved me only drinking beers I’d not tried before, and I applied a similar mentality to food. My curiosity for new cuisines and dishes was fuelled by the experimentation taking place at globally influential places such as The Fat Duck, El Bulli in Spain and foraging pioneers Noma in Copenhagen, along with the emergence of food trucks and food halls promoting largely unknown cuisines.

 

The benign economic backdrop undoubtedly helped drive a desire to try new food and drink, as the cost involved was not a prohibitive factor for many individuals who were willing to move beyond relying solely on safe options. Today, we are in a totally different financial environment, and experimentation is firmly off the menu for a growing number of people.

 

They are seeking financial safety in comfort foods, where there is no risk of spending money on meals that don’t ultimately tick all their boxes. In addition, there is a desire for familiarity in these very uncertain and turbulent times. This is reflected in the booming trend for nostalgic foods, with classic flavours sparking a powerful longing for comfort and connection. Waitrose has experienced a surge in interest for traditional Christmas foods, with online searches for panettone, stuffing and pigs in blankets up 168%, 107% and 39% respectively compared with this time last year. 

 

Respected restaurateur/chef Jackson Boxer suggests restaurants had, over recent years, been a vehicle for discovery, with people eager for richer experiences and to try something new. But today, there is an on ongoing reversal taking place, with moves to instead provide comfort through familiarity.

 

This has pushed a raft of comfort food-led venues to the top of the must-visit eateries. When you look at some of the headline-grabbing London restaurants of late such as The Dover, The Devonshire and the plethora of French brasseries that just keep on coming, you find menus that predominantly comprise classic dishes that have proven themselves over centuries. There are no risks dining in these places.

 

Boxer has been adapting his offer to take into account this changing landscape. He noticed in New York that even the smarter, edgier places often include a cheeseburger, or other such classic, on their menus. Unlike in the UK, this is not seen as debasing the establishment and impacting the sensibilities of its chefs. It’s invariably giving diners what they want and supporting the economics of the restaurants. At his recently opened Dove restaurant, which replaced his fish-focused venue Orasay, Boxer has embraced this thinking.

 

This scenario has also fed through to food halls, which initially opened with the objective of introducing diners to new cuisines and dishes. Most have since pulled back on this part of the proposition. Among them is Jake Atkinson, who when running Mackie Mayor and Altrincham Market in Manchester and The Picturedrome in Macclesfield, said he brought in some accomplished chefs with amazing food – but the dishes simply weren’t recognised by customers, who have increasingly shied away from them and instead sought comfort in the stalwarts of burgers and pizzas.

 

This learning means he’s relying on the likes of Burger & Beyond and curry brand Mughli, which is recognised in Manchester, at his forthcoming food north west hall, House of Social. Market Halls and Boxpark have also taken the same route. Matt Snell, chief executive of Boxpark, says the strategy is to avoid being clever with avant-garde dishes and instead always have chicken, Mexican, burgers and pizza on the roster. He recalls his time previously running Gusto Italian, where the menu would be peppered with the odd adventurous options, but it was the carbonara and pizza margherita that would always fly.

 

Recognised dishes would always feature highly on the best-selling lists at any restaurant, but the risk averse nature of customers in the current headwinds of cost increases and global uncertainly is making this increasingly pronounced right now. That’s not to say restaurants are not striking out with new foods and dishes, but even they acknowledge the risks involved. 

 

Rosa’s Thai co-founder Saiphin Moore has developed Thai noodle concept Slurp and admits it has been a gamble: “You’re selling dishes that westerners have never heard of. You have to compete with pad Thai. I think it will take a while for people to understand what we are trying to do. If you want to try authentic Thai noodle soup, this is it, but being authentic is a risk.” 

 

As proven operators, they have the confidence to take a gamble that many less experienced people would be unwilling to take. While this situation prevails, the hospitality industry will be a much more conservative place. Operators, investors and consumers will, for the foreseeable future, take the safer option of picking proven winners. I’ve certainly curtailed my more outlandish desires for unusual beers and dishes from untried cuisines, and I’m now more likely to be found enjoying a Cobra lager with a dhansak or a dish of pasta with a ragù sauce washed down with a glass of prosecco. Well, maybe not the last one.

The intersection of sports and hospitality has never been more promising, and Radisson Hotel Group is making big strides in this space. Our company is keenly focused on expanding its footprint in the booming stadium hotel market – a move that makes perfect sense given the rising global popularity of sports. For years, sports such as football, rugby and cricket have captured hearts across the UK and Europe, but its appeal is no longer confined to these regions.  

The idea behind stadium hotels is to create a year-round destination as well as maximise investor return on capital. By operating hotels at stadiums, we have managed to tap into a market where demand stretches far beyond match days. These hotels offer more than just a place to stay; they complement other venues, provide meeting spaces, food and beverage, and create a vibrant atmosphere for fans and business travellers alike. They are a key success driver. It’s clear that by focusing on these sports-centred destinations, Radisson Hotel Group is positioning itself as a leader in the expanding sports tourism sector.

Take, for example, the recent collaboration with Manchester City Football Club to open a 401-room hotel at the Etihad Campus. The new Radisson Blu hotel, aptly named The Medlock after the river that flows beneath the campus, will cater not just to sports fans, but also to music lovers and international visitors. Given the growing influx of tourists into Manchester, this hotel’s location is perfectly timed to capitalise on the city’s bustling events scene. 

