Extended Stay Hotels Experiment with On-Demand Food Services
Photo Credit: One of the recipes developed by chef Hari Nayak for Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham. Guests staying at certain properties in the U.S. can now order ingredients for these recipes, as well as other grocery items, through Peapod or Instacart as part of a new pilot program. Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
Skift Take
Launching something like on-demand grocery delivery service makes a lot of sense, but given what happened with Hilton's meal kit delivery service experiment, it'll be interesting to see how well Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham's pilot progresses.
Arguably, one of the biggest perks of staying in an extended stay hotel is the use of a kitchen, and enterprising brands within the space are looking for innovative ways to help guests take advantage of this unique amenity.
One of those brands includes Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham. Last year, the brand launched a "Homemade @ Hawthorn" program that features a collection of chef-designed recipes for guests to use during their stay.
And at the end of April, the company has made it that much easier for guests to cook those recipes by partnering with Peapod and Instacart to facilitate on-demand grocery delivery services for guests. Currently, the program is in pilot at eight hotels throughout the U.S., in locations that include Illinois, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina.
Larry Hambro, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham's vice president of brand operations, said the company decided to pilot this program primarily because more and more American households are choosing to
