As OpenTable data highlighted a renaissance of the hotel dining experience, Royal Station Hotel, DoubleTree Newcastle Airport and Holiday Inn Jesmond launched new menus for late summer and autumn.
Parent company Cairn Hotel Group is aiming to highlight the dining experience in local hotels for everything from midweek dinners to special occasions, with high levels of service and locally inspired menus at the heart of the drive.
The new menus, which will launch across the Cairn Group portfolio over the summer, have been curated following extensive guest feedback and they showcase fresh, quality seasonal ingredients. There’s fish and chips served with crushed minted peas and tartare sauce, and rosemary and garlic chicken with parmentier potatoes, salsa verde and rocket salad. The menus also draw inspiration from Mediterranean favourites, including Tuscan-style ribollita soup and rigatoni vegetable ragu; alongside a selection of Neapolitan-style pizzas served with slow-roasted garlic aioli. Guests can also enjoy small plates and sharing options including British charcuterie and cheese boards, vegetarian antipasti, and artisan bread selections.
The new menu launches come as OpenTable’s UK analysis of hotel restaurant bookings from June 2024 to May 2025 revealed the guest-only mindset for hotel dining is a thing of the past, with 48% of diners surveyed visiting hotel restaurants being local to the venue. In the same study, 71% of Brits also said hotel restaurant offerings had improved, and 72% would rebook the same hotel because of a great meal.
Sean Brookes, managing director at Cairn Hotel Group, said: “We’re excited to announce the launch of our new menus across our hotels, which will offer a refined food and beverage offering to guests. We have seen a big shift in perceptions around hotel restaurants being only for those staying the night, and we’ve found there is a growing appetite for hotel dining from local residents. By providing a high level of quality and consistency, we’re able to rival those big high street restaurant chains with an elevated experience of modern dining in a beautiful, relaxed setting.”
