All hotels want to connect with their guests. And what’s the easiest way to establish an emotional connection? Go through their stomach. So, what should the hoteliers do to optimize their kitchens?

So you want to create an emotional connection with your guest? Look no further than your property’s kitchen.

If there’s one thing I learned from my trip to Marriott International’s investor day, it’s that the company sure knows how to do lunch.

Analysts, institutional investors and media were treated to a veritable feast during lunch at the recently opened Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C. During the event (and yes, this lunch was an event) chefs from several Marriott properties the world over prepared a dish to be served to attendees.

On the menu? An Indian-inspired wonder plate featuring vegetarian thali, paneer masala, jeera rice (thank you Executive Chef Ajmal Salim of the JW Marriott Hotel Pune, in India). Still another plate included pork knuckle terrine, rillette fritters, with a green mustard seed vinaigrette (thank you Executive Chef Janine Falvo of the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel in California).

And that was just two of the seven wondrous plates set before us in a lunch that left me panting by the time the dessert samplers arrived—apple crumble pie “chocolate cake,” coconut tapioca peanut butter and jelly cake, and “Ritz-Carlton cake” (thank you Executive Sous and Pastry Chef Frederic Barasse of the D.C. Marriott Marquis).

OK, I promise I have a point here, other than, “Hey, look what I ate earlier this week!” During the luncheon, Brad Nelson, Marriott’s VP of culinary and corporate chef, talked about how important a strong food-and-beverage program is for a hotel.

Admittedly, it was difficult for me to focus on Nelson’s discussion with a cucumber tonic and Jamison Farm lamb staring me in the face, but here’s what he probably had to say.

All hotels want to connect with their guests. That’s a no-brainer. And what’s the easiest way to establish an emotional connection? Go through their stomach. Trust me. I am now in love with all seven of the chefs who caused my caloric intake to spike around noon-ish on Monday.

Creating a connection through food is especially important given the rise of the millennial traveler, he said. This generation enjoys taking pictures of their food and sharing it via social media. “This is the first generation that we could call the foodie generation,” Nelson said.

What food is most likely to catch the eye of these travelers? Healthy food is a good start, said Marcus Zimmer, executive chef at the Hotel am Steinplatz, an Autograph Collection property in Berlin. An example of this during our lunch that day was kale chips and dried beets (that didn’t stay on the table for too long, by the way.)

Farm fresh is also important, Nelson said. “Twenty years ago, it was considered a great thing if you had strawberries 365 days a year,” he said. “But now, people like seasonal offerings.”

Bottom line, food is a big part of the guest experience. I know that I for one won’t be able to get that meal out of my mind for quite a while.