In an attempt to further enhance its extended-stay program, Homewood Suites by Hilton recently launched a pilot project with new partner PeachDish, a meal kit delivery service. Through the “Home Cooked Meals” program, guests at Dallas and Atlanta properties will have the opportunity to use PeachDish’s service at a reduced rate and receive pre-portioned ingredients to cook meals in their suite’s fully-equipped kitchen.
“We did a lot of whiteboarding to find out ways we could differentiate ourselves and make the guest experience even better when somebody stays at our hotel, especially for five-plus nights,” explains Christian Kuhn, vice president of marketing for Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites. He said when the company stumbled upon PeachDish, he knew Homewood was tapping into an amenity extended-stay guests crave.
“When you’re on the road, as cool as it is to eat out every night, it’s pretty nice to have natural ingredients and cook for yourself,” he says.
The program, which started on March 7 and will continue through June 9, caters specifically to Homewood guests. PeachDish’s Culinary Director Seth Freedman worked with the Homewood staff to ensure meals were tailored to the suites’ kitchen supplies and appliances. PeachDish allows guests to place their order on a customized landing page and choose between two serving options: One for smaller meals for the extended-stay business traveler, and one for larger meals geared toward families. Guests can choose from two vegetarian menus and two animal protein-based menus, as well as mix-and-match vegetarian, pescatarian, and omnivore meals. The Southern-inspired cuisine is organic and locally grown.
Though Homewood is not making money off the program, Kuhn says the goal is to gain more repeat bookings through this innovative offer, a first in the extended-stay space.
“This is just another arrow in our quiver of extended-stay tactics,” Kuhn says. “Because we’re going out of our way to make sure there’s a discount for guests, they will think, ‘You know what? This is a brand that thinks from the point of the consumer, and I’d love to stay here more.’”
If the program is well received, Kuhn expects to roll out another pilot program with a wider reach.
