Photo courtesy Jack Oughton.
DUE TO THE EVER-CHANGING MOOD OF HIGH-END DINERS, HOTEL MANAGEMENT CONTINUES TO ADAPT TO NEW AND EXCITING CHALLENGES WITHIN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SECTOR OF LUXURY TRAVEL. IN A RECENT POST BY TEXAS MEETINGS + EVENTS, EXECUTIVE CHEFS AND MANAGEMENT MEMBERS DISCUSS TRENDS WITHIN THE WESTERN REGION OF US THAT ARE BECOMING UNIVERSALLY SEEN IN HOTELS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
LOCAL SOURCING & AUTHENTICITY
“Traveling is all about experiencing a new culture, and that includes fare from the region guests are visiting,” says James Morin, executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa located in San Antonio.
“We see a lot of guests enthralled by the culture of our Lone Star State, and they want to experience that unique Texas flavor in authentic cuisine.”
Showcasing the sourcing of ingredients and partnerships with local suppliers is a shift from previous priorities. The George R. Brown Convention Center also works to showcase its local partners by prominently featuring their branding in restaurant and café experiences, according to Chris Bupp, general manager of Levy, the exclusive food and beverage provider for the convention center.
Photo by Jack Oughton.
One example of this is the convention center’s relationship with local company Java Pura as a coffee vendor. “In telling people about it, it’s roasted down the street and it’s available across Texas,” Bupp says. “What a great story to tell, and consumers love hearing about it.”
Photo by Vishnuvardan.
HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES & DIETARY RESTRICTIONS
Chefs at multiple hotels and resorts spoke about an increased desire to develop menus with healthy options for attendees. For breakfast, often groups are looking for healthy options and “light action stations,” as they “want to see how the food is prepared,” says Christof Syré, executive chef at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas.
In regards to particular ingredients, grains such as quinoa, farro and sorghum have gained a new spotlight, as well as cold oatmeal and avocado toast topped with smoked salmon or a poached egg. Salmon has been a strong ingredient for Ruffy Sulaiman, executive chef at Hilton Americas-Houston.
“When we do a lot of tastings, each time we have salmon in the tasting, salmon always wins,” Sulaiman says. He credits the interest in salmon because it’s loaded with Omega 3 and appeals to most health-conscious eaters.
Coinciding healthy options are dietary restrictions, a complicated but rewarding challenge that the hotel industry finds itself constantly working toward accommodating, says Sulaiman. “It allows us to be as creative as possible to make sure that we take care of those folks.”
GOODBYE BUFFETS, HELLO POP-UP EXPERIENCES
Long buffet lines are going by the wayside, according to Sulaiman, as event planners are now sticking with smaller plates to continue the “less is more” trend. Sulaiman has developed different pop-up food experiences that highlight various cultures represented in Houston, including an Indian station with chicken Marsala and lamb shashlik and a pho station to represent Vietnamese culture.
To learn more from these inspired experts from the Lone Star state, visit Texas Meeting + Events’ post!
Photo courtesy Swastiverma.
High-end restaurants collaborate with residential buildings in major cities such as New York and Boston to create the ultimate experience for residents.
Waterline Square and Cipriani
Waterline Square has been designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, Richard Meier & Partners Architects and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates to create an iconic collection of luxury residential buildings on one of the last remaining waterfront development sites on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The masterplan encompasses nearly five acres and will be located in Manhattan along the Hudson River from West 59th Street to West 61st Street where Midtown meets the Upper West Side.
Located within Two Waterline Square, designed by KPF, the groundbreaking development will be home to the first-ever experiential food market by the Cipriani family.
The Cipriani family will develop 28,000 square feet of space for a large-format culinary experience with multiple food and beverage establishments, including a market, restaurants and fast casual outlets. Martin Brudnizki, the internationally-acclaimed, London-based interior designer, will design the new Cipriani food hall.
Photos courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences One Dalton
Created and co-founded by acclaimed chef Rainer Becker, Zuma takes its inspiration from the informal and popular Japanese izakaya, where guests enjoy a relaxed dining and drinking style that uniquely embraces every element of Japanese cooking under one roof. Zuma takes this ideology, and in an elegant and contemporary environment, offers a modern Japanese dining experience that is authentic, but not traditional.
Developed by Carpenter & Company, the Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences One Dalton Street, Boston, is slated to become New England’s tallest residential tower upon its completion. Designed by legendary architect Henry N. Cobb, in collaboration with Cambridge Seven Associates, the 742-foot tower will feature 160 luxury condominiums and the second Four Seasons hotel in Boston. Celebrated designer Thierry Despont has crafted custom interiors for the residential lobby and 50th floor Club Lounge.
