Hotelier Hungary Issue No. 1. – 2015

HUNGARIAN EDITION -

THE FOOD & BEVERAGE ISSUE – HUF 1590

ISSUE NO. 1 – 2015

NATURAL MINERAL WATER

LOUIS FRANÇOIS & CO. Louis François, son of French champagne master Philipe François, came to Hungary by way of Reims to work for József Törley’s sparkling wine factory, and after four years of devoted service he set off on his own with his brother Cesar, who meanwhile joined him at Törley. The pair established Louis François et Co. Budafok in 1886 and by the end of their first year they had produced 7,243 bottles of sparkling wine. By 1928 the company’s annual distribution had reached 200,000 bottles but in the summer of 1944, bomb strikes devastated the entire production facility and its entire inventory.

Several decades past and in 1982, Törley acquired the rights to use the François name and resumed production. Under the leadership of chief winemaker László Romsics the quality of the François products remain closely scrutinised and true to tradition.

The François sparkling wines are all prepared according to the traditional ‘Méthode Champanoise’ using carefully selected wines fermented and aged in the bottle for several years. Once the wines have matured, the lees, or sediment, is consolidated by placing the bottles cap down in riddle racks and giving them a skilled shake and turn. The neck of the bottles are then immersed in a brine of -25 °C and the resulting ice crystals which contain all the lees are removed in a process known as disgorgement, leaving nothing but crystal clear sparkling wine.

The all new Louis François & Co. Pinot Noir Rosé Brut Nature 2011 debuted at the Budapest Wine festival this year to great fanfare.

This non-dosage which is not available to retail customers, only focused on the gastronomy, exhibits an exquisite pink hue and an aroma that is complex, with notes of ripe cherry, sun-kissed strawberry and the fine yeasty flavour that is the result of long bottle ageing. It is buoyant and full of tiny playful bubble-pearls achieved without the addition of liqueurs commonly used in the sparkling wine making process.

Also featured in the Louis François product line is the François President Rosé Brut 2011 with some dosage, that exhibits an intense fruitiness, the white François Brut Nature 2012 known for its creamy texture, and the François President Brut 2012 with its fine finish.

HOTELIERINTERNATIONAL.COM HUNGARIAN EDITION PUBLISHER: ABSOLUT MEDIA ZRT. 1075 BUDAPEST, MADÁCH IMRE ÚT 13–14.

TEL: +36 (1) 398-0344 PUBLISHER: THOMAS BOTKA CEO: BALÁZS ROMÁN roman.b@amedia.hu EDITOR: ANIKO FENYVESI ADVERTISING: ERIKA TÖRSÖK torsok.e@amedia.hu DISTRIBUTION: SZILVIA IMRE imre.sz@amedia.hu PHOTO: DÓRA SAJÓ, ÁRPÁD PINTÉR HOTELIERINTERNATIONAL.COM PUBLISHER: INTERNATIONAL MEDIA GROUP, 17 HANOVER SQUARE, LONDON W1S 1HU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: SARAH ANDREWS ART DIRECTOR: ERIC WITHAM DESIGNER: STEPHEN KELMAN CEO: SIMON GREVES simon-greves@intmediagroup.co.uk INTERNATIONAL LICENSING: KARL-HENRY EDSTRÖM karl.henry@intmediagroup.co.uk CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: BOYD FARROW, ABIGAIL BLASI, NICK DALL, ANJA MUTIĆ, PETER PRITZ, MIA STAINSBY, CHERYL-ANNE STURKEN, PETER VENISON, SUZANNE WALES COVER IMAGE: BUDAPEST EYE ISSN: 2416-2949 The opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and/or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of Hotelier International Ltd. Advertisers or their representatives assume full responsibility for the content of their advertisements, and for ensuring that this content corresponds with the laws and other normative acts of Italy and the country where the magazine is being published. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

INSIDE

ISSUE NO.1 THE FOOD & BEVERAGE ISSUE – 2015

VOICE WITH THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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CONCIERGE A HOTELIER’S HELP DESK ................................

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Q&A WITH YVES GIACOMETTI In conversation with the general manager of one of the region’s most beautiful hotels ................................................

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BEST ADVICE The best career advice ever received

by South African hotelier Liz McGrath .........................................

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Q&A WITH PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA An interview with the ‘Accidental’ Spanish power couple of food and design ................................................

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Q&A WITH KÁROLY GERENDAI The man behind Budapest’s first Michelin Star restaurant speaks about the evolution of diners’ expectations .....................

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Q&A WITH SIMONE CAPORALE A conversation about inspiring cocktails with a Surrealist twist ....

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THE BEST: HOTEL ROOFTOPS ...................................................................

GOURMET SHOPS ...................................................................

DESTINATION RESTAURANTS ...................................................

WINE CELLARS .........................................................................

58 66 76 86

THE CONSULTANT Learn more about your hotel from the outside looking in .............

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PROFILES: BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY A slice of life: Bringing the ‘affordable luxury’ of freshly baked bread to guests and locals ........................................................................

98 JOHANNESBURG’S SAXON HOTEL How an already exceptional hotel upped its game by employing a top chef to overhaul F&B offerings ...........................................

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GREEN SPOTLIGHT Vancouver’s Forage restaurant at Listel Hotel ..............................

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LAST LOOK ..............................................................................

NEXT ISSUE .............................................................................

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HUNGARIAN EDITION -

THE FOOD & BEVERAGE ISSUE – HUF 1590

ISSUE NO. 1 – 2015

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Welcome to the brand new Budapest edition of Hotelier International. We are pleased to present to our local readers this esteemed international publication, which offers insight into the industry from a B2B perspective. By perusing these pages, we hope you will find inspiration through some of the more compelling developments in the hotel food and beverage industry in Hungary and around the globe.

In our first issue, we speak to renowned Budapest restaurateur Károly Gerendai whose Costes restaurant was the recipient of the first Michelin Star in Hungary (p40). The general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest talks to HI about the exciting and challenging task of running one of the world’s most beautiful hotels (p16).

In our Conciege section, dedicated to innovative developments in the industry, we address sharing economy website Airbnb’s impact on the local hotel industry and provide a roundup of the food and beverage experiences offered at five-star hotels in

Budapest. The burgeoning new wave coffee scene also warrants a mention here.

Much can be gleaned from the best in the business and our best of section does a great job at highlighting the most exciting and unusual features at hotels around the world from the best gourmet shops, to the best wine cellars, the best destination restaurants and the best hotel rooftops.

Our Hotel Profiles component also has an international focus, bringing to light some of the more noteworthy F&B destinations. Barcelona’s Hotel Praktik, for example, has found a novel way of attracting guests by installing a full-scale gourmet bakery in its lobby (p98), while Forage at The Listel Hotel in Vancouver draws in customers with its very local fare (p114).

We hope this publication inspires you to see the industry from a different perspective and we’d be more than happy to hear your feedback and ideas at editor@hotelierinternational.com.

S I N C E R E LY,

SARAH ANDREWS — EDITOR-IN-CHIEF — EDITOR@HOTELIERINTERNATIONAL.COM

CONCIERGE

ISSUE NO.1 4TH QUARTER 2015 A HOTELIER’S HELP DESK

FIVE-STAR FOOD AND DRINK The evolution of Budapest’s culinary scene has helped raise the bar in all arms of the service industry including what guests can expect from local five-star hotels, from carefully crafted menus to impeccable service. But competition is fierce and keeping guests from dining out is becoming increasingly challenging.

The Corinthia Hotel, formerly the Royal Hotel, has seen remarkable changes in its 120-year history. Now under the helm of Executive Chef Péter Bolyki, the hotel’s food and beverage profile includes the Brasserie & Atrium Restaurant which leans on the traditions of Hungarian cuisine with a cosmopolitan twist, Le Bar, which serves cocktails in addition to luxurious burgers and the Rickshaw, which is a nod to the flavours of the Far East. Also part of the property are the renowned Bock Bisztró from

winemaker József Bock and the Szamos Marcipán Royal Café.

German-born chef Deff Haupt is the new executive chef at the Paris Budapest Restaurant of the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge Hotel. He brings an adventurous cooking style to the table and experience honed at some of the world’s best restaurants. His menu features a fusion of French and Hungarian cuisine with an emphasis on local suppliers.

The nearby Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest opened its Kollázs restaurant a few months ago at the former site of its Páva restaurant. The art nouveau interior centres around four key elements: the rotisserie, central bar, wine cellar and patisserie. The focus is on modern European and French brasseriestyle cuisine with a handful of Hungarian specialties. The hotel’s Lobby Bar has a special afternoon tea programme during which tea is served in traditional Hungarian Herend porcelain along with finger foods and the tinkling of a live piano.

The Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest is home to one of the world’s most renowned Japanese fusion restaurants,

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Nobu, which draws in substantial nonhotel trade. The ÉS Bistro and Deli run by restaurant impresario Zsidai and co. also aims to be more than just a hotel restaurant while focusing on traditional Hungarian dishes and international comfort food. ÉS is also one of the few five-star establishments to offer craft beers and direct trade coffees.

A fresh addition to the local fivestar hotel scene, Aria has involved farmers from one of country’s most impoverished regions in the northeast of Hungary to produce ingredients used at the hotel. The kitchen at Stradivari takes these ingredients to create contemporary renditions of Hungarian cuisine by incorporating French and Italian elements. The hotel’s Skybar boasts one of the best views of the city for sipping cocktails and caters to private parties and corporate events.

The Budapest Marriott Hotel has for years been producing one of the city’s best brunches and their recent interest in fresh young talent led to the launching of an innovative tender for young entrepreneurs.

The winning team, Marionett Craft Beer House was awarded a rent-free space to bring Budapest’s craft beer revolution into a hotel setting.

CONCIERGE

HOW WAS THE SERVICE? With hotels increasingly vulnerable in the age of social media and the reputation economy, guest feedback is increasingly valuable. Some hotels send questionnaires to mobile devices for customers as soon as they get in a cab to the airport. Some pose questions on iPad at the front desk or in rooms.

Hotels work on their surveys with a variety of partners. New World Hospitality’s surveys focus on a customer’s “emotional connection” with staff members. Dorchester Collection

retains Gallup to collect more than 10,000 surveys annually. Wyndham guests receive their post-stay surveys directly from TripAdvisor and can see the results on Wyndham’s website. Hyatt scans and analyses comments from Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Comments that are especially negative or positive set off alerts to the appropriate general manager, who can directly approach the guest on that social network.

Hyatt’s survey system is being integrated into guest profiles so the information is available as they check in. That way, for example, the front desk staff may assign them a room far from an elevator because of comments on a previous questionnaire. Hotel group Lindner, which has 34 hotels in Europe, uses software for similar ends.

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Meanwhile Marriott’s social media sites encourage idea submissions that the community can vote on, and the company reports back with what it is doing at their properties. Other hotels directly act on feedback posted on sites such as TripAdvisor. Omni Hotels and Resorts says it made a point of installing more electrical outlets and better bathrooms in all newbuilds and renovation projects after several complaints from travellers on such websites. The Loews Regency in New York claims it included a central master light switch in all guest rooms after online moans from guests about the number of lights and switches they have to turn off. - BF

CONCIERGE

BUDAPEST’S NEW WAVE BREWS Coffee is essential to most humans.

It is consumed at the beginning of the day, after meals and several times in between making it a vital part of any hotel’s offering.

With the number of discerning coffee drinkers on the rise, the source of the beans and quality of the brew are becoming increasingly important to a growing number of coffee drinkers. Although Hungarian hotels are starting to catch on, many still boast an offering of drinkable though not exceptional mass-market coffee brands.

The wealth of quality European roasters, a handful of which are local, are a sign that the new wave is taking hold. ÉS Deli in the Kempinski hotel offers speciality coffees from a “deli” counter adjacent to the hotel’s lobby. Coffee expert Máté Nezvál has selected a blend of Arabica beans from Rwanda and Guatemala sourced via direct trade to reflect a fruity acidity so popular in coffees today. Tamping, pulling and the

precise steaming of high fat milk are also essential in the ÉS mix.

