Pictured: Chef James Rigato; asparagus with garlic, egg and hot sauce-yogurt - Photos: Wyndham
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham has launched a new pilot program with Peapod and Instacart to make deliveries directly to hotel guests.
The service, which is currently being tested at eight of the chain's hotels in Charlotte, Chicago, Hartford, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Raleigh, NC, is intended to help guests booked for extended stays maintain their normal routines while away from home.
The hotel's Homemade @ Hawthorn cooking program provides guests with recipes from award-winning chefs so they can make meals in their rooms. Hawthorn Suites is working with Chef Hari Nayak, a restaurateur, author and culinary consultant from New York, and Chef James Rigator, a former Top Chef competitor and the owner of The Root Restaurant & Bar and Mabel Gray in Michigan. Hotel guests go online to www.hawthorn.com/homemade to check out recipes and place their orders for delivery.
"We get everything delivered these days straight from our computers and phones, from car rides to shaving kit subscriptions to groceries — so why shouldn't we also get them when we're traveling for extended periods," said Larry Hambro, vice president, brand operations, Hawthorn Suites, in a statement.
A recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research for Hawthorn Suites found that 66 percent of Americans, including 84 percent of Millennials, agree that being able to cook in their rooms would make them feel more comfortable while away from home. Travelers list baked goods (38 percent), pasta (31 percent) and salad (27 percent) as the foods they want while on the road.
"More and more people are getting groceries delivered at home — last year, one in 10 Millennials and Gen Xers in the U.S. shopped for groceries online, up almost 10 percent from 2015. Why shouldn't they have that same convenient experience when away from home?" Mr. Hambro asked.