The Caterer Blog

There's a lot of talk these days about how important it is to improve the quality of services offered in the UK, so we can compete with emerging destinations in the increasingly bitter fight for marketshare.

A lot of this will depend on the use of technology, but it seems we still have a few issues to iron out.

This could not have been better illustrated on my travels last week when I took work to do on a press trip, feeling confident that, staying in a four star hotel, there would be internet access at the property.

Independent Internet reviews are on course to make hotel and restaurant star ratings obsolete, according to new research among 5000 travellers by architects Woods Bagot.

Almost 58% of their respondents said they now resort to consumer reviews when looking for a steer on where to stay.

The research challenges the assumption that only web-savvy youngsters head online for hotel feedback. Over two-thirds of people aged between 35 and 54 reported being more inclined to check peer comments about accommodation on tripadvisor.co.uk and other sites.

Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that, the more you travel around the world, the more you appreciate the inconsistencies in regional ratings systems.

Of course, user-generated reviews bring problems of their own, with an emerging trend towards operators planting fake reviews for their own properties.

Here's a great idea, which like all the best ones is very simple.

While out on my travels recently I got talking to a chap called Ian Hooper, who is looking after the UK part of SeamlessWeb.

SeamlessWeb. What the heck is that, I hear you ask? Well it has its genesis in the States.

Two hard working, well paid city executive types were hungry one night and in a bind as the in-house caterers had gone home and they had work to do and rumbling tums. What to do?