⊛ No Offense | Scot Turner, Auden Hospitality
F&B for Hotels
In many ways, Food and Beverage powers the emotional transportation that happens when you step into great hotels. Bars, restaurants, cafes, lounges–and the plethora of innovative permutations in between–create memorable stories within the grand stories of hotel brands. F&B hits at the sensorial level, crafting the longest lasting impressions and bringing the entire hotel experience into focus.
In the world of hospitality, few individuals can combine breadth & depth of experience with the ability to make new ideas come to life like Scot Turner. With a career that spans over 25 years, he’s navigated the hotel industry, spearheaded the launch of 40+ venues across 14 countries, and mastered the art of creating unforgettable food and beverage concepts. In 2022, Scot took his passion and expertise to new heights by founding Auden Hospitality, a venture dedicated to redefining hotel F&B through innovative, guest-centered concepts.
In this conversation, we dive into Scot’s remarkable journey—from his formative years in iconic hotels to launching his own consultancy, Auden Hospitality. We explore his insights on what makes F&B memorable, the evolving relationship between hotel and F&B brands, and his vision for the future of hospitality. Whether it’s creating new concepts inspired by global travels or championing fresh perspectives in hotel dining, Scot’s story is one of relentless creativity, adaptability, and a deep love for the industry. Let’s get into it.
Scot Turner
Founder, Auden Hospitality
NWS: You’ve seemed to have worked on just about every angle of hotel and hospitality operations…a true expert…managing multiple brands at once, launching concepts in far off places, and of course, specializing in Food & Beverage. Tell us about your journey to Auden. What were the highlights along the way?
Scot: I grew up in luxury hotels, where I spent 15 years with some of the biggest names in the industry. But I quickly realized my real passion lay in restaurants and bars, which led me to Dubai to dive into the world of independent dining. Fast forward to today: I’ve had the privilege of opening over 40 venues and three hotels across 14 countries, collaborating with incredible chefs and restaurateurs, and overseeing annual revenues of $175 million. In 2022, I founded Auden Hospitality to bring a fresh perspective to hotel food and beverage. Twenty-five years in, I’m still excited to wake up every morning and do what I love in this industry.
NWS: What made you want to jump from a cushy executive job to starting your own thing? Now that you’re on the other side, anything you miss about being in-house?
Scot: My time in independent restaurants showed me there was a huge opportunity to bring fresh thinking back to hotels, where my journey began. Hotel food and beverage is at a pivotal moment, driven by the evolving needs of modern travelers, and it’s essential for hoteliers to adopt a new mindset. I knew the insights I gained from working in the independent restaurant sector could make a real difference, and that’s exactly the perspective we bring to the hotels we collaborate with every day. Honestly, I don’t miss being in-house. I love the variety of working with different teams, exploring new places, and embracing the challenge of building something of my own.
NWS: We love that you landed squarely in Food & Beverage. It’s one of those aspects of a spatial experience that sets off the senses and can make or break your experience. What makes an incredible F&B spot in a hotel? What makes F&B fall short?
Scot: All great food & beverage spots are united by one thing… the ability to create memories. It’s the place that makes you go back again and again because there is something in the experience which makes you crave your next visit. This could be a particular dish, a drink, your server, the music, the noise, the vibe, it literally could be anything. If you think of your favorite place to visit (whatever just came into your mind right now, it’s that one), the first thing that comes to your mind will be the thing that created that memory, that’s the power of great F&B, it’s the thing that makes F&B fall short - functional, ordinary venues that don’t inspire memories.
NWS: What has been your favorite project to work on so far? We’d love to hear the full story—the good, the bad, and the ugly—since even our favorite projects often come with their challenges.
Scot: It’s tough to pick just one, but I’m particularly proud of a bakery brand I developed called Chestnut Bakery. Today, it has two thriving locations in London and one in Riyadh, with daily queues and recognition as one of the best bakeries in both countries. What makes this project special to me is that we built the brand around community, attention to detail, and genuine hospitality—and those values are still at the heart of the brand three years later. To me, the true test of a brand is its ability to stand the test of time, and Chestnut Bakery has definitely proven itself.
NWS: Obviously, we’re brand people. How do you think F&B and Hotel Brand work together? What’s their relationship?
Scot: The hotel and F&B brands should feel like they’re part of the same family, but they don’t need to be identical twins. F&B venues thrive when they have their own distinct identity that speaks directly to the local community. Hotel guests alone won’t sustain your venues, so it’s crucial to recognize that F&B often has a completely different target audience. That means giving it its own brand, tone of voice, guidelines, and marketing strategy—essentially its own personality within the broader hotel ecosystem.