Hungary’s old world coffee houses, which came to prominence during the Austro-Hungarian empire, when coffee houses where the hotbeds of cultural activity, remain a substantial tourist draw.

Rightfully so, as those coffee houses that did not succumb to the bombs of World War II, or the 1956 uprising, or 50 years of communism, and were restored to their former splendour, have become a true curiosity. It was here that generations of artists and literati formed revolutionary ideas or simply whiled away their days among friends or in solitude over a notepad or a newspaper.

True coffee connoisseurs with a discerning palate, however, have a very different agenda. Their constant search for the best beans, perfectly roasted, ground to just the right size and brewed accordingly by expert baristas has fuelled a coffee revolution in the capital and around the world that has seen the emergence of hip and contemporary cafés all across Europe. Unlike their forefathers, elaborate cakes are not the focus but rather the beans and in many cases the source of these beans, whether they be fair trade

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(produced under fair trade conditions) or direct trade (purchased directly from farmers).

The bulk of new wave cafés were opened by young entrepreneurs, who are responsible for influencing, albeit slowly, the way Hungarians drink coffee. These establishments, which are scattered around central Budapest include the pioneering Espresso Embassy, the Blue Bird roastery, Fekete and Budapest Baristas among others. They tend to attract out of town visitors and lean towards minimal interior design – no gold embellishments – and serve a memorable cup of coffee in all its varied forms. Special requests for a flat white, doppio or macchiato are not met with a quizzical look, but are instead prepared with care.

CONCIERGE

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE Hotel televisions have evolved dramatically since their humble beginnings as an in-room entertainment system with a few channels to chose from, to an interactive interface from which guests can operate their mobile devices.

The first notable developments took place in the early 1990s through the introduction of video-on-demand. This system not only enhanced a guest’s experience but also provided a source of income for hotels through a per-view purchasing system. As this framework was phased out, more complex systems, operating from a central server were put in place.

International firm LG has a substantial market share in Hungary and the rest of Europe and has been using their leading position to influence the direction of technological developments in the sector of in-room entertainment for the past 20 years, according to Regional Sales Manager of LG in CEE, Mihály Klemencz (pictured).

The star rating of a hotel is key in determining what sort of television a hotel will purchase and what kind of services will be made available to guests. In the case of three-star hotels and below, in-room entertainment systems are similar to what guests might find on their televisions at home, with a few extra features such as menus, Klemencz says.

In three-star hotels and above, televisions, in particular those manufactured by LG, can be programmed by hotel management to include all kinds of menus that provide information to guests about the hotel, its programmes, facilities, services and in the case of larger hotels, about local attractions, weather and even airport flight schedules.

The systems tend towards more interactive features in four- and five-star hotels, as with LG’s Pro:Centric, which not only enables hotel management to provide information to their guests but also allows guests to access their balance and order room service or tickets for the various attractions in the city they are visiting. Guests are also able to connect their mobile devices to their in-room television sets. The Pro:Centric makes it easy for hotel staff to customise the billboards to promote the hotel’s services and amenities with quick updates that are paving the way for paperless communication between hotel management and guests.

Many of the major hotel chains, such as the Hilton, include interactive television systems in their promotional materials to let guests know about the type of services they can expect during their stay. And this is an important feature given that 99% of guests staying at these establishments have

some sort of mobile device that they would like to connect to their television be it Android, Windows or Apple devices, Klemencz adds.

LG is one of the leaders in the field, not only because it has a comprehensive range of products in all three categories of hotel televisions but also because it offers competitive pricing on both its units and its central servers as well as reliable onsite service, all of which are important factors when making a big purchase.

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CONCIERGE

CRAFT BEER TOURISM People increasingly travel for the craft beer movement in the United States, which has led to a spike in beer tourism. In the case of Hungary, the focus has remained on wine tourism, despite a burgeoning craft beer market that has grown rapidly over the past few years. Much can be learned from US hoteliers about the untapped potential of beer-focused experiences from in-house tastings to brewery tours.

At Burlington’s Hotel Vermont, for example, a beer concierge helps guests gain access to Vermont’s world-class beer scene. The best beer in Vermont is brewed in small batches with very limited distribution, making it difficult to find, so for visitors a beer concierge comes in handy. The hotel offers a two-night experience, “Hops and Malts: Hotel Vermont’s Craft Brew Tour”, which includes a concierge-guided tour of local breweries, transportation and lunch.

In New Hampshire, the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel has a beer

master on staff. “The main draw of a hotel having a beer master is to promote the growth of an exciting industry. New England, for example, is becoming a hotbed of activity for craft beer. New Hampshire has nearly 40 breweries, Maine has 60 breweries and Massachusetts and Vermont are heavily growing,” says the Sheraton’s beer master, former beer blogger and enthusiast Brian Aldrych.

Beer tourism is also on the rise in San Diego. At The US Grant Hotel, sommelier, mixologist and cicerone Jeff Josenhans officially started brewing the Grant Grill’s signature Imperial Manhattan

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Rye Red, in collaboration with the local Mission Brewery. This imperial red ale is infused with cigar smoked Luxardo cherries and then aged in Grant Grill’s US Centennial Manhattan seasoned barrels for four to five months.

The San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter pays a nod to the booming local craft beer scene (San Diego County now has over 50 breweries) by offering a “Brew Diego” package that takes guests to beer hotspots in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

Developments in the Hungarian craft beer movement in both production and consumption have seen exponential growth with a handful of cool pubs now serving a rich variety of craft beers but for an allencompassing experience the Craft Beer festival held three times a year, features the finest brews from over 60 local producers.

Budapest’s Aria Hotel, is one of the few five-star hotels to offer a selection of craft beers including Scotland’s Brewdog and IPAs from local producer Rothbeer.

The ÉS Bisztro at the Kempinski also serves craft beers from the popular Fót, Bors and Szent András breweries.

Recently awarded a tender to operate in a small space within the Marriott Hotel, the Marionett Craft Beer House (pictured) brings 16 varieties of Hungarian and two out-of-country brews to a growing fan base of craft beer lovers. Order your beer at the bar and trigger the movements of marionettes directly connected to the beer taps. This is so far the only dedicated craft beer bar affiliated with a Budapest hotel and it’s not likely to be the last.

CONCIERGE

SIGNATURE COCKTAILS Lobbies may be a hotel’s immediate attention getter, but it’s the bar that’s increasingly becoming the scene-stealer. After all, who wants to hang out in a lobby when they can cozy up to a cocktail? Here’s a look at three watering holes serving up killer signature cocktails that have the locals flocking in.

Bottoms up!

Swanky Balthazar, in the 90-room Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen, which reopened May 2013 following a twoyear closure, claims to be Denmark’s only champagne bar. Named for the 12-litre champagne bottle, this upscale newcomer features over 160 champagnes and a slew of signature champagnebased cocktails. The classy Duchess blends Hennessey Cognac, Merlet apricot brandy, fresh lime and honey. For

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT Food waste costs the UK hotel sector alone £318 million each year, according to Green Hotelier. Innovative ways to cut down or reuse hotel waste are not a luxury, but a must.

Many hotels are converting food waste into fertilizer, such as the Hilton Hotel in Athens, which uses a Dehydra food waste dewatering system to produce compost produced to nourish the hotel grounds. Even more significant are the systems turning organic waste into energy (anaerobic digestion), used by, for example, all the Disney World hotels, which are partnered with Harvest Power to enable cost-effective production of electricity.

a tipple with a tad more muscle, opt for the Old Smoking Rifle made with Knob Creek bourbon, amaretto and a dash of grenadine syrup.

In central Brussels, the Lounge Bar at the 150-room Dominican Hotel is an oasis of orange fabrics and warm woods.

Amongst the long list of traditional cocktails are several in-house specialities named for the hotel, which sits on the site of a 15th century Dominican abbey.

Try the Dominican Gin Fizz, a heady mix of Plymouth Gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white and Chartreuse. Better yet, order the house’s number one specialty, the Dominican Think Pink, a smooth concoction of Hendrick’s gin, St. Germain Elderflower, Apollo 11 and Fair goji berry liqueurs.

One of Manhattan’s newest bars is Henry, located in the lobby of the Hudson Hotel. Named after the legendary explorer Henry Hudson, it has an extensive signature cocktail list created by world-renowned mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana (a.k.a. Mr. Lyan),

Lancaster in London attempts to avoid generating food waste where possible, promoting ‘nose to tail’ eating in its restaurant. The approach is more ecological and a fashionable selling point in its own right.

In countries around the world, food banks and non-profit distributing groups make it easy for hotels to send in food surplus. In the Middle East, Hilton Worldwide, Crowne Plaza and Style Hotels are all sponsors of the

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a two-time UK bartender of the year.

Among the yummy offerings are the Living Cocktail made with miso caramel, homemade carrot vinegar and reposado tequila. More refined palates may prefer the Polleno made with fresh sour apple, sweet apple, fino sherry and fennel pollen. – CAS

Food Banking Regional Network, which operates in countries throughout the region. In the United States, Hilton, Marriott, Starwood and other hotel groups have partnered with food bank networks including Feeding America.

W ith food waste diverted from costly landfills, meals provided for the hungry, energy generation, compost creation, and cost savings from waste reduction, action on food waste makes perfect sense. – AB

CONCIERGE

SWEET TREATS AS BRAND BUILDERS Not only did his chocolate sandwich with apricot jam filling and chocolate icing turn Franz Sacher into a legend in Vienna’s sweet-toothed society, it ensured that the city’s Sacher Hotel — founded in 1876 by his son Eduard — would become one of the world’s most beloved addresses.

Astonishingly, this grand hotel still makes more than 360,000 Original Sacher Tortes each year, many now sold online around the world.

Increasingly hotels are rediscovering how branded treats can be used either to reward favoured guests, whip up publicity or create fresh revenue streams. Private-label

BEYOND THE MINIBAR Although the whole concept of minibars is under scrutiny, many hotels are using in-room snacks to reinforce their identity. Increasingly, the more local the in-room goodies, the better, as this conveys the message that their establishments engage with their communities.

So new luxury Boston hotel Fifteen Beacon includes local faves like Boston Baked Beans. The Fairmont Pittsburgh includes local beers Penn Pilsner and Yuengling. The Çirağan Palace Kempinski crams its minibars with Turkish delights, Turkish coffee and even coffee cups from Istanbul’s fine brand Selamlique. The Four Seasons Florence plays up its grand dame status by offering Elisir di China and Elisir di

goodies sold in Peninsula gift shops, for example, now run to teas, wines and handmade sweets as well as the hotel group’s ‘special-occasion’ gourmet mooncakes.

Another Asian five-star, The Fullerton in Singapore, does a brisk trade with a premium version of Kueh Lapis cake, a traditional delicacy, in various flavours. Meanwhile Parisian hotels recently have stood as one against American cupcake imperialism, with practically every luxe hotel trumpeting their signature macarons.

Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris recently raised the stakes for romantic packages with a new signature heart pastry by Pierre Hermé.

Several hotels have found branded fare can reinforce their reputations whilst topping up revenues. Zurich’s glitzy Baur au Lac Hotel, for example, manufactures high-end chocolate bars, while Dublin’s Merrion Hotel has spun

its popular afternoon teas into a line of preserves.

Ritz-Carlton however, aims to raise the bar higher with The Cake, a chocolate-orange confection, which will soon be available at all the hotel’s gift shops. This sliceable log will be presented in an elaborate ribboned box, which the chain’s corporate chef Rainer Zinngrebe says one day could be “as recognisable as a T iffany box”.

If only F. Scott Fitzgerald had written ‘A Chocolate Cake As Big As The Ritz’. – BF

Rosa, liqueurs by local institution Santa Maria Novella.

New York’s The Benjamin has recently started putting into all guest rooms a ‘Snack Box’, a ‘curated’ collection of complimentary treats from local producers who “incorporate farm-fresh and organic ingredients into their products”. The basket includes Emmy’s Chocolate Orange Macaroons and Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups — both organic, gluten-free and vegan, inevitably — plus a chocolate with sea salt bar and chocolate chip cookies from local heroes Mast Brothers and Tate’s Bake Shop.