30 Park Place and CUT by Wolfgang Puck
Located in Tribeca at the corner of Church Street and Park Place, 30 Park Place is the tallest condominium tower to grace the Downtown skyline at 926 feet, with panoramic views of Midtown Manhattan, the Hudson and East Rivers, the New York Harbor and Statue of Liberty.
30 Park Place is designed by celebrated architect, Robert A.M. Stern, developed by Silverstein Properties and offers 157 residences in a mix of one- to six-bedrooms. 30 Park Place also features nearly 40,000 square feet of amenities, as well as a full suite of hotel services, all managed by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
The Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown sits below the private residences at 30 Park Place. Occupying the first 24 floors of the tower and known for its five-star services, experiences and amenities, The Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown is home to CUT by Wolfgang Puck, the celebrity chef and restaurateur’s first and only New York restaurant. Accessible through a secret door on the residents’ side of the building, 30 Park Place owners never have to leave the building to dine at Puck’s restaurant.
Photo courtesy of Moso Studio
Photo courtesy of Joël Robuchon
Photos courtesy of Noe & Associates with The Boundary
Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences and Zuma
Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences, One Dalton Street, Boston has announced its partnership with internationally acclaimed celebrity-studded restaurant group, Zuma, which will offer world-class cuisine to One Dalton residents, hotel guests and locals alike in early 2019. The Boston location marks the company’s first collaboration with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and its fourth location in the United States — part of a successful expansion into the American market.
The restaurant will showcase bold flavors and simple presentation combined with an environment of sophisticated and stellar service. Zuma will bring its signature culinary approach with a touch of local flavor to Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts’ upcoming Boston location, which will be located on the third floor of One Dalton and designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu of Tokyo-based Studio Glitt.
Photos courtesy of 30 Park Place
242 Broome and Make It Nice
242 Broome is the first condominium within Essex Crossing, a planned mixed-use development comprising residential, office, retail, cultural and community space on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The 14-story, 55-unit luxury building designed by SHoP Architects will also be the new home of the International Center of Photography, which will feature an event space run by Make It Nice — the hospitality group from Eleven Madison Park.
The co-owners of Make It Nice, Will Guidara and Daniel Humm, continue to transform the world of dining with their critically acclaimed restaurant Eleven Madison Park, which is currently rated the best restaurant in the world on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, possesses three Michelin stars and received a four star review from The New York Times in 2015. The pair’s Make It Nice hospitality group also oversees the food and beverage spaces at The NoMad hotels in New York and Los Angeles in addition to Made Nice in The NoMad where seasonal dishes are served in an elevated counter service environment.
Make It Nice’s collaboration with ICP marks its first off-site partnership. Guests attending events in the dramatic bi-level space on the top floors of ICP can expect the same outstanding hospitality and exquisite food intrinsic to these distinguished restaurants.
One Hundred East Fifty Third Street and Joël Robuchon
Soaring 63 stories with a collection of 94 contemporary homes, One Hundred East Fifty Third Street is a striking new modernist architectural landmark from Foster + Partners, which offers the highest level of lifestyle services and comfort. Residents at One Hundred East Fifty Third Street will enjoy the distinct privilege of sharing their address with a restaurant by Joël Robuchon, the world’s most decorated Michelin-starred chef. The tower is anchored by a soaring bi-level space designed by Joseph Dirand that will feature two highly anticipated dining concepts slated to open this year. Residents will receive preferred access to these restaurants as well as in-home dining options.
“We are thrilled to partner with Joël Robuchon and Aby Rosen on this exceptional project,” said Alex Gaudelet, CEO of Invest Hospitality. “The combination of the chef with the most Michelin Stars in the world and one of New York’s most audacious visionaries is going to make for an iconic venue.”
In addition, the building offers super luxe, spa-inspired amenities designed by AD-100 designer William T. Georgis. They include a 60-foot sunlit swimming pool, a cardio room, weight room, pilates/ballet room, yoga room, sauna, steam room, spa treatment rooms and his-and-her changing rooms and showers.
Residences at One Hundred East Fifty Third Street are a mix of tower-style units with skyline views and a specialized collection of loft residences on the bottom floors, which feature concrete walls and floors and are specifically designed to accommodate large art collections. Pricing for available units in the building begins at $2.3 million for a studio, and go up to $65 million for the 6,760-square-foot penthouse.