NWS: How do you see the future of food and beverage evolving, both in hotels and other asset types? Are there any challenges or barriers to expanding this footprint?
Scot: The space is becoming more experiential, I take lots of inspiration from some of the great urban developments currently being created around the world. These spaces are being reimagined with such creativity and purpose that hotels have a lot to learn from them. I recently had the chance to visit The Pearl in San Antonio while giving two keynotes at the Hospitality Show & Bar and Restaurant Expo. It’s an extraordinary development anchored by the iconic Hotel Emma, which has two Michelin-starred chefs. It’s one of the best examples of how thoughtfully designed spaces can elevate F&B experiences. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend a visit or at least checking it out—it’s truly inspiring.
NWS: We’re going to put you on the spot and on the record here: what’s your favorite hotel in the world and why? How about your favorite F&B in a hotel?
Scot: Oh this is a great question, I’m going to be cheeky and share a few for very different reasons…
City Break: Civilian Hotel, New York
Families: The Atlantis, Dubai
Most Personal: Coworth Park, Ascot because I worked there as F&B Director and went back there to get married because it was such a special place.
Favourite F&B is hard to pick just one but if I have to single out a group then I love what SLH are doing right now and Ennismore are creating some fantastic venues.
NWS: Our mission is to make sameness extinct in real estate. That means less looking backwards at everyone else and more looking forwards to chart a new path. Also, a lot of finding inspiration in places most placemakers wouldn’t venture. What’s inspiring you as you craft new concepts for clients? What are some parts about Hotel F&B that you would like to see sail off into the sunset?
Scot: I find endless inspiration in traveling and exploring neighborhoods that sit off the beaten path, using food and drink as a way to spark conversations. I love visiting local gems, chatting with the people behind them, and learning about their vision. Recently, in Amsterdam, I stumbled across an incredible ramen spot called Fuku Ramen—it was the perfect Sunday lunch discovery. Since launching Auden in 2022, I’ve made it a point to take a three-week research trip every January or February to fuel my curiosity. Last year, I explored Australia and Malaysia; this year, it was Indonesia and Hong Kong. Constant learning is essential—it keeps ideas fresh and exciting.
As for what I’d love to see disappear in hotel F&B?
The outdated belief that every hotel needs a restaurant, bar, and lounge. It’s predictable and uninspiring.
Room service on trays with cloths. It’s time for something more innovative.
The notion that breakfast is the most important meal period.
NWS: As a US-based business, we often look to Europe for inspiration, especially the UK, where many of the trends we admire first take shape. What emerging trends are you currently seeing in the F&B space? Are there any trends that are fading out? And has the UK market drawn any inspiration or strategies from the US?
Scot: I love how venues are creating a multi-faceted product that promotes social community, bars that are introducing social gaming into their spaces, food halls collaborating with incubator brands and even slides and podcast studios. The UK and US have always traded ideas, that's still relevant today but I also have started keeping one eye on Asia recently, they are doing some pretty cool things over there!
If you would like my prediction for the next hotel F&B trend it would be that all day dining and brand standard restaurants are going to be extinct. The modern guest wants authenticity and therefore your story is going to become more and more important.
NWS: Are there any specific projects or concepts you’ve always wanted to work on but haven’t had the chance to (yet)? We all have those dream projects we’d love to see come to life.
Scot: I would love to do a community project in a remote location that can help create a real impact in that area, maybe a hotel that would lift the local economy, create jobs and opportunities that weren’t there before. I am truly privileged to work in an industry that has the ability to make change and would love to have that one project when I retire that I can show the Grandkids and say I was part of positive change.
NWS: Congratulations on being named “Hospitality Industry Leader” by Business Awards UK and for being a finalist for “Most Innovative Business.” How did these honors come about? What an incredible achievement!
Scot: I’ve never been much for awards, I’ve always taken more from clients winning than ourselves but the one I was most proud of was being recognized for was the Most Innovative Business Award. Our mantra at Auden is Think Differently so this truly embodies what we believe in.
👉 For more from Scot Turner, follow on Substack, Auden Hospitality on Instagram, YouTube and Linkedin, and certainly check out his latest work at audenhospitality.com.
🚨 WHO IS NO WALLS STUDIO (AND WHAT DO WE DO)?
No Walls Studio is a design and brand consultancy that helps real estate developers create spaces that people love.
Our mission is to make sameness extinct in real estate, which means that everything we do comes with new ideas and unique angles — all, grounded in a deep understanding of culture and consumers.
We do three things for our clients (often, all in the same project):
Research & Insights
Brand Development
Spatial Experience Design
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