Our move into Oxford is equally exciting, with the signing of a 180-key hotel at the new home of Oxford United Football Club, within the UK’s first all-electric stadium. This not only highlights our commitment to innovation in the hotel industry but also shows our awareness of the growing demand for sustainable accommodation.  

With plans to introduce the Radisson RED brand to iconic UK sports venues, such as Allianz Stadium Twickenham – the home of England Rugby – and renowned cricket ground Edgbaston, the group is clearly aiming to elevate the experience for visitors attending rugby and cricket matches, concerts and other major events. 

The Bolton Stadium Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals, opened at the Toughsheet Community Stadium and has already seen a strong demand, with occupancy levels tracking at around 75% for the year – a 5% increase from the previous year. With 125 rooms offering panoramic pitch-side views, the Bolton Stadium Hotel is a great example of how these venues can serve both sports fans and business professionals, providing a winning choice for both groups. 

Beyond the UK, last year, the group signed India's first cricket stadium hotel, with 75% of its rooms offering exclusive views of the field, providing an unparalleled experience for sports and leisure. We also signed the 209-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Shanghai Stadium, located at Xujiahui Sports Park. The park is a world-class sporting and cultural complex that includes running tracks, football pitches, green spaces and facilities to host table tennis, volleyball, badminton, boxing and kickboxing matches and much more – making it one of the largest and best equipped sports and cultural venues in Shanghai. 

The rise in sports tourism, paired with the ongoing growth in tourism and the increasing demand for high-quality stadium events, suggests that Radisson Hotel Group’s strategy of expanding its stadium hotel portfolio will continue to pay off. We are actively pursuing exciting sports destinations in the UK and beyond as we continue to strengthen our position as a leader in the sports and events hospitality sector. 

For beer lovers, in many ways, these are the best of times. As a novice drinker half a century ago, I used to have to walk two miles through the mean streets of east London to find a decent pint of cask bitter. Today, living in a residential part of Brighton, I barely need to cross the road for a choice of eight or nine different brews on handpump, plus more than 30 craft beers in a dazzling array of styles – all from two pubs.

 

Of course, the experience is uneven across the country. You may be unlucky enough to live in a village that’s lost its last pub, or a modern city suburb where planners never thought to include one. But in many towns where traditional pubs have closed, new micropubs specialise in providing an outlet for local brewers in a convivial space, and craft breweries have opened taprooms that bring together a scattered community.

 

Yet cask beer sales continue their long decline, and the millennial generation is feeling that the craft beer that promised so much innovation and excitement has gone a little flat. So, Holy Week this year was devoted to a resurrection of hope for beer. The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) called the inaugural Indie Beer Week to celebrate and promote independent brewing and pub businesses, defined against the global giants and large brands perceived as a threat to beer’s rich tapestry.

 

The annual conference of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in Torquay, which coincided with the start of the week, weighed in with a resolution to focus its support on independents – hardly surprising, considering big beer’s inexorable abandonment of cask. And about the same time a petition, initiated by the Craft Beer Channel’s Jonny Garrett (who is also chair of the British Guild of Beer Writers), asking government to recognise the production and serving of cask ale as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, hit the 10,000 signatures it requires to trigger a response.

 

All this makes important noise on the subject, though not without raising some tricky questions. How does this, for instance, relate to the wider beer market in the UK? Most beer drinkers happily consume mass-produced lagers. Growing numbers are turning to Guinness, an unashamedly global brand that has benefited, in part, from the removal of cask pumps, especially in London.

 

Most pubs and bars reflect and reinforce that lack of adventure. Many, of course, may not have much choice, being tied up, in one way or another, to mainstream beers. The diversification of beer styles driven by craft is only weakly represented by brands such as Heineken’s Beavertown Neck Oil.

 

Even so, the success of the latter suggests flavour thresholds have risen, and palates are demanding more flavoursome beers. Perhaps we could compare cutting edge craft brewing with Formula 1 racing cars or haute couture fashion, with their trickle-down effect in their respective mainstream markets? Or perhaps we should be more ambitious.

 

Top-end craft beers are much more accessible than Formula 1 and haute couture. A lager drinker might baulk at paying, say, £10 for a pint, but the price gap to the mainstream is closing. And you can have a two-thirds. Bars that want to sell craft really ought to offer that measure.

 

The interest is there among enough people for craft to continue to grow, I believe. It’s not all hipster geeks now. We have what I call the “beer curious”, those who might dabble in a range of drinks and find their attention caught by all the different brews out there – the variety of flavours, from sours to stouts. 

 

That is why, if you’ve got the chance to move into craft, you should look beyond the hop bombs, the double IPAs, triple IPAs and quadruple IPAs that still tend to define the category. It’s about the range, the opportunity for your customers to explore new things – and your team’s ability to lead them on a journey with knowledge and enthusiasm.

 

And what about cask? The hope is that becoming a product of Intangible Cultural Heritage (or even just talking about it) will raise awareness and a wider understanding of what it is. Another positive is the way respected craft brewers are now offering cask versions of modern styles, not all of which work. But, again, it’s stimulating interest. 

 

Quality, however, remains an issue. I sense it’s improving, but there are still too many poorly conditioned pints served in dirty glasses. There’s a lot of work to do, and the point that campaigners are making is, I think, that it will have to be led by independent businesses – brewers, pubs and bars, that care and can spare the attention to detail that’s often lost in the pursuit of sheer volume.