The Robert de Niro-owned Greenwich hotel in New York flaunts its informality by supplying guests with a complimentary wire basket, replenished daily, full of cult American junk food, such as Reese’s Pieces and popcorn.

Meanwhile, The Archer, another luxury hotel that opened in May in New York’s Garment District, took things a step further, by dovetailing

two pampering staples — the upscale snack and the turndown service. An eight-item rotation of locally sourced or homemade items include Baked

by Melissa cupcakes, Truffles by David Burke and Chocolate Dipped Fancy Fortune Cookies with ‘Archer messages’. Because nothing screams anti-cookie-cutter hospitality louder than a wonky cookie. - BF

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CONCIERGE

AIRBNB VS. THE HOTEL INDUSTRY The sharing economy website Airbnb.com is an online interface that enables registered members to book flats for shorter or longer stays while also providing a forum for hosts to rent out their flats. It’s being promoted as a cheaper and cooler alternative to booking a hotel and since its founding in 2008, over 40 million guests have used Airbnb. Until three years ago, most users were in the United States, but today the majority of Airbnb stays are in Europe with more than 6,700 listings appearing in Hungary.

But just how do these numbers affect the local hotel industry? According to company spokesperson Patrick Robinson, Airbnb listings in Hungary are growing by an estimated 70% yearly while the number of travellers using Airbnb’s services has increased by 145%. Yet Robinson insists that his company does not take business away from the Hungarian hotel industry.

“Hospitality is a growing industry and there is enough room for everyone,” he says adding that “hotel occupancy rates are higher than ever and we strongly believe we’re helping more

people travel, which is good news for everyone.” This is reflected in a growth of 18.6% in revenue per available room compared to the previous year, Patrick says.

Entrepreneur Henry Kallan who is the owner of the brand new Aria Hotel disagrees and suggests that Airbnb is targeting the typical tourist type of traveller looking for a reasonable deal that might otherwise book a hotel, so the economy class is clearly suffering here, he says. There are also all kinds of issues like safety, liability and the lack of regulations that come into play in the event of accidents such as a fire, says Kallan. This is where problems can arise, he adds.

Robinson on the other hand believes that Airbnb compliments the local tourism industry by spreading the economic benefits across cities to new communities and businesses that have previously been unable to benefit from tourism.

“Airbnb data shows that the average Airbnb guest is over 30 years old, educated and professional. They stay longer than hotel guests and are more likely to return,” Robinson explains. And their preference for living like locals would suggest that they may not be the target audience for five-star hotels. Not to mention, selfcatering flats do not offer any of the services of a luxury hotel. It remains to be seen, however, how Airbnb might develop its service arm and if they will ever become a tangible threat or if these are in fact two very distinct segments that are not likely to overlap.

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

Q&A WITH

YVES GIACOMETTI GENERAL MANAGER OF THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GRESHAM PALACE BUDAPEST AN INTERVIEW BY: PETER PRITz

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

Yves Giacometti arrived in Budapest in 2010, following a transfer from Buenos Aires where he also served as general manager. In his 30 years of service with the Four Seasons, Giacometti has worked in seven countries on four continents and has always been quick to adapt to new environments, and his move to Budapest was no exception.

Giacometti’s workplace also happens to be a designated World Heritage building and one of the Four Seasons’ most prized properties.

Well situated on the banks of the Danube River, at the foot of the historic Chain Bridge, this Art Nouveau landmark was originally built in 1906 to house the offices of London-based Gresham Assurance Company, as well as luxury residences on the upper floors.

The painstaking renovation of the Gresham Palace, that had been left to decay for decades, was completed in 2004 and is true to the original design in all its details from the ornate ironwork on the façade, to the stained glass ceilings and the neverending ceramics throughout the grand lobby.

As General Manager, Giacometti has been instrumental in the evolution of the hotel over the past five years and is particularly proud of the latest developments, specifically the hotel’s new restaurant Kollázs. It is the result of three years of thorough work and innovative solutions to age-old problems, namely how to bring non-hotel trade in and prevent hotel guests from dining out.

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HOTELIER INTERNATIONAL: What was your first reaction when you were asked to take on the role of general manager at Four Seasons Budapest?

YVES GIACOMETTI: When they asked if I was willing to move to a new location, the timing was right. I had been in Latin America for about 15 years, ten of which I served as a general manager. Since I am French, it seemed logical that I should return to Europe after being away for so many years. So I didn’t have to think twice about it even though I had never been to Budapest before. But I knew the reputation of the Hotel so there was no question that it was the right thing to do.

YVES GIACOMETTI Q&A PACO PEREZQ&A & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

KOLLÁZS IS A CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN-HUNGARIAN BRASSERIE AND BAR THAT BRINGS TOGETHER FOUR DISTINCT ELEMENTS: THE ROTISSERIE, THE BAR, THE WINE CELLAR AND THE PATISSERIE.

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

HI: Can you speak a bit about the renovation of the hotel prior to the opening in 2004, and why it took five years to complete?

YG: It was a very rundown building when we took over the renovation process in 1999. We had to build everything from top to bottom, including electrical wiring, plumbing, air conditioning and Internet, and do a complete redesign to turn the building into a hotel. We also had to respect the historical elements because it is a heritage building, and this in itself was a very time consuming process. The owner at the time also wanted to ensure that we build the most beautiful hotel in this part of the world. We spent

a lot of time and a lot of money to reproduce all the details and to make it compatible with the expectations of modern travellers.

HI: What are some of the accomplishments that you are most proud of at the hotel?

YG: Our most recent achievement is the

HI: What is the typical demographic of your guests?

YG: The hotel is more for tourists than business

opening of our new restaurant, Kollázs – Brasserie & Bar, which we worked on for about three years. It has been receiving great reviews and great feedback from our guests and was a real team effort. Everybody involved was very passionate about it and that makes it more valuable. It quickly established itself as a great meeting point and a pleasant environment for eating and drinking.

Equally rewarding is being able to attract and bring in new Hungarian talent to the Hotel

travellers. A good 40 percent of our guests are from North America and the rest are made up of the various European countries, the main one being the UK, followed by Germany, Switzerland, France and Spain. Russian guests still comprise a substantial part of our business, as do guests from the Middle East, but in terms of numbers that amounts to about seven percent of our overall visitors.

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

and see them work passionately, evolve and succeed in what they do.

The third thing is the success of the business, which we achieved thanks to the joint effort of the management and the staff. The growth we are experiencing today, no one would have expected two years ago. Every business goes through a cycle and we are definitely on the

upswing for now, but we are also prepared for the times in which the cycle begins to move in the opposite direction.

HI: How well is Gresham Palace Budapest doing, compared to other major hotels in Hungary?

YG: Well, I am not at liberty to share any

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numbers but I can say that we are No. 1. in Hungary if we take into consideration our rates in relation to occupancy. We are definitely leading in terms of our rates. There is about a €200-€250 difference between us and the competition. We are not at the top in occupancy alone since some other hotels tend to have stronger occupancy, but

Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

the combination of both makes us a market leader.

HI: What is the overall concept behind the Kollázs restaurant?

YG: We wanted to create a restaurant that gives patrons the impression that it is an independent restaurant, to create something

that is disconnected from the hotel. It still has an entrance from the hotel but there is also an entrance from the adjacent pedestrian street.

Kollázs is a contemporary European-Hungarian brasserie and bar that brings together four distinct elements: The rotisserie, the bar, the wine cellar and the patisserie. In addition to

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this, we have an all-season convertible terrace around the restaurant. It was important for us to make the restaurant very welcoming and accessible to passersby.

HI: How can you prevent hotel guests from dining out in an increasingly competitive market of high quality

Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

THE G RESH A M H AS A RICH HISTORY A ND WAS REN OVATED TO REFLECT THE SA ME AT M OSPHERE AS WHEN IT WAS FIRST BUILT.

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

and Michelin star restaurants, especially ones that are so close to the hotel?

YG: It’s true that Budapest offers a very wide selection of good restaurants. One of the key elements we focused on when we first opened Kollázs was to target local clientele because if we have local clientele on a steady basis, the hotel guests will want to dine in simply because the restaurant is busy. We’ve put all our efforts into promoting the restaurant via social media, via different activities such as the beer dinner held recently, the blind date with the chef listed as a special on our menu, and the rotating art collection provided by Art Market Budapest. Our aim is that over time, local clientele will become loyal to the restaurant.

HI: What do you mean by blind date with the chef?

YG: It means that you don’t know what you’re going to get. The chef prepares what he feels like on a given night. It’s not on the menu. You

just notify the server of your food allergies and preferences and the chef prepares you a meal with whatever fresh ingredients he has at his disposal. It’s essentially a degustation menu.

But you can also have a blind date with the sommelier. Together with the chef they can create a unique and tailor-made food and wine experience.

HI: Can you speak a bit about your other F&B offerings?

YG: We have a Herend tea service in the Lobby Lounge and Bar every day from 3-6 pm. Herend provided us with tea sets in which to serve the tea that we offer alongside pastries and sandwiches prepared with a Hungarian touch. And a pianist provides the musical accompaniment.

We have also developed a concept for the bar that is a bit more sophisticated than the offerings at the Kollázs restaurant in that we prepare traditional cocktails in elegant crystal glasses. The Kollázs bar, on the other hand, is more creative and modern with a unique set of cocktails.

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HI: You were voted the fourth best luxury hotel in the world and the first in Europe by reviewers on TripAdvisor. What makes your Hotel so special?

YG: Gresham Palace was built more than a hundred years ago. It has a rich history and was renovated to reflect the same atmosphere and Art Nouveau style as when it was first built. If you walk around the premises, you’ll be amazed.

There is not one corner inside or outside the building that does not contain a special attraction. At the same time, it was modernised to meet the requirements of the 21st century.

Add to that the welcoming reception, the music, the lighting, the artwork, all of which contribute to a great hotel experience. There is also no better location for a hotel that I can imagine, and it has been recognised globally. But what really makes it outstanding is the level of service and genuine personal care provided by the Hungarian employees.

Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

IT IS REWARDING TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT AND BRING IN NEW HUNGARIAN TALENT TO THE HOTEL AND SEE THEM WORK PASSIONATELY, EVOLVE AND SUCCEED IN WHAT THEY DO.

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Q&A YVES GIACOMETTI

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Liz McGrath is the only woman in the world to own three Relais and Chateaux hotels, but she became a hotelier by accident. Throughout her long and happy marriage to Gerald McGrath, a prominent figure in the recording industry, her interest in luxury boutique hotels was only as a guest. But when Gerald died suddenly, almost 30 years ago, part of Liz’s inheritance was the old Lookout Hotel – a ‘one-star dump‘ in Plettenberg Bay on South Africa’s East Coast. Instead of doing the prudent thing and selling it, Liz sank all her energies into transforming it.

That dump is now The Plettenberg, which stands alongside The Cellars-Hohenort in Cape Town and The Marine in Hermanus to form The Collection by Liz McGrath.

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BEST ADVICE CONCIERGE

THE BEST CAREER ADVICE EVER RECEIVED BY SOUTH AFRICAN HOTELIER LIZ MCGRATH AS TOLD TO: NIcK DALL

“The Plettenberg became my therapy. Gerald and I had stand out. I set out to find a chef who could achieve this, bought it together as a fun project, and I didn’t want to simply and in this mission I once again relied on the advice of my sell it and move on. For inspiration I turned to the Relais and late husband who lived by the mantra “You are only as good Chateaux hotels Gerald and I had holidayed in throughout our as your staff.” My Executive Chef, Peter Tempelhoff, is the marriage. The emphasis on history, on beautiful things, on embodiment of this mantra, and his cooking has really put excellent food and a ‘sense of place’ left a lasting impression our hotels on the world map.

Perhaps the greatest vindication I have ever received on me and gave me something to aspire to.

