Floating breakfast: the most instagrammable experience to add to your wish list!
Business development director of Floating Breakfast Greece, Tasos Dagkas explains everything about the most instagrammable breakfast experience…
How did the idea of the “floating breakfast” in Greece come about? When was the first time you saw it? What is so unique in that?
Travelling abroad is usually an excellent source of inspiration. So, while traveling, I had the opportunity to live the unique experience of Floating Breakfast myself at the resort I was staying at. It was a suggestion that pleasantly surprised me as a traveler and I was excited to try it myself. As an experience, it was unique to enjoy your breakfast in a beautiful outdoor space by the pool (or even in it, since the water is always shallow).
So, it was then that our company took the decision to bring this experience to Greece, which is a country of unique beauty and with a high level of hospitality services, believing that it would enhance and complete the range of services provided in the hotels.
Indeed, this was the case, as even during the period of the COVID-19 restrictions, when we started to launch the product in Greece, we received a warm response from the market, and that brings us to our 4th successful season.
Is it solely an Instagram experience or can it be enjoyed just like a regular breakfast at a hotel buffet?
Floating Breakfast is probably the ultimate Instagram experience right now! One can easily find this out by visiting the Instagram profiles of the hotels, which make the most of the product to create engaging content, while at the same time their guests create a stream of rich photos & stories where they tag the hotel, thus increasing the virality of the service.
But that’s not all. It’s also a unique, private experience that is out of the ordinary and a premium service. At the same time, it is an experience that you definitely share and discuss with your friends after the holiday, generating word of mouth, with all the positive effects this has for the hotel.
Every traveller can live the Floating Breakfast experience in the way that best expresses them. There are travelers who build a strong social media presence through travel and such special experiences, and this experience is certainly not missing from the social profiles of many of them. In fact, this is something that hoteliers are already taking into account, making sure to provide this service to celebrities & influencers, knowing that the content they create will have a big impact.
To what extent has the idea of the floating breakfast found fertile ground in the post-covid era?
We launched the product in the Greek market in 2020. Most people shall remember that in that year, there was no more than 1.5 months without particularly strict restrictions due to covid. Therefore, that period was not ideal for the tourist market. Nevertheless, the response was immediate and warm. Greek hotel owners are open to new proposals that add value and raise the level of their services. Furthermore, it should also be noted that the Floating Breakfast is essentially a private experience, so it is not affected by any restrictions in restaurants or the hotel buffet. From 2020 onwards, the popularity of the Floating Breakfast in Greece is constantly on the rise and is something that both Greeks and tourists from abroad are looking for.
“Floating Breakfast is probably the ultimate Instagram experience right now!”
Do you think that international influencers have affected its spread?
Clearly, we do live in the age of social media and trends are often either created or reinforced by them. International influencers, many of whom visit our country every summer, are among the first to enjoy, but also to showcase this unique holiday experience.
What messages do you receive from your customers? What’s the craziest thing they have asked you for?
Our customers, who range from rental villas to large hotel groups, often communicate to us that their own guests request the floating breakfast service (even before booking), while those who don’t know about it beforehand but encounter it at the property are thrilled. At the same time, professionals in the sector recognise how important this product is for the marketing of their hotel.
Every professional wants the products that they introduce into their business to match its identity as closely as possible. Therefore, something that is usually requested has to do with the shape and color of the floating tray.
What if a hotel does not have a pool, but a jacuzzi and wants to provide its guests with this experience?
We identified this need shortly after the product was launched on the market. For this reason, we managed to create a special and more compact solution. Thus, our range has been enriched with Floating Trays that are 60cm-wide, heart-shaped, round and rectangular. In addition, we offer the possibility of custom-made orders, which means trays in special dimensions, provided there is a sufficient quantity.
Besides breakfast, what else can be… floating?
One example of a request that has been made, and could possibly be considered as unusual, is the provision of hookah in the pool, on the floating tray.
In which hotels can the lovers of floating breakfast lovers find you?
There are hundreds of hotels at the moment that offer the Floating Breakfast service and we often receive emails and messages from travellers to let them know.
Some of our partnering hotels are: Stella Island (Crete), Mykonian Ambassador (Mykonos), Grecotel Corfu Imperial (Corfu), Crystal Waters (Lefkada), Maryo Village (Paros), Meandros Boutique (Zakynthos), Echoes Luxury Suites (Santorini), Calilo (Ios) and many more.
Is it usually charged as an extra service by the hotel or is it an alternative for someone who doesn’t want to enjoy breakfast in their room or at the hotel buffet?
Each tourist resort can manage the provision of the service in the way it is considered as the best under its own circumstances. There are establishments that offer the service free of charge, as part of their overall facilities. Other hotels provide the Floating Breakfast in their more premium rooms that feature a private pool or jacuzzi, while other customers provide it as an on-demand service at an appropriate cost.
To what extent is it considered as a marketing tool for hotels?
I would say that it is an extremely powerful marketing tool, with a multifaceted impact. On the one hand, it is a tool for attracting bookings. It distinguishes the accommodation from others in the same location, it allows it to be shown on booking platforms with more interesting and attractive photographic material, it creates positive reviews, it influences the final choice of the traveller. At the same time, it is a basis for creating unique content and material for the promotion of a business in social media, brochures, magazines, ads etc.
In addition, it helps to build a unique holiday experience, which results in satisfied customers and positively feeds the next wave of customers (word of mouth, reviews). The above are elements that are definitely worth serious consideration for any industry professional in order to help them realize that the impact that investing in our product can have, goes far beyond simply providing breakfast in a different and unique way.
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