From one-off to regulars: How can venues boost loyalty and grow during winter?
Op-Ed: Nicole Buisson from Lightspeed reveals why food and beverage offerings can make or break a hotel stay—and why guests are choosing their stays with their stomachs.
By Nicole Buisson, Managing Director of APAC and Rest of World at Lightspeed
For many hospitality operators, the end of daylight savings last month signalled the unofficial end of peak season. And while the approaching winter can be a slower period, the enduring mood within the industry today might actually be one of cautious optimism.
In fact, hotels are forecasting that they’ll grow, on average, 22 percent during 2025, according to Lightspeed’s Hospitality Insights and Dining Dynamics 2025 report.
The report, which sought to understand the trends and sentiment within the sector based on surveys of thousands of consumers and venues, also found that Australians visited venues more frequently in 2024 than in 2023. Despite these promising indicators, venues should not sit back and expect growth to happen automatically. Instead, venues who can identify what today’s consumers want, and how to turn one-off visitors into regulars during the slower winter months can be better placed to turn growth from a forecast into a reality.
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What are consumers looking for?
While Australians visited venues more frequently in 2024, that’s not to say that they are spending money without caution. For example, they have been exhibiting some cost-conscious behaviours when making menu choices, like opting for lower-priced menu items. This selective approach means venues should take the time to understand what makes consumers visit a venue, and how they can cater to those needs.
For hotels, their F&B is critical.
While it’s certainly not the only deciding factor, F&B options are influential when it comes to selecting a venue at which to stay at. And when it comes to F&B, there are a number of expectations amongst Australian consumers today that could go a long way in determining how the winter months play out for venues.
For example, there’s a trend of conscious consumerism in Australia, and that extends to dining, with 34 percent wanting to see more sustainably-sourced produce, for example local or seasonal ingredients. As demands for personalisation grow, 26 percent of consumers want to see venues cater more to specific dietary requirements, while 22 percent want to see limited-edition menus.
Consumers want to see venues that are aligned to their needs, but that also mix things up, and give timely incentives to book.
How are venues responding?
When asked what are their biggest expected challenges in 2025, 25 percent of venues said shifts in consumer dining preferences. The positive news is that, based on our research, venues seemed to generally be attuned to and aligned with their customers’ needs. Many of their priorities directly echo their guests’ expectations.
For example, just as sustainably-sourced produce and catering to dietary requirements are the most popular expectations for consumers, they’re the two primary focuses for venues, with over half (51 percent) focusing on these trends in 2025. We’re also seeing 47 percent planning to serve more limited-edition menus. Not only that, venues are regularly tweaking their menus – perhaps to offer more seasonable produce or capitalise on a pop culture trend – with hotels updating their menu, on average, 49 times a year.
Close to one in three (30 percent) venues are planning to collaborate with local artisans and producers, too. For the venues that don’t have an F&B element, but partner with local cafes and restaurants, this could be an opportunity, especially considering the ‘support local’ sentiment in Australia.
For venues, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, success can require a combination of tactics built on a firm understanding of guests and their needs and wants. However, just as important as understanding their needs, is delivering on them. That’s where technology comes in. Almost half (41 percent) of venues said technology is improving their customer service, and nearly a third (32 percent) said that it is enabling them to drive customer loyalty and return guests. That’s on top of its many other mission-critical benefits, like improving operation efficiency, providing more data and insights and boosting revenue.
So while some venues could be worried about the upcoming winter, it doesn’t have to be the ‘trough’ to summer’s ‘peak’ season.
When venues understand what their customers want, and have the technology and insights to meet their needs, they can be well-positioned to strive for loyalty and growth this winter.
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