Gerald and I visited two or three of these hotels was when we hosted the annual Relais and Chateaux banquet every year, and although there’s a little bit of all of those at The Cellars-Hohenort in 2010. Raymond Blanc arrived places in my three hotels, one establishment really stands earlier than expected and asked if he could have a tour of out. Peter and Christine Smedley, who owned the splendid our kitchens. W ith slight trepidation Peter and I agreed, but Ston Easton Park near Bath, were vaguely related to me, and we needn’t have worried. As he was leaving, Raymond didn’t this connection allowed me a behind-the-scenes look at the say much, but it meant the world to us. “Excellent,” he said, workings of a boutique hotel. The Smedleys showed me that “Keep it up.” After the dinner we received a standing ovation ‘small is special’, and it is credit to them that every single from the 40 Grands Chefs attending, whose restaurants comprised a total of 72 Michelin Stars. A year later Peter room in each of my three hotels is decorated differently.

But, I soon learned that running hotels is not only was awarded the title of Grand Chef. about decorating rooms, preparing dinners and servicing guests’ requests. Balancing the books is vital to the success Author Bio: Nick Dall is a freelance journalist based of any business, and hotels are no different. In this sphere in Cape Town. Most of his work is travel-related and I relied heavily on the advice of my late husband who has been published extensively both locally and abroad. impressed upon me that any absentee owner needs a strong www.nickdall.co.za financial company to oversee their business. I’ve used the same accounting firm for over thirty years, and although I understand more about balancing the books now than I did when I started out, it is still very reassuring to know that someone else is watching out for the bottom line.

A few years after The Plettenberg opened, one of the directors of the Relais & Chateaux arrived unannounced.

When he told me that my hotel could become a member of this select establishment, I was astonished, but I didn’t need long to consider his invitation. The Relais & Chateaux has been one of the greatest supports throughout my career.

They have helped me to understand that one can never stand still in the hotel industry, even if one’s hotels venerate the past.

Recently, my greatest success has come through the transformation of my hotels’ restaurants. Because they’re all semi-rural, they needed something which would make them

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Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

Q&A WITH

PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA AN INTERVIEW BY: BOyD FARROw

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Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

IN CONVERSATION WITH THE “ACCIDENTAL” SPANISH POWER COUPLE OF FOOD AND DESIGN

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Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

Paco Perez is possibly the world’s hottest chef right now—the protege of Ferran Adrià, whose restaurant el Bulli put Spanish molecular gastronomy on the world map, and a winner of two Michelin stars for his own Miramar restaurant and hotel in northeastern Spain. Patricia Urquiola, meanwhile, is one of the world’s most in-demand designers and architects, with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Barcelona under her belt and a roster of clients including Alessi, B&B Italia, Flos, Foscarini and Kartell clamouring for her attention.

Last year these two Spaniards found themselves accidentally collaborating on Das Stue, an ambitious venture to turn a former landmark Danish embassy building in Berlin into a high-end hotel. What they created turned out to be not just the city’s – but one of Europe’s – coolest hotels.

Hotelier International: Paco, why did you choose Berlin as the place to open your first restaurant outside Spain? And why did you choose to open it inside a hotel?

HI: Patricia, what was your overall design mission for Das Stue and what was the look you were attempting to create? Did you want Spanish flourishes?

Paco Perez: It was not as if I were sitting down being asked to choose between lots of different projects. This unique project happened to be offered to me, and several factors appealed about it. Berlin is a great, open, cosmopolitan city, with a recent history, and it will continue making an important gastronomic contribution. A city like this deserves diversity, and I think a project of this magnitude deserves to have a typical Iberian restaurant at its forefront!

Patricia Urquiola: Actually it was a coincidence that Paco and I are both from Spain. I was interested in creating something very Berlin-centric, seeing the Siegessäule column from your room and at the same time being in contact with nature – the park facing the hotel, away from traffic. At the same time it’s a sort of living room, a meeting place for guests and local people. I also wanted to respect the identity of the space, the historical element of the building. I’ve tried to respect the original marble stone of the façade and the atrium, using wood, travertine

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Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

stone, resins, micro concrete, opaque tiles and copper, jaquard textile and custom design. Some of the original parquet has been restored.

HI: Paco, solely from a chef’s perspective, how important is the design of the restaurant and bar areas to the food on the menu?

PP: It is always important that the design end should express the emotional level displayed in the restaurant. In short, a restaurant should always be like a great perfume set in a beautiful bottle that is more beautiful than itself. Whatever warmth and emotion you can convey or express in a space – whatever makes people feel at home ultimately – is what ends up defining design. Ultimately the most important thing for any restaurant

OUR CREATIONS ARE SIMPLE, BUT NEVER SIMPLISTIC, AND THEY ARE PREPARED ACCORDING TO THE RULES OF HONEST CRAFTSMANSHIP.

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Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

A RESTAUR A N T SH OULD A LWAYS BE LIK E A G RE AT PER FU ME SE T IN A BE AU TIFUL BOT TLE TH AT IS M ORE BE AU TIFUL TH A N ITSELF. WH ATE V ER WA R M TH A ND EM OTION YOU CA N CON V E Y OR E X PRESS IN A SPACE – WH ATE V ER M A K ES PEOPLE FEEL AT H O ME ULTIM ATELY – SIS WH AT ENDS UP DEFINING DESIGN.

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Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

37

Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA

is to capture the whole essence of the food and transmit that inside whatever space you have.

HI: Your restaurant here, Cinco, is already legendary for its 25-course avant-garde tasting menus. How would you define your cuisine?

PP: To me all cooking should be consistent, creative, humble and hardworking, with good, simple ingredients at its core. I like experimenting with different tastes, textures and aromas.

I think that our creations are simple, but never simplistic, and they are prepared according to the rules of honest craftsmanship. Menus are written plainly, and there are no gimmicks or extravagant flourishes.

HI: Your kitchen is visible from the eating area – a bit of theatricality which is quite unusual for Berlin.

Why was this important to you?

PP: The open kitchen is definitely part of a more comprehensive concept of an experience that people can enjoy in this space. It is also to let people not only see what we create but also how we do it.

HI: Patricia, can you tell us how the aspects of the food techniques must have inspired you as much as the location and history?

PU: I think the hotel’s design highlight is the personalisation of each of the different areas. The signature restaurant has two souls, one part which is more joyful, like a big chef’s table, looking at

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the kitchen and protected by a ceiling of Tom Dixon’s hanging copper lamps and copper kettles. This accentuates the fine dining experience of the restaurant, particularly Paco’s avantgarde cuisine. In a second part, slatted walls and skylights frame a more casual, all-day dining experience with a soft glow. But then the private dining room overlooking the park is decorated with animal sculptures, which links the room to the hotel’s surroundings too.

Author Bio: Boyd Farrow is a business writer and editor who divides his time between London and Berlin. Farrow has written about the hospitality sector for various international publications, including CNBC Business, the monthly magazine he edited until 2012, and he reviews hotels for several magazines in the US and Europe.

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

THE COSTES STORY Q&A WITH KÁROLY GERENDAI AN INTERVIEW BY: ANIKO FENyvESI

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

As a young man, Costes proprietor Károly Gerendai had very different aspirations. He and a partner launched the first ever Sziget Festival in 1993, which went on to become one of Europe’s biggest music festivals. The popularity of that event allowed Gerendai the luxury to travel and see and experience other cultures, and more specifically, other culinary traditions at a time when his home country suffered from a lack of noteworthy establishments. He dabbled in the restaurant trade, but his true passion was for fine dining.

When Gerendai opened Costes in 2008 on a popular street in Budapest’s District IX, the culinary revolution in Budapest was still in its infancy. Gerendai’s vision was to create something unique, where he and his staff could focus on the details but also on ways to stay one step ahead of the competition. His team’s uncompromising approach to quality helped

Costes win a Michelin star in 2010, making it the first restaurant in Hungary to receive the honour.

The second location, Costes Downtown, opened in 2015 in the Prestige Hotel in Budapest and although the atmosphere is more relaxed than its predecessor, the focus remains on the quality of the food and all the intricacies of a well-rounded dining experience.

HOTELIER INTERNATIONAL: What was the concept when you opened the first Costes?

KÁROLY GERENDAI: From the beginning, I wanted to create the kind of establishment where there would be no compromises in a trade that is otherwise known for making compromises.

Fortunately there are now enough restaurants to support the existence of producers that can supply quality ingredients. Quality and consistency have always been an issue for us.

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HI: How has winning a Michelin star affected people’s expectations of their dining experience at Costes?

KG: We were the first restaurant in Hungary to receive a Michelin star and people believed that what we offered was on par with international standards. This is a big responsibility. What we needed to do was focus not on keeping this standard but on finding ways to improve. In that way we could ensure that we wouldn’t slip in quality.

Michelin may only focus on the food, but our guests focus on much more than what’s on their plate. From the moment they enter, they start to form an opinion about the place. Our job is to offer a level of service that satisfies them on every level. We always need to exceed expectations. And this challenge is increasingly difficult as people’s expectations are increasing given the number of quality establishments in Hungary has also risen dramatically.

Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

43 Executive Chef Miguel Rocha Vieira

Q&A PEREZ & PATRICIA URQUIOLA Q&A PACO KÁROLY GERENDAI

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Q&A KÁROLY URQUIOLA GERENDAI Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA

MICHELIN MAY ONLY FOCUS ON THE FOOD, BUT OUR GUESTS FOCUS ON MUCH MORE THAN WHAT’S ON THEIR PLATE.

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

Sous chefs Eszter Palágyi and Tiago Sabarigo

HI: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in running your restaurants?

KG: I never thought to be honest that it would be unsustainable for so long. It’s been eight years since we opened Ráday utca and we’re still not turning a profit, but we’re close. At the beginning, I never would have imagined it would be such a hopeless scenario.

We made the decision to open the downtown space because we figured that if it’s impossible to make a profit in a restaurant as small as

the Ráday utca location then we should try to open a restaurant where we can draw in more customers and create a dining area and kitchen that resolves many of the issues we encountered at our first location.

HI: What can guests expect when they come to Costes?

KG: The Ráday utca Costes is a typical fine dining establishment while the Downtown location is somewhere between bistro and fine dining, in its relaxed atmosphere and

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interior design that incorporates a lot of natural elements.

Our strengths lie is the quality of our ingredients as well as in our team, which is made up of confectioners, chefs, servers and sommeliers that help produce the kind of complex experience that much of our competition cannot afford to offer.

We want to create an environment where not only the food is the focus but also the ambience and the service. To make this happen, not only does the kitchen need to work from morning

Q&A KÁROLY URQUIOLA GERENDAI Q&A PACO PEREZ & PATRICIA

RU NNING A SUCCESSFU L RESTAUR A NT IS ABOU T PL A NNING A LL THE DE TAILS.

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

Sous Chef Petra Tischer till night but the management and the rest of the staff also have an important role in the production. Running a successful restaurant is about planning all the details. The perfect symbiosis of these elements is really down to the restaurant manager who has the complex task of bringing it all together.

HI: How would you describe the style of cuisine at Costes?

KG: Ráday utca represents an international approach that doesn’t necessarily fit into one particular style. It’s an amalgamation of what the chef brings to the table and the culinary trends that exist in Hungary.

Our chef is Portuguese and he didn’t grow up or receive his training in Hungary so he had to learn

about ingredients commonly used in Hungarian cuisine, from sour cream to mangalitsa pork and how to incorporate these into his creations.

HI: What sort of ingredients do you work with?

KG: Our goal at Costes Downtown is to work with more Hungarian ingredients, many of which come from small, local producers. In the case of fish, we look at what we can acquire from the region, such as the Adriatic. We also look to use ingredients that are in harmony with nature. But it’s a process and a challenge to find ingredients of consistent quality in Hungary.

HI: Can you talk a bit about your team?

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KG: A few months before we opened in 2008, we had already selected our chef Miguel Viera.

We also brought over a couple of chefs in training from Michelin star restaurants in France and had them help train the crew. Today Miguel acts as the executive chef for both locations and consults with our chef Eszter Palágyi, who worked under Miguel for two years. Our chefs Tiago Sabarigo and Petra Tischler work at the downtown location in rotation.

We try to work with the kind of people that are committed and have achieved something notable in their professional lives, but it’s also important that they be young and dynamic and willing to learn. We were able to attract a certain calibre of staff not only because we give them

Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

50

Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

I WANTED TO CREATE THE KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT WHERE THERE WOULD BE NO COMPROMISES IN A TRADE THAT IS OTHERWISE KNOWN FOR MAKING COMPROMISES.

