DESTINATIONS DINING | ALL-INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS GOING DIGITAL


Look out for enhanced digital offerings to replace physical menus and reduce the number of touchpoints. Ikos Resorts has upgraded its app to offer digital menus as well as an online reservations system, while Palladium’s app also offers menus, restaurant reservations and contactless check-in and check-out. Aldemar will be using digital menus across its portfolio, and Indian Ocean brands Atmosphere and Lux are using barcode technology so visitors can access menus on their phones by scanning QR codes.


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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Riu Dunamar, Mexico; Schooner’s, Sandals Barbados; Tui Blue Aura; Chang Thai, Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa, Mexico; Club Med Bali PICTURES: Ben Queenborough/PinPep; David Crookes/Crookes and Jackson


are Beachcomber’s properties in Mauritius. “Buffet service will still be available but only the live cooking stations will be operational,” says managing director Mark Boullé. “All food will be plated by the hotel teams and delivered to guests’ tables, making it more of an à la carte service than a buffet experience.” Ikos Resorts has completely


replaced its buffets with à la carte menus. The same is the case with Lux Resorts & Hotels, although this may change, according to Dave Minten, corporate chef at The Lux Collective. “When the hotel occupancy reaches 60%, we will consider setting up a semi-buffet with counters served by the team to minimise touchpoints,” he says. Elegant Hotels’ Waves Hotel & Spa in Barbados, meanwhile, will be offering its breakfast buffet options from a menu, with food brought to (and ordered from) your table. Jamaica-based Couples Resorts has also converted its buffet breakfasts


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to table service, but it emphasises that this won’t change the overall feel. “Reassure clients they’ll still get the full dining experience,” says Stefan Spath, Couples Resorts’ corporate executive chef.


IN-ROOM DINING All-inclusives don’t always have to mean mingling in the public restaurant, of course. For those who’d rather keep their distance (and privacy), resorts are upping their room-service offerings. Windjammer Landing Villa Beach


Resort in Saint Lucia has expanded its in-room menu and offers contactless delivery for extra reassurance. “Our villa accommodation allows us to offer our guests more private dining opportunities,” says food and beverage director Shawn Desriviere. Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts


says it has likewise introduced more in-villa dining options, while Beachcomber has expanded its room-service menu with more “local


delights” on offer, plus contactless room delivery on request. Ikos has always offered 24-hour


room service but is now bringing à la carte menus from the restaurant to guests’ private gardens or terraces. Sandals is also highlighting its


in-room offering with extra cleaning protocols in place. “Room service procedures have been enhanced, with all equipment being sanitised at each change of shift,” says Karl Thompson, managing director of Unique Caribbean Holidays, the UK representative for Sandals. “Servers wear gloves to collect door hanger menus and food trays; room service deliveries are set outside guest rooms; and all doors, handles and high-contact surfaces are sanitised at least once an hour.” So guests can be reassured of


their safety as they indulge from the comfort of their private patio while overlooking ocean views, swaying palms and sandy shores – every cloud has its silver lining, right?


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Room rates for the new Ikos Andalusia, due to open in Spain in April 2021, start from around £360 per night based on two sharing a double room. ikosresorts.com


Seven nights’ all-inclusive at Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa (pictured), Mauritius, starts at £1,616 per person based on two sharing a Superior Room in June 2021, including British Airways flights and transfers. beachcombertours.uk


PICTURE: Serge Marizy


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