A few weeks ago ROKA, premium manufacturer for gastronomic vehicles, delivered a food trailer to the REDO Residenz Seehotel Berlin-Brandenburg. Now, the paving work on the lakeside terrace has also been completed and the impressive trailer is ready for use for events and caterings directly on the shores of Lake Motzen. René Dost, a successful restaurateur and hotel operator, explains the purchase as follows: "With the food trailer, we shorten service routes and conjure up a great atmosphere on our lakeside terrace. We also use it to advertise the hotel elsewhere."

Among hoteliers around the world, food trucks are becoming an increasingly popular tool for creating gastronomic highlights and standing out from the competition. The rolling kitchens bring the hip atmosphere of the street food scene to hotel properties - a welcome change for guests. The attractive vehicles can also generate revenue away from the hotels and increase brand awareness.

COMPETENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE HAVE ALREADY CHECKED IN

The hotel industry already has everything on board that makes it easy to operate a food truck: It can draw on the expertise of its food & beverage managers and on the infrastructure of the existing catering trade. One truck or even several vehicles can then be deployed as a satellite solution and "reload" again and again on the existing structure. This allows the hotel to send them out as culinary brand ambassadors. "With their location flexibility, the vehicles are a powerful marketing tool for the hotel's own gastro and the hotel itself. An added value that our customers consciously take advantage of," says Volker Beck, managing director of ROKA, the premium manufacturer for mobile gastronomy.

USE CASES - SUCCESSFUL "MOBILIZATION" HERE

Since food trucks and trailers have become established in this country, the hotel industry is also increasingly relying on sales vehicles. The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Mainz, for example, uses its prominent location on the banks of the Rhine to attract walk-in customers to its summer terrace with an elegant Airstream food trailer. An upscale takeaway concept also generates revenue that would otherwise have passed by due to occupied seating. Those responsible at the Bellevue Rheinhotel in Boppard do it quite similarly with their "Le Jardin" sales trailer. The outdoor areas of both hotels are served by the chic vehicles at the same time, so that service routes are shortened, which can be a real time and cost factor depending on the hotel complex.

But an attractive sales vehicle can do much more, as the example of the "Eli's Deli" food truck shows. Located in idyllic Swisttal, the Weidenbrück country hotel impresses with first-class gastronomy. The restaurant's food truck brings this quality to surrounding cities and helps raise the hotel's profile. Thanks to the truck, Elisabeth Weidenbrück, the hotel's general manager, is also able to accept catering orders independently of the hotel's own location. In this way, mobile catering opens up new sources of income.

At the Frankfurt Marriott Hotel, on the other hand, a huge food truck from ROKA ensures that the American sports bar style is already visible outside the door. The hotel's Champions Bar is known throughout the region and the Champions Food Truck is the perfect marketing tool to continue the success story.

QUALITY IS CRUCIAL

All those responsible are aware, however, that the vehicles must be of absolutely high quality and must underline the image of the hotels in the best possible way. Both style and function are crucial if hotels and guests are to benefit equally.

ROKA, a vehicle manufacturer based near Limburg an der Lahn, has established itself for years as a market leader in the premium segment of mobile catering. The vehicles convince with their design, high-quality materials and professional equipment. Trucks and trailers from ROKA are designed to be open and inviting. "Experience shows that this open design creates confidence in the food and its preparation. With our trucks, entertaining front cooking is virtually included." Volker Beck describes his vehicles. And thus we would already have the next highlight on the hotel terrace. We'll see where the journey of food trucks and catering vehicles leads - they've certainly arrived in the hotel industry.

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Photos copyright by ROKA Werk, Marriott FFM, Landidyll Hotel Weidenbrück, HYATT Regency Mainz