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

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Q&A KÁROLY GERENDAI

General Manager Zsombor Méhész an opportunity to be innovative and develop their skills but also because we give them room to breathe and be individuals. Actually, many of our staff come back to Budapest after working abroad because they realise that they are able to live here just as well as they could in London or Dubai or anywhere else in the world. Our sommelier, for example, has land and a winery in Burgenland but he now works in our Downtown restaurant.

HI: Costes is known for its presentation, can you speak a bit about that?

KG: Presentation is like an art form and it’s an important part of the culinary experience. To do it right, you need someone who is creative and talented. A plate needs to look like a work of art, from the colours, to the textures, to the shapes. But it’s also important to maintain a balance between taste and presentation and

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for one not to overpower the other. But the environment in which the dishes are presented is also important, right down to the flatware and the handmade bill holder made of American walnut, or the hanging garden and other natural elements in the space. I think guests who dine here have come to expect this kind of harmony from us.

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Q&A SIMONE CAPORALE

Q&A WITH SIMONE CAPORALE

SURREALISM IN A GLASS 56

Q&A SIMONE CAPORALE

SC: Yes, during the Surrealism night at Blue Fox, we served a drink inside a bespoke instantinfuser adorned with pine needles from the Buda hills.

HI: What is your favourite ingredient?

SC: The one I haven't tried yet...

HI: How has winning the International Bartender of the Year Award changed the way you make cocktails?

SC: It hasn’t actually, but it has made me more aware of the higher expectations guests have with every passing year. The real challenge is to exceed these expectations and it brings me personal satisfaction when I succeed. The best recognition for me is when a guest enters the bar happy and leaves it even happier.

Italian-born mixologist Simone Caporale began his career in a small bar in the Lake Como district of Italy and after honing his skills in bars across Europe and the United States, he landed in what he considers a cocktail paradise: London, England. As bar manager of the Artesian Bar in the Lagham Hotel, he devised a Surrealism menu based on a recipe book written by renowned Surrealist painter Salvador Dali entitled “Les Diner de Gala”.

HI: What would be your best advice to young mixologists entering the produced by cherry molasses and the drink is field? a combination of yuzu juice from Japan, gin and SC: Be yourself. Don’t be afraid of making cypress cordial, all wrapped in a ray of light that mistakes. Behave responsibly toward your shines on the ceiling of the bar. guests and remind yourself that you are there to do the job you love and not for the party.

HI: Are you incorporating any Hungarian ingredients into your creations at Blue Fox?

In September 2015 Caporale visited Blue Fox The Bar in the Kempinski Hotel in Budapest to hold a master class for all aspiring bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts.

HOTELIER INTERNATIONAL: How were you lured into the world of cocktails?

SIMONE CAPORALE: Coming from a small village near Lake Como, there wasn’t much to do during the summer apart from play football on the church square. I was bored and decided to get a summer job at a beach club where I was responsible for collecting the empty glasses and things progressed from there.

HI: What is the one cocktail on the Blue Fox menu you are most proud of?

SC: Chameleon Crystal. It is served in a wooden box which releases a fruity smoke

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BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

Away from a bar and pool, there are lots of ways to make use of a hotel rooftop: extra rooms, a kitchen garden or even a place for guests to ARRIVE IN STYLE BY HELICOPTER. BY: Suzanne Wales

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

Burj al Arab Dubai, UAE www.jumeirah.com Biggest, highest, best…Dubai’s iconic Burj al Arab is nothing if not superlative. The hotel has come to represent the wealth, excess and bravura of Dubai. At 321 metres high, it is the world’s third-highest hotel and its sail-shaped silhouette has become the city’s absolute landmark as well as a monument to the triumph of engineering and Dubai’s rapid progress. The crowning glory of the Burj al Arab is the hotel’s own heli-pad, which juts out beyond the building’s upper-most reach and is as much an architectural feature of the building as its soaring, slender ‘mast’. Guests (up to four at time) can choose to arrive at the hotel in an Augusta 109 Executive Helicopter in a spectacular journey that departs from the VIP Lounge at Dubai Airport (cost: 14.500 dirham, or approx. US$4,000 for four people). Whilst this service won’t suit everyone, the Burj al Arab’s helipad has provided a stage for some spectacular mediasavvy stunts, from Tiger Woods teeing off to Andre Agassi and Roger Federer playing a friendly match.

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

FAIRMONT QUEEN ELIZABETH MONTREAL, CANADA www.fairmont.com/queenelizabeth You could fill a hotel rooftop with deckchairs and a bar, sports equipment or clotheslines, but is there a more lovely way to do it than with a garden? As urban gardens and city horticulture take hold across all major cities, a hotel rooftop garden signifies a commitment to ‘green’ values and the environment. It can also provide your kitchen with some (very) locally grown produce. Such is the case at the Fairmont Hotel in Montreal. In 2011, the hotel started its rooftop garden, a project that has been flowering (and expanding) ever since. The first seedlings were planted in horticulture containers, which at the end of the first year yielded 275 pounds of herbs, edible blooms and vegetables. This amount has been growing each year, helped along by larger pots, fewer varieties and expert advice from the city’s urban agricultural movement. And although guests are not permitted to visit the garden, they can taste its bounty in the hotel’s restaurant, where chef Martin Paquet incorporates the produce into dishes at the famed Beaver Club Restaurant.

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

THE GRAND DADDY

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA www.granddaddy.co.za Most people associate airstreams with a trailer park. The Grand Daddy, a bright and buzzy boutique hotel in Cape Town, decided to place them on its roof, providing extra guest rooms and one of the most unusual roofscapes in the hotel business. The Grand Daddy’s Airstream rooftop trailer park exists thanks to the passion the hotel’s original owner had for these mid-century design classics. Once they were in place (they needed to be hauled up by crane from street level) local creatives were contacted for the interiors, rendering each of the trailers with a unique flavour; from a pretty country cottage vibe to African retro. In order to make the installation feel like a bonafide trailer park, each Airstream has been bestowed with a little garden or patio and mailbox. ‘Regular’ hotel guests are given access to the trailer park before 9pm to have a drink at the rooftop bar and see the trailers. “We sell the experience as a fun, quirky way to meet and mingle,” says Bryony Shultz, the Grand Daddy’s general manager.

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

THE BEST HOTEL ROOFTOPS

WALDORF ASTORIA NYC, USA www.waldorfnewyork.com The Waldorf Astoria, New York City’s grande dame, has been a first in many things. It was the first hotel to offer electricity in all rooms and private bathrooms, it created the Waldorf Salad, and it was the first hotel to make room service a standard feature. But perhaps none of these events gained as much media attention as when bees checked in to the hotel’s rooftop in April 2012. The Waldorf Astoria’s 360,000-strong bee community is housed in six prim little hives that afford a spectacular view of the Chrysler Building. They share the same space as the chef’s herb garden, and both the honey and herbs harvested here are used in dishes and even cocktails downstairs in the hotel’s restaurants and bars (Lavender Honey Glazed Chicken Breast sounds particularly appetising) as well as spa treatments. On average, the W-A’s bees produce about 250 pounds of honey yearly and they have become an integral part of the hotel’s ecosystem, watched over by the Waldorf’s chefs with help from the New York Beekeepers Association. Although the rooftop is off limits to guests, they can see the bees by taking the ‘Historical Tour’ of the hotel’s splendid art deco interiors.

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THE BEST: GOURMET SHOPS THE BEST HOTEL SHOPS ARE AN E X TENSION OF THEIR HOTEL’S BR AND, A SHOWCASE OF UNIQUE ITEMS OR A DR AW CARD FOR CASUAL VISITORS. GOURME T FOOD IS THE PERFECT WAY TO AT TR ACT NEW CUSTOMERS AND MAKE OLD ONES REMEMBER YOU WITH DELICIOUS TAKE HOMES. BY: SUzANNE wALES

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

SIDEWALK, HYATT REGENCY DELHI

www.delhi.regency.hyatt.com When a venue receives a customer-choice award two years running, it’s a safe bet it’s doing something right. Sidewalk is situated on the mezzanine level of the Hyatt Regency Delhi and affords views of both the pool and the hotel’s lush gardens. In 2012 and 2013 it won the ‘Best Confectionary’ category in the T imes Food Awards, which are hosted by the hugely popular T imes City restaurant and nightlife web portal. Sidewalk brings a touch of European café culture to downtown Delhi. Customers can eat in or take away, and many loyal clients pick up house-baked breads, pastries, cakes and chocolates on their way home from work. The aromas of Sidewalk’s baked goods fill this corner of the 558-room hotel, enticing both guests and visitors to try something different.

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

SAN SEBASTIAN GOURMET SHOP HOTEL MARIA CRISTINA SAN SEBASTIAN www.hotel-mariacristina.com Superb cuisine is one the trademarks of Spain’s Basque Country (per capita, there are more Michelin stars scattered here than anywhere else) and eating well is high on the list of visitor experiences. The Hotel Mara Cristina, San Sebastián’s grande dame, has astutely opened a smart gourmet shop in its ornate lobby. A wide range of foodstuffs and wines from the Basque lands (both French and Spanish) and beyond is on sale. There are brightly packaged conservas (tinned or bottled fish and vegetables) speciality salt from the Balearics, Valencian rice and the best jamón from Extremadura. Locally made table linens and designer kitchen gadgets are also to be found, as are cookbooks on Spanish cuisine. The shop is managed

by San Sebastián Food, a local company that provides high-quality tours and experiences in the city. A state-of-the-art cookery school has also opened recently in the hotel’s basement, consolidating the Maria Cristina as a gourmet destination.

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

FARM SHOP, LOS POBLANOS ALBUQUERQUE www.lospoblanos.com Once a ranch, then an experimental farm and cultural hub for New Mexican artists, Los Poblanos is an eco-chic resort in the state’s stunning North Valley. Guests stay in the original ranch houses surrounded by lush gardens and Los Poblanos’ organic and lavender farms. Produce from both play a large role in the charming Farm Shop, along with unique, handcrafted items sourced from the area’s famous artisan community. Lavender is used in a range of lip salves, soaps and other spa products, all traditionally made and packaged.

Los Poblano’s cooks also produce lavender-scented gourmet salt and herb mixes, caramels and granola. Organic balsamic vinegar honey, chillies, hand-printed table linen, gardening tools and the same knives the Los Poblanos chefs use in the kitchen complement the shop’s farm-to-table ethos. For those that can’t make it to New Mexico, merchandise can be purchased on-line on Los Poblanos‘ own website.

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

PIERRE HERMÉ, THE RITZ CARLTON HONG KONG www.ritzcarlton.com/hongkong Ritz Carlton expanded its partnership with the French ‘Picasso of Pastry’ Pierre Hermé with a new boutique in their Hong Kong hotel. This lobby-level retail counter favours a richer, more textured décor than Hermé’s minimalist stand-alone shops and is in keeping with the artful, ‘hand-made’ ambiance of the hotel. It entices guests with his signature macaroon and chocolate creations and ‘limited editions’ that appear throughout the year. Gifting takes a special focus; hampers designed by the French designer de jour Patrick Jouin, and cult jams and jellies by Christine Ferber are also on sale. Superior room guests get to taste Hermé’s confections on arrival, where a plate of candy-coloured macaroons awaits in every room.

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

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THE BEST GOURMET SHOPS

GOURMET SHOP, MANDARIN ORIENTAL TOKYO

www.mandarinoriental.com/tokyo The Gourmet Shop at Tokyo’s Hotel Mandarin Oriental has been recently re-designed, and the result is a sophisticated gastro boutique not aesthetically unlike a fine jewellery shop.

