Luxury Resorts Bet on Food and Wine Festivals to Attract Guests

by Mariette Williams
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Tue September 26, 2023

2023 Omni Amelia Island Fish to Fork Culinary Weekend

With shows like Top Chef, Master Chef, and Chopped dominating television screens, it seems like everyone’s a foodie these days. Or at least they want to feel like one.

Travelers are also booking more food-centered trips as evidenced by reports like the American Express Travel 2023 Global Travel Trends Report which revealed that 45 percent?of Gen-Z and Millennial travelers have planned a trip around a food festival. As more travelers seek unique food experiences, resorts are meeting the demand by hosting culinary festivals.

“Food has always been an integral part of a traveler’s experience,” says Hasan Bas, Director of Food & Beverage at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa that’s located near Austin, Texas. "Also, the rise in social media has made food-centric experiences a highly shareable aspect of travel, and we strive to deliver unique food experiences for our guests."

The upscale resort recently hosted the Hill Country Sip and Savor on two weekends, August 4-5 and September 1-4, and the tasting event featured food and beverages from local distilleries, breweries, and wineries. Hospitality leaders are also viewing food festivals as a way to not only draw in out-of-towners, but to also highlight local food traditions.

“Our culinary team loves the challenge of hosting and participating in food festivals because it removes the confines that a brick and mortar can sometimes place on creativity,” Bas tells Travel Pulse. “Creating these culinary experiences for our guests who are traveling from both near and far allows them to get a taste of what makes Austin and the Hill Country so unique. It also leaves our guests wanting more so they will come back.”

The Kohler Food & Wine Festival is another food-focused event taking advantage of the cooler fall months to showcase local and national culinary talent. Taking place on the grounds of Destination Kohler Resort in Kohler, Wisconsin on October 19-22, the event will be hosted by Martha Stewart, and in the past, the festival has welcomed stars like Tom Colicchio and Andrew Zimmern. This year’s event sold out in under two hours, and some of the festival packages included a celebrity chef dinner with Martha Stewart and cookbooks and wine bottles signed by festival chefs.

“A well-curated and executed culinary experience delivers a variety of multi-sensory moments for people,” says Jenna Check, Director of Resort Events and Experiences at Destination Kohler. “It’s a shareable form of art that people desire to find new ways to enjoy, and ultimately, it’s at the core of our approach to providing a luxury experience.”

A culinary festival can not only boost the profile of a resort, but the event can also have a spillover effect that raises the profile of the surrounding area.

“Bringing our local community and guests who travel here together to celebrate food and wine in the lovely setting of Kohler also leaves a positive impact on the surrounding area,” Check says. “Event goers are exposed to Destination Kohler properties and amenities and then consider making return trips to experience the resort at other times throughout the year.”

And in Florida, a state that’s no stranger to hospitality, Amelia’s Island’s Omni Amelia Island Resort hosts a Fish to Fork culinary weekend each spring. Michelle Valle, the Director of Resort Marketing at Omni Amelia Island says that although there are a lot of challenges in organizing a festival like booking chefs, coordinating live entertainment, and planning decor, food festivals also give resorts a chance to take advantage of the slow season.

“Fish to Fork weekend is hosted over dates when we don’t anticipate being extremely busy with groups or transient business,” Valle says. “We hear from a lot of first-time guests being so surprised by how charming Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach is with all the boutique shops and locally owned eateries – it can definitely make you fall in love with the island. There is so much to do in our area and if Fish to Fork is the main attraction to get people here for the first time, that is a great achievement for us.”

Travelers who seek out high-end accommodations also want personalized experiences, and in many ways, culinary festivals fulfill that demand. For guests, a food festival held at a luxury resort is appealing because it offers a combination of upscale accommodations, curated food offerings, and access to celebrity chefs.

“Food-centric experiences allow travelers to build on those unique memories we all seek while traveling,” Valle explains. “Fish to Fork weekend gives guests access to guest chefs from different cities who will ultimately compete for attendees' votes during a live chef competition. During the opening dinner, we introduce all the chefs and they get to sit for dinner and mingle with all Fish to Fork overnight package guests. By the end of the weekend, they’re all friends, guests have chosen their favorite chef and are rooting for them during the live event – that’s why guests keep coming back to this event -? there’s a personal connection that’s hard to replicate.”?

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