Louvre Hotels Group launches “Grab & Go”, a new self-service restaurant concept

I believe this is a very good concept and a very good alternative to the Minibars.  Today people have to leave the hotel in search for a shop or a 7Eleven to buy some drinks, snack or some food that they can enjoy at the hotel room.  This because the Minibars are over prized and have a poor choice of snacks/food.  With this concept you will keep your clients in the hotel and they dont have to "sneak" in with plastic bag from 7Eleven! Roger Blikkberget

In anticipation of a fundamental change in eating habits, Louvre Hotels Group is launching Grab & Go, a new self-service area providing access to a range of food 24 hours a day. This new concept has been developed in response to three observations regarding trends in French eating habits :

• Eating out is growing fast. It now accounts for one in five meals eaten in France, following the trend set in the USA, where half of all meals are now consumed outside the home;
• Meal times are only a third as long as they were thirty years ago, averaging 31 minutes, which means that people often do not have time for a traditional seated meal. Meal times are becoming more flexible, and snacking throughout the day is gradually taking root in French eating habits;
• French clients are showing a growing preference for simple, easy, quick-to-eat food, which can suit to new approaches to eating (snacks, finger food, buffets, etc.).

To meet these developing customer expectations, Louvre Hotels Group is launching a self-service food area alongside its traditional restaurant offering. The area will offer customers a full range of foods, available throughout the day, together with a range of everyday essentials (hygiene, beauty, leisure items, etc…). The concept will be offered in all of the Group's hotel chains from Première Classe to Golden Tulip, but will be adapted to the layout and location of each establishment, its existing food offering and its client mix (international, business, tourism, etc.).

Tests have been running since the beginning of 2013 in two hotels of the Paris region. Results have been positive and have persuaded the Group to roll out the concept from January 2014. The roll-out will initially take place in selected hotels both in Paris and elsewhere in France, before being extended to all hotels which studies have indicated are suitable for this new facility.

Commenting on this announcement, Nathalie Duneau, Corporate Marketing Director at Louvre Hotels Group, said: "As with our other innovative services – such as automatic check-in/check-out and the HotelForYou free smartphone app – which we were the first to launch, we want to remain one step ahead of our customers' expectations, offering new services that reflect changes in consumer behaviour; services which help make life easier and more comfortable. Our Grab & Go area represents the first stage of the changes we are now embarking on, and we will seek to develop other services to complement and enhance our offering."