The overhaul, which involved a complete re-branding from logo to uniforms and packaging, is the work of the prolific chef and interior designer Shinichiro Ogata, perhaps best known as creator of the elegant, eco-friendly Wasara range of disposable tableware. The vision for the shop and café was to make it not just an added attraction for the hotel’s guests, but also a meeting place for the community of workers in the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, the Cesar Pelli-designed skyscraper where the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is situated. W ith a focus on sweet treats and chocolates, the Gourmet Shop’s pastry chefs have devised a clever way to keep customers coming with both morning and afternoon specialities. From 7.30 to 10.30 am, La Babka, a twisted sweet pastry filled with chocolate is sold, whilst post-lunch sees the appearance of Ma Pomme, a baked apple cream pastry.

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THE BEST: DESTINATION RESTAURANTS OUTSTANDING LOCATION, FOOD, AMBIANCE AND SERVICE ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF AN EXCEPTIONAL RESTAURANT. WHEN IT FORMS PART OF A HOTEL, THE CHALLENGE IS EVEN GREATER, AS IDENTITY AND HISTORY COME INTO PLAY. HERE ARE FIVE THAT SOMEHOW EXTEND THEIR LOCATION’S ETHOS, AND SHOULD FORM PART OF A ‘MUST DO’ LIST FOR THE DISCERNING CULINARY TRAVELLER. BY: SUZANNE WALES

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THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

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THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

AMBER, LANDMARK MANDARIN ORIENTAL HONG KONG www.mandarinoriental.com Even top chefs will agree that naming the world’s best restaurants is an impossible, highly subjective task. That said, the annual S. Pellegrino ‘50 Best Restaurant’ Awards certainly throw a few into the spotlight. Amber, a fine dining destination on the 7th floor of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, scored fourth place in the 2014 Asia category, adding an extra feather to its two-Michelin starred cap. Amber is led by Dutchman Richard Ekkbus, who cut his teeth under award-winning chefs in both his native country and in France. With a solid background in haute cuisine, his ingredient providence is as wide as the Asia-Pacific region itself, from Tokyo to Tasmania. Amber’s décor was conceived by the acclaimed hotel and restaurant designer Adam Tihany. The dining room’s uniquely dramatic chandelier consists of 4,320 bronze rods, adding a sense of drama to Ekkbus’s daring dishes.

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

Nimb

Copenhagen, Denmark www.nimb.dk Urban history and herrings are the soul of Nimb, a luxury boutique hotel and cluster of restaurants at Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen’s famous amusement and pleasure park (which appeals as much to adults as it does to children). The story goes back to 1909 when this fairytale-esque Moorish Palace opened as an arts and crafts bazaar. At the same time, the Nimb family was entertaining the city’s upper classes at Divan, a restaurant, also in Tivoli Gardens, that is credited with popularising the ubiquitous ‘open’ sandwich. The palace and the Nimbs joined hands, and in doing so started a famous Copenhagen culinary chapter. Today the Nimb accommodates three restaurants – Brasserie, Terrasse and Bar n’ Grill, along with a Bar and Vinotec. Spoilt for choice, customers can breakfast on organic eggs and yoghurt in the Brasserie (Nimb has its own on-site dairy), munch on market ingredients with a haute twist at the Terrasse, or chow down on steak, seafood and fine wine at the Bar n’ Grill. As far as destination dining and drinking goes, Nimb is on par with the diverse offering of the park itself.

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

THE GRILL

THE DORCHESTER, LONDON www.dorchestercollection.com Perhaps the most common assumption of a ‘destination restaurant’ is that it somehow defines where you are. With its national dress murals and tartan carpet and textiles, there is no room for doubt at The Grill, one of The Dorchester’s four restaurants. Redecorated in the mid 2000s, the makeover caused a minor bristle, with as many clients disliking the Scottish fantasy décor (a homage to the ancestry of The Dorchester’s original owners) as those who cheered its celebration of the British Isles. The theme is carried over into the menu, which showcases the best British ingredients in classic dishes such as Grilled Dover Sole and Black Angus beef chop. Famed for its friendly yet skillful service, The Grill garners good feedback for its fixed price lunch, which treats tourists and locals to a five-star, blue blood British experience at a mid-range price.

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

CAFÉ CARLYLE, THE HOTEL CARLYLE NYC, USA www.rosewoodhotels.com The Café Carlyle is the sort of neighbourhood joint of your dreams – that is if your turf happens to be the well-heeled Upper East Side. Part of the art deco, landmark Carlyle Hotel, old-school Manhattan hip was made and played inside its swelligant surrounds of starched white tablecloths, polished wood and high bentwood chairs. The whimsical murals by costume designer Marcel Vertes have acted as backdrop for Eartha Kitt, Judy Collins, Steve Tyrell, Elaine Stitch and yes, Woody Allen, who still holds sway with the New Orleans Jazz Band, most Monday evenings (when he is not on set). The Café Carlyle’s menu brims in classic New York chow – Maine Lobster Bisque, East Coast Oysters and Chicken Hash. And for starters, supper and show can be preceded by the best martinis in town at Bemelman’s, the Carlyle’s iconic cocktail bar and favourite haunt of Upper East Siders.

THE BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

www.fasano.com.br

THE BEST: WINE CELLARS

The Fasano name has been synonymous with fine dining in Brazil ever since Vitorio Fasano, an Italian immigrant, brought Old Continent atmosphere to Sao Paulo with his popular Brasserie Paulista. A century later, the Fasano Group is run by the same family that bares its name and has grown to four hotels and a number of restaurants, all brimming in faultless taste and Italian class.

The Fasano Hotel in Rio de Janeiro is located in the heart of Ipanema and enjoys breathtaking vistas that sweep from the sea to the peaks of Morro Dois Irmãos. Inside, the Philippe Starck-designed Fasano Al Mare encapsulates the glamour and elegance of the Bosanova era, with its bursting Murano chandeliers, private dining areas (discreetly concealed by white curtains) and views onto the famous Ipanema sidewalks. As the name says, the focus is on seafood. The restaurant is lead

by Paolo Lavezzini, formerly of the three-Michelin starred Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence.

“WINE MAKES EVERY MEAL AN OCCASION, EVERY TABLE MORE ELEGANT, EVERY DAY MORE CIVILISED” WROTE THE FAMED WINE WRITER ANDRÉ SIMON. SO WHY HIDE IT AWAY? THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS TO SHOW OFF ONE OF THE HOTEL’S MOST VALUABLE ASSETS AND MAKE IT PART OF ITS CULTURE AND IDENTITY. NOT EVERY HOTEL WILL HAVE A DESIGNATED CELLAR OF COURSE, BUT WINE WALLS, KEEPERS AND TOWERS LET CUSTOMERS KNOW THAT WINE IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY. BY: SUZANNE WALES

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THE BEST WINE CELLARS

GEORGE V

PARIS, FRANCE www.fourseasons.com Home to the legendary Le Cinq restaurant, the luscious George V has a history as rich as its grand marble and gilt décor. At 14 metres underground, the hotel’s wine cellar is located in a quarry that was once used to extract stone for the Arc de Triomphe. When the hotel was taken over by the Four Seasons Group in 1999, only 50 bottles were stored on its dusty shelves. There are now more than 5,000 encompassing 2,800 references. The oldest is a bottle of Madeira dating from 1750 and one of the most valuable, a magnum of 1961 Petrus.

These, and other fascinating facts, come rolling off the eloquent tongue of Eric Beaumard, director of Le Cinq and award-winning sommelier. Once a month he guides guests to the George V’s cava, where he leads flights of reds, whites and champagne accompanied by pastries, cheese and candlelight illuminating decades worth of wine history.

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THE BEST WINE CELLARS

THE BEST WINE CELLARS

LA CAVA, ROSEWOOD ABU DHABI, UAE www.rosewoodhotels.com As luxurious and sophisticated as they can be, hotels in the UAE are not generally famed for their extensive selections of wine. An exception is La Cava at the waterfront Rosewood Abu Dhabi.

Guests descend a circular wooden staircase to a sophisticated, warm space where wines stand out in the form of wall-to-wall cabinets storing 1,500 premium labels. With seating for only 12 people and a sommelier on duty to guide and pour, this is not a ‘wine bar’ in the traditional sense, but rather attracts wine aficionados and those thirsty to know more. A closed off cigar room and The Private Reserve – a specially allocated domain for one-of-a-kind wines (and clients) completes the gentlemanly, privileged picture.

THE BEST WINE CELLARS THE BEST AIRPORT HOTELS

Hotel Marqés de Riscal La Rioja, Spain www.hotel-marquesderiscal.com In 2006, a glittering pink and gold behemoth landed in El Ciego, a small town in the midst of La Rioja’s famed wine country. The hotel Marqués de Riscal is the second work of Canadian architect Frank Gehry in Northern Spain, and it is only slightly trumped by the Guggenheim Museum in nearby Bilbao. The hotel forms part of the Marqués de Riscal estate, or ‘City of Wine’ as its called.

Adjacent to Gehry’s dazzling work are the oldest cellars in the Riscal domain, which are open to tourists but take on greater significance for hotel guests. Vintage years can be retrieved for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries, whilst top reserves are offered in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant and lounge. On a subliminal level, wine is abundantly (but not overly) referenced throughout the building; from the titanic ribbons that encase it (whose colours were inspired by the wine bottle and cap) to the ruby red furniture in the wobbly-walled rooms and vinotherapy treatments in a luxury spa with views over the vineyards.

THE BEST WINE CELLARS

THE BEST WINE CELLARS

RADISSON BLU STANSTED, UK www.radissonblu.com Unless you’re a keen collector or connoisseur, traditional wine cellars don’t hold a lot of visual interest. Placing it centre stage and adding some acrobatic high jinks is one way to add some razzle-dazzle. Inspired by the original ‘Wine Tower’ at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Radisson Blu Stansted’s version (which is also present in the group’s Zurich hotel) is a 13-metre glass-enclosed tower in the lobby. Holding 4,000 bottles of wines at controlled temperatures (for both reds and whites), a wine ‘angel’ is hoisted up to retrieve orders, whilst another stays on the ground operating the computerised mechanical winches.

Showtime starts every evening at 7 pm and continues to 9 pm. “We keep a wine store for bottles that are out of reach when the angels are not working,” says the Radisson Blu’s Director of Sales Katie Hutchins. “We also have been known to send up the operations manager when one of the exclusive wines at the top has been ordered.”

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THE BEST WINE CELLARS

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THE BEST WINE CELLARS

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THE BEST WINE CELLARS

ENO, THE RITZ CARLTON HALF MOON BAY, US www.enowinerooms.com Look at any photo of this gracious shingled hotel and you would swear it’s on the coast of Scotland, not perched 30 miles south of San Francisco overlooking the Pacific. The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay houses a branch of ENO, a micro, Bay Area wine bar group that specialises in vino, cheese and – in an imaginative new world twist – chocolate. The Ritz Carlton’s ENO carries through with the hotel’s refined, gentlemanly vibe with a cut silk décor and well-stocked wine wall (ENO offers over 5,000 bottles of local and domestic wines). Flights of wines, farmhouse cheeses and handmade chocolates are served by butlers who encourage guests to try new wines and experimental pairings – with the ultimate goal of appeasing the senses. The same service is offered in-room, where guests can enjoy the ENO experience with a splendid sea view.

THE CONSULTANT TO REALLY SEE YOUR HOTEL, GET OUTSIDE Written by hospitality consultant: PETER vENISON Amber Palace, Jaipur, India

I have never built a dry wall in my life and have some difficulty telling a dandelion from a daisy. Nevertheless I do recognise that the “outdoors” of an hotel and/or restaurant is of vital importance to the success of the business. Most of the grandes maisons and palaces of Europe are renowned not only for their architecture but also for their setting and, in many cases, for their gardens. What these architects and landscapers realised was that the “arrival experience” is of the utmost importance. The impact of this experience was carefully calibrated. Grand avenues were created to frame magnificent palaces or teasing routes were designed to allow the end product, the building, to be unveiled layer by layer.

W ith some notable exceptions in the resort business, it has been almost impossible for modern architects to recreate such grandeur, be it because of poor town planning or expense. Nevertheless, the importance of the arrival experience should not be forgotten. The architects of the past would never have allowed the staff quarters, or the manager’s house, or the delivery yard to be the first things that came into view. As far as they were concerned the front door was at the front, the back door was at the back, and the staff were, as we all know, “below stairs” until called for.

