Over the past year, Papdi László, F&B Director of Danubius Hotels, has introduced a number of innovative solutions and new products at Danubius Hotels’ properties. He presented the chain’s revamped breakfast and the gastronomic concept behind it. Alongside products from local suppliers, health-conscious dishes, artisan products and a gluten-free range also await Danubius Hotels’ guests at the breakfast tables.
Papdi László joined Danubius Hotels in February 2024. Over the past year, he and his team have introduced numerous innovations in gastronomy. His goal is to improve the quality of restaurant services, where the biggest challenge is renewing the varied range of services at hotels located in different parts of the country. It is important that they offer a range that allows them to succeed on the market as standalone brands, while also optimising the efficiencies that come from chain-level thinking.
“I am proud of the past year’s work and of my team’s performance. The renewed standards make it possible for guests to be served according to uniform principles and quality criteria in every hotel. Alongside the new gastronomic directions, we have also managed to make our operations more sustainable,” said the director.
Let’s start with breakfast!
Which meal most affects our daily energy levels and well-being when travelling?
Danubius Hotels’ guests also believe that breakfast is particularly important for the day’s activities, which is why their expectations of hotel breakfasts are high. In this spirit, the hotel chain is transforming its breakfast offering from March 2025.
“In autumn 2024, Danubius Hotels carried out research among foreign guests staying at its Budapest hotels. It turned out that our guests consider breakfast the most important meal, which is why we pay particular attention to what our hotels offer. Among the product groups evaluated, besides high-quality bakery products and butter, coffee and morning orange juice, they considered local flavours and ingredients the most important. Papdi László’s developments and the expansion of our gastronomic offering are in harmony with the findings of our research,” said Fabriczki Petra, Communications Director of Danubius Hotels.
The hotel chain can exceed guest expectations with experience elements that support informed choices, so that guests do not have to compromise – on free-from options, for example. Responding to needs is all the more important because, as the research showed, travellers interested in Budapest are certain to want to return once they have visited our capital.
Gluten-free products
First, responding to changing guest needs, Papdi László and his team introduced a range of gluten-free bakery products at Danubius Hotels’ properties. For the hotels’ breakfast and event offerings, they chose the gluten-free products of a high-quality Hungarian artisan producer, Serfőző Gluten Free Bakery. Founder-owner Serfőző Márti has been on the market with her gluten-free products for ten years, and several of them – in both sweet and savoury versions – are available at every Danubius Hotels property.
Danubius Hotels cake selection
László considers one of the most significant developments of the past year to be the creation of an enticing cake selection in the restaurants and cafés of Danubius Hotels’ properties. The creative design and execution are the work of Rezneki Zoltán, head of Danubius Hotels’ central pastry kitchen.
“The work was preceded by lengthy product development. In all, 14 new cakes were created, including lactose-free and other allergen-free versions. So whichever of our hotels Danubius Hotels guests visit, they will find their favourite cake everywhere,” the expert adds.
Environmental awareness
Making its operations sustainable is a key priority for Danubius Hotels, and one of the strategic areas for this is the restaurant department. “One of the main focuses of environmentally conscious thinking is minimising the potential for food and ingredient waste. The breakfast transformation was also carried out in this spirit. The digital developments all help us plan quantities consciously. And products from local suppliers keep the ecological footprint of our products low,” says Papdi László, F&B Director.
Beyond breakfast…
The hotel chain aims to further strengthen its relationships with local, high-quality producers and partners – with sustainability in mind, while catering to guests’ needs.