I used to suggest to my hotel managers that they “go outside and look in.” Naturally, I discouraged them from becoming office bound and expected them to regularly patrol the public areas and floors of their premises, meeting and greeting as many guests and staff as they could en route.

But I also encouraged them to go outside of the building and look at it as an outsider would, with particular emphasis

on the first impression it might project. It is, in fact, quite difficult to view a building for the “first time” when you get to see it every day (or night).

Could that be your car that is parked so conveniently in the closest spot to the front door?, Could that be your office window with the half-drawn curtains and the delightful view of the back of your filing cabinet, together with the miscellaneous objects that have, over time, fallen behind it?

Could it be right that the neon light from the luggage storage room glares into the eyes of all arrivals, day and night?

Could it be your doorman pocketing cash for secreting away cars without a parking ticket? Could it be your front entry directional sign that is overgrown by a bush? You certainly won’t see any of these things from a comfortable seat in your office.

Going outside means more than just a quick walk around the garden picking up litter; it means broadening your managerial approach to everything beyond your own walls.

How often do you phone your own hotel, and how many rings do you endure before someone answers? How do they answer and what action follows? How many times do you try out your own website by making a reservation or looking for directions? How many times do you do the same to your competitors? How often do you count the lit windows in your competitors’ hotels? Yes, there is plenty of information to be found “outdoors.”

Sometimes the nuances of a welcome are very subtle; sometimes they are just plain stupid. Last week I stayed in a four star “chain” hotel in the suburbs of a small French town. As I drove in to the parking area I noticed that the gates were open and a piece of tape was stuck over the entry phone. The pathway in front of the entry doors was paved with decorative, but uneven, cobbles. The “welcome,” just inside the lobby, was a supermarket-type trolley inviting one to transfer one’s own luggage from car to reception. It seemed rather obvious to me that shopping trolleys are not designed for the easy stacking of luggage and that their wheels are not compatible with cobbles. It also told me many more things about the experience I was about to have. Surely an outside-looking-in manager would notice this? Remember, a hotel door is a reflection of who lives behind it.

Author Bio: Peter Venison is the author of ‘Managing Hotels’ and ‘100 Tips for Hoteliers.’ A 50-year veteran of the hospitality field, he continues to work as a consultant to the international hotel and casino industry.

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PROFILES BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY

BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY SLICE OF LIFE: BRINGING THE ‘AFFORDABLE LUXURY’ OF FRESHLY BAKED BREAD TO GUESTS AND LOCALS BY: SUZANNE WALES

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PROFILES BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY

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PROFILES BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY

Hotel lobbies can be sophisticated showcases for art collecions, carefully orchestrated meeting areas, hip cafés, or high-tech work spaces. But for pure sensorial pleasure, it’s hard to beat a lobby that is also a working gourmet bakery. W ith its novel marriage of boutique hotel and local bakery (the successful Forn Baluard), the new Praktik Bakery Hotel has created an enticing space that appeals to guests and passersby alike.

Praktik is a mini-group of smart, mid-range hotels that have three establishments in Barcelona and one in Madrid.

The interiors of all four were designed by Rosa Lazaro Violán, the Barcelona-based interiorista de jour whose work is typified by combining modern and antique elements into sophisticated settings that pay homage to late- and mid19th century European styles.

Situated in a converted clinic in the 19th-century Eixample neighbourhood, where works of Gaudí and other

modernista architects were built on the district’s distinctive chamfered sidewalks, Praktik Bakery’s design was inspired

by Northern Europe. The 74 bedrooms, although on the small side, have received an optimum treatment of space.

Guests actually enter through the industrial, art-decoinspired bathrooms, and the sleeping areas have been simply adorned with white cotton textiles, painted brickwork and bright yellow feature walls. As lovely and practical as they are, it’s the bakery-lobby of the hotel that holds the most interest.

Barcelona’s daily bread has done a 360-degree turn over the past few years. Before then, it was difficult to get anything beyond the ubiquitous Spanish barra (baguette).

Recently, artisan bread shops have proliferated, offering breads and pastries using organic flours, seeds, fruit and other ingredients that are more associated with the heavy, hearty bread traditions of Scandinavia. Some observers

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PROFILES BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY

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PROFILES BARCELONA’S HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY

attribute the success of upmarket bread as being an ‘affordable luxury’ in Spain’s cash-strapped times.

Run by second-generation bread maker Anna Bellsolà, Forn Baluard has its only other outlet in the working-class seaside district of Barceloneta. The bakery quickly garnered a foodie cult following. One of Praktik’s co-owners was a fan, and he invited Bellsolà to open a branch of Forn Baluard in his new hotel.

“When he approached me with the idea, I thought, well this is something different, so why not!” says Bellsolà.

Forn Baluard at the Praktik Bakery is not a mere ‘hotel shop’. A large swathe of the public area has been fitted out with a full working kitchen – storage vats, mixing machines, trolleys and an enormous wood–fired oven custom made in Barcelona by one of the few artisans who still make them (mainly for bakeries in France and Belgium). The kitchen activity, manned by four bakers, is in full view from behind a sound-proofed, glass partition in the lobby and behind the glass-fronted lower façade. W ith a front row seat of the

oven, passersby will be able to see the loaves and pastries coming out directly from its cast iron door.

Back inside, the lobby-café, which brims with Scandinavian style peppered with soft Mediterranean textiles and tiles, is adjacent to the kitchen. The space will be the exclusive domain of the hotel’s guests during breakfast service (7.30-10.30 am), after which it will be open to the public and wholly managed by Forn Baluard. The front entrance serves as the retail outlet and is dominated by a long display counter for the breads and pastries. Guests check in in a small section on the far end.

This layout fully integrates the bakery into the realm of the hotel (and vice versa) and makes it clear to guests and customers alike that Forn Baluard is an integral part of its offering and identity.

It also guarantees a constant flow of people in the lobby and focuses the space as the heart and soul of the hotel. Not only will it be constantly filled with the inviting aroma of freshly baked bread, but it will provide culinary

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theatrics from the display kitchen and act as an informal café for locals and travellers. Naturally, guests will be able to sit down and have a coffee or something to eat whilst they are waiting for check in to be finalised or a taxi to the airport.

There is no reason to think that this concept wouldn’t work between partnerships of large chains, yet perhaps the most unique and appealing aspect of Praktik Bakery is the happy marriage of two small, local businesses with similar philosophies.

“The first time I put a slice of Forn Baluard’s bread in my mouth I thought, ‘Can bread still taste like this?’ It brought back memories of my childhood.” says Magaly Julien, the Praktik Bakery’s hotel director. “Baluard knows how to spoil their customers, and they take a lot of pride in their product – it’s not a fast food service. This is exactly what we want to do in the hotel, we want our customers to feel like they are in their family home.”

FOR PURE SENSORIAL PLEASURE, IT’S HARD TO BEAT A LOBBY THAT IS ALSO A WORKING GOURMET BAKERY.

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HOTEL PRAKTIK BAKERY Address: Carrer Provença, 279, 08037 Barcelona, Spain Phone: (+34) 93 488 00 61 Web: www.hotelpraktikbakery.com Rooms: 74 Manager: Magaly Julien Rack Rate for a Standard Room: Rates Begin at €90

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Suzanne Wales is an Australian writer, consultant and media professional based in Barcelona. Specialised in the luxury travel and lifestyle sector, her writing appears in publications like Wallpaper*, Vogue, Concierge.com and The Australian Newspaper. She is also the author of a plethora of first-edition travel and design books on Barcelona.

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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Anti-Islam rally in Cologne outnumbered by counter-protest Some 10,000 protestors in Cologne have staged a counter-demonstration against an anti-Islam rally that drew 1,000 people. Police were prepared for violence, but the day passed with only a few minor incidents. The two groups of protestors squared off on opposite sides of the Deutz train stastation in Cologne on Sunday, separated by the tracks and some 3,500 police officers. The anti-Islam group HooliHooligans Against Salafists (HoGeSa) were able to bring out about 1,000 supporters, who remained penned in at a fixed location and were searched by police for guns, weapons and alalcohol as they entered the area. The Cologne chapter of"anti-Islamizaof"anti-Islamization" movement PEGIDA,which has its base in the eastern city of DresDresden, also joined HoGeSa. The counter-demonstration, composed of far-left activists, civil society groups, politicians and average citizens, drew some 10,000 people opposed to HoGeSaʼʼs anti-Islam, anti-immigraHoGeSa anti-immigration stance.

Karaoke blaze kills 12 in Indonesia At least 12 people have died and around 70 others have been ininjured after a fire broke out in a crowded karaoke bar on IndoneIndonesiaʼʼs Sulawesi island. Early insia inquiries found that an electrical short circuit began the blaze.

Witnesses at the three-storey building in Manado said the fire began in one of the rooms on the second floor of Inul Vizta Karaoke club at about 12:30 a.m. local time on Sunday (Saturday, 1630 UTC). Many of the victims could not hear the fire alarm ringing, however. Local news website "Kompas" reported that the victims died after becoming trapped on the second and third floor. According to provincial police, most of them died of smoke inhalation. Many of the injured suffered broken bones af af-ter jumping from the third storey.

252/2015 • 27, OCTOBER 2015

Lessons in popularity from Russiaʼ Russiaʼs Putin

Russian media said explosives were found that were meant to be dedeployed in public transport

President Putin could write a handbook on "popularity for dumdummies," as his ratings continue to rise. In Moscow, Fiona Clark looks at how heʼ heʼs using textbook moves to win the hearts and minds of the Russian public.

Canadaʼʼs new prime minister, Justin Canada Trudeau, might be the sexiest politipolitician alive at the moment, but if youʼ youʼre asking the mirror on the wall whoʼ whoʼs the most popular, on home ground at least, Russian President Vladimir Putin would be the clear winner. AcAccording to a poll by Russiaʼ Russiaʼs state-owned VTsIOM research cencenter, Putinʼ Putinʼs popularity is now almost 90 percent. Yes, you read that right almost NINETY percent. "Vladimir Putinʼʼs approval rating has set a new Putin record at 89.9 percent," a press release claimed, exceeding the previous June 2015 maximum of 89.1 percent. Since the annexation of Crimea, his apapproval ratings have risen steadily from about 80 percent to todayʼ todayʼs high.

Itʼʼs baffling in a country where the It economy is tanking, inflation is growgrowing by 12 percent and real wages are buying less and less every day. But clearly the art of distraction never fails. In a textbook patriotism-buildpatriotism-building move the president has managed to find an enemy on home ground and joined a war in a foreign country,

Syria, to defeat it. As contradictory as that sounds, the common threat is IsIslamic extremism, and over the past couple of weeks Russian media have made much ado about the security forces and their recent bids to find and foil potentially deadly terrorist threats. A few days ago they anannounced they had arrested one man and detained about 20 more who were allegedly members of the radical IsIslamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir.

According to the news agency InterInterfax, several dozen more Central Asians were under investigation for their involvement with the group.

Russia has outlawed the group, whose aim is to establish a caliphate in councountries with large Muslim populations.

Russia has more than 20 million MusMuslims. A week earlier a raid on a MosMoscow apartment yielded an explosive device with the equivalent power of five kilograms of TNT and resulted in the arrest of between six to 11 Russian citizens. According to Russia Today, two of the men admitted the bomb was to be used on public transport.

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

China to supply fuel to Nepal after protesters block deliveries from India Beijing is set to send about 100 tanker trucks of gasoline to fuel-starved Nepal, officials say. The move comes after protesters from Nepalʼ Nepalʼs Madhesi minority blocked off the key border crossing with India. Nepal and China agreed on the large donation after a month-long standoff at the Indian border, a Nepali official said Sunday.

This is the first time in history that China is supplying Nepal with fuel, a task usually reserved for Beijingʼ Beijingʼsʼ regional rival, New Delhi. "China has agreed to send us 1,000 metric tons, or 1.3 million liters of petrol, as a grant," said Sushil Bhattarai, acting deputy managing director at the state-run Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC). Protesters from Nepalʼ NepalʼsMad sMad-hesi have blocked off the bridge checkpoint at Birgunjcrossing, 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the capital Kathmandu, decrying the countryʼʼs new constitution. country

Scores injured in Hong Kong ferry collision A high-speed ferry has hit an unidentiunidentified object while returning from Macau with over 170 people on board, Hong Kong officials say. Many of the passenpassengers were hurt in the collision, promptprompting a large rescue operation. At least 100 people were injured in the accident off the Siu A Chau island near Hong Kong, Chinese officials said on Sunday.

The ferry lost power after colliding with an "unidentified object" in the water, according to the boatʼ boatʼs operator, Shun Tak. The local media quoted passengers who described there being chaos after the crash.

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Police raid German football association DFB in tax evasion probe Police have launched raids on the headquarters of the German football association amid a growing scandal surrounding the countryʼ countryʼs bid to host the 2006 World Cup. The DFB has said it is cooperating with the probe.

Dozens of police officers and investiinvestigators from Germanyʼ Germanyʼs tax authorities launched the raids on the Frankfurt headquarters of the DFB (German FA) on Tuesday morning, seizing files, computers and hard discs, and they looked for evidence of possible tax evasion related to Germanyʼ Germanyʼs bid to host the 2006 tournament. "There were raids at the DFB headquarters as well as at homes of three accused the DFB president, former DFB presipresident and former general secretary," a statement released by the Frankfurt prosecutorsʼʼ office said, without namprosecutors naming names. However, the three are ununderstood to beDFB President WolfsWolfsgang Niersbach,his predecessor,Theo Zwanzigerand the DFBʼ DFBʼs former gengeneral secretary, Horst R. Schmidt.

Swedish police demolish Roma settlement Swedish authorities have evicted and demolished a Roma settlement in the southern city of Malmo. One protester was arrested after attackattacking a police officer, while five others were detained for disturbing the peace. Authorities of the southern Swedish city Malmo demolished Tuesday an illegal settlement of mostlyRomafrom Romania. One Twitter user posted a photo of bullbulldozers tearing down the informal housing.

Swedish police said they arrested at least one protester who struck an of of-ficer. Another five demonstrators were detained for disturbing the peace as they attempted to block popolice officers from demolishing the settlement and evicting dwellers, said Malmo police spokesman Lars Forstell.

"There were some strong expresexpressions of emotion," Forstell said, acaccording to the Associated Press news agency. "Some people had been living there for a long time," the police spokesperson added.

259/2015 • 04, NOVEMBER 2015

Egypt rejects ʼIslamic Stateʼ Stateʼ involvement in crash as ʼpropaganda propagandaʼʼ Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail examines the crash site

President el-Sissi has dismissed theories of ISʼ ISʼ role in the crash in Egypt as an attempt to damage the countryʼ countryʼs image. Investigations

by Russia and Egypt have moved forward, hoping to end days of speculation.

Shell has not cleaned up Niger Delta, rights groups claim A new report by rights group Amnesty International claims that the oil giant Shell has not cleaned up oil spills in the Niger Delta, dedespite the firm’s promises to do so.

"When you visit these communities, the first thing you notice is the stench of crude oil," says Makmid Kamara, a business and human rights campaigner at Amnesty International. The envienvironmental clean up of the Niger Delta, the biggest oil-producing region in Africa, is long overdue, Kamara told.Shell operates around 50 oil fields and 5,000 km of pipelines in the reregion. According to the companyʼ companyʼs own figures, it is responsible for 1,693 oil spills since 2007. The researchers

from Amnesty International and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), however, believe that actual figures are even higher. In some areas, the enenvironmental pollution has been taking place for decades, robbing the comcommunities of their land and their livelilivelihood. With this report, the rights groups hope to ensure that Shell as the regionʼʼs biggest oil company takes reregion responsibility and restores the land to a state where it is arable again. "Be"Because that is all that the people ask for," says Kamara. "They want to have their land back to farm and feed their communities and have money to send their children to school."

Sound of Music remake gets new twist but keeps the kitsch ʼThe Trapp Familyʼ Familyʼ is certainly one of the German movies which had the most after-effects in Hollywood.

Now a remake tells the story of the singing ʼSound of Musicʼ Musicʼ family from a different angle. Will it work in 2015?

In 1956, the film "The Trapp Family," directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Ruth Leuwerik and Hans Holt, became one of the most popular films in post-war Germany. The film also had a sequel, "The Trapp Family in America," which was released in 1958.

Most notably, the story of this singing

Hotel newspaper offers fresh news of the world in print and electronic format with the name and logo of your hotel on top of the front page. As for the content, hotel newspaper is selecting the news of leading news agencies: top news, international

family became a legend in the US, as it was turned into a Broadway musical and an extremely successful film, both called "The Sound of Music." "The Trapp Family" was based on the memmemoir of Maria-Augusta von Trapp, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," which describes how the family esescaped from Austria during Nazi rule to live in the US. The book became a bestseller. A few years later, Broadway producers became interested in the story. The musical "The Sound of MuMusic" premiered in New York in 1959. It ran for almost 1,500 performances.

Rare cyclone makes landfall in war-ravaged Yemen, thousands flee Cyclone Chapala has made landfall on the Arabian Sea coast of Yemen.

The ongoing war in the povertystricken country has made preparing for and responding to the storm all the more challenging. Tropical Cyclone Chapala batters Mukalla, Yemen, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. The tropical storm, rare for the arid region, made landfall in the provinces of HadraHadramawt and Shabwa in the countryʼ countryʼs southeast on Tuesday bringing winds of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) an hour. "The damage is enorenormous and we fear human losses," Minister of Fisheries Fahd Kafain, who is part of a commission set up to deal with the cyclone, told news agency AFP. Thousands of people had fled for shelter in the region but there were no initial reports of injuries.

Delhi former driver for ride-sharing app Uber gets life sentence for rape A former driver with ride-sharing app Uber has been handed a sentence of life in jail for the rape of a passenger in India last December. The prosecuprosecutor asked for a ʼmessage messageʼʼ to society about the consequences of assault. An Indian Uber driver was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday for sexsexually assaulting a young female paspassenger. The same New Delhi court had already convicted the defendant, Shiv Kumar Yadav , on charges of rape, abduction, intimidation and causing bodily harm last month.

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and European news, regional, business, science and sport news, as well as programme offers. It is a great opportunity for you to bring your own services closer to your guests, supporting marketing results with up- and cross-seling functions.

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PROFILES JOHANNESBURG’S SAXON HOTEL

JOHANNESBURG’S

SAXON

HOTEL HOW AN ALREADY EXCEPTIONAL HOTEL UPPED ITS GAME BY EMPLOYING A TOP CHEF TO OVERHAUL F&B OFFERINGS BY: NIcK DALL

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PROFILES JOHANNESBURG’S SAXON HOTEL

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PROFILES JOHANNESBURG’S SAXON HOTEL

After opening in 2003, the Saxon quickly established itself as Africa’s most exclusive address. It regularly won awards for its rooms, service and sommeliers, but its food – in spite of being very good – wasn’t geared for winning competitions.

This all changed in 2012, when David Higgs was brought on board as Executive Chef.

“We wanted our food and our restaurants to be as talked-about as our wines and sommeliers,” explains operations manager Sybrandt W indell, “And we knew David was the man for the job.”

Higgs immediately saw what needed to change. “If you include banquets and special events, the hotel was serving as many as 19 different menus from one single kitchen. It’s hard to produce exceptional food in conditions like that,” he says.

Higgs earmarked what was at the time the owner’s suite as the ideal location for a fine dining restaurant – and the owner did not object to making the changes. What used to be the bathroom was transformed into a kitchen, and the bedroom was turned into an intimate dining area. And so the signature restaurant Five Hundred was born.

“We would never have won all those awards if we’d stuck with a central kitchen,” agrees W indell, “Five Hundred is only open five nights a week and it caters for a maximum of 35 guests in an evening. It’s got a two-month waiting list.

It’s not your average hotel restaurant.”

The Saxon’s recent culinary triumphs have certainly made Public Relations Manager Candice Turner’s job a lot easier. “The culinary journey at our hotel is a large part of

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PROFILES JOHANNESBURG’S SAXON HOTEL

our marketing and PR campaigns, and we have seen a great influx of ‘foodie’ travellers from all areas of the globe, all seeking out the opportunity to not only experience the finer points of our hospitality, but to embark on a truly unique culinary journey with David and his team. Guests from as far afield as Japan have travelled here to dine at Five Hundred and to meet David.”

The immense popularity of Five Hundred does bring its own challenges, the most obvious being the long waiting list for reservations. Hotel guests are encouraged to make their restaurant bookings at the same time as their room reservations, although one or two tables are usually kept aside for ‘emergencies’. “We try to make sure that all of our hotel guests get a chance to dine at Five Hundred, without

putting too much pressure on them, of course. Our menu is very experiential and avant-garde, and we do appreciate that it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea,” Higgs says.

Restaurants like Five Hundred are fantastic for creating hype and enhancing a hotel’s reputation, but every hotel also needs a larger, more mainstream restaurant. To this end Higgs motivated hotel management to rename the main restaurant Qunu (after Mandela’s birthplace) and to make its décor and ambience more casual. Its kitchen was equipped to produce excellent grilled meats – ever-popular in Johannesburg.

Higgs also made a concerted effort to bring ‘restaurant thinking’ to the entire F&B operation. “In traditional hotels menus are printed in advance and if something’s not selling it can take six months to change the menu.” The Saxon’s

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menus are now printed in house, and they can be changed on the day if something’s not selling or some produce isn’t available.

Higgs is a firm believer that the success of any restaurant can be put down to a large, loyal base of regular clients. Embracing the residents of Johannesburg has reaped rewards; Higgs estimates that about two-thirds of the patrons in both Five Hundred and Qunu are not guests at the hotel.

Interestingly, Higgs also emphasises the importance of knowing when not to make changes. “The Saxon has always employed exceptional sommeliers who know their wines as well as they know their regular guests, so I left the beverage offering virtually unchanged.” The conference and banqueting options were already renowned for their flexibility — “Anything is possible at the Saxon,” observes Windell. Now, the addition of world-class cuisine to the hotel repertoire has seen more and more companies move their year-end functions to the Saxon.

Johannesburg is the capital of South Africa, but for a long time it has lagged behind Cape Town when it comes to fine dining. Higgs, a passionate newcomer to the city, is committed to changing this. The Saxon has set itself a clear goal of making the San Pellegrino ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list, and only a fool would bet against them achieving this.

Author Bio: Nick Dall is a full-time journalist based in Cape Town. The single theme which pervades almost of all of his work is travel. He has been published extensively: www.nickdall.co.za

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SAXON HOTEL, VILLAS AND SPA Web: www.saxon.co.za Telephone: 27 (0)11 292 6000 Address: 36 Saxon Road, Johannesburg, South Africa General Manager: George Cohen Room Rates: from R4950 a night Number of rooms: 53

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GREEN SPOTLIGHT - VANCOUVER’S FORAGE RESTAURANT AT THE LISTEL HOTEL

VANCOUVER’S FORAGE RESTAURANT AT THE LISTEL HOTEL GOING LOCAL AT FORAGE RESTAURANT IN VANCOUVER’S LISTEL HOTEL BY: MIA STAINSBY

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GREEN SPOTLIGHT - VANCOUVER’S FORAGE RESTAURANT AT THE LISTEL HOTEL

Two years ago, Vancouver’s Listel Hotel, on fashionable Robson Street, embarked on a $1.24 million restaurant renovation, rebranding and showcasing itself as a leader in sustainable practices.

The hotel restaurant shed its former self – O’Doul’s, where in latter years the live jazz eclipsed the food – and became Forage. Now, hyper-regional food is the main draw.

After the radical changes, Forage and its chef became players in the city’s vibrant culinary scene. ‘Local and sustainable’ is the mantra for many restaurants, but for a 129-room hotel with in-house and outside catering responsibilities, it represents a challenge. Business, however, has blossomed with the rebranding.

Chef Chris Whittaker likes to buy direct from farms and producers, even planning crops with some farmers. And true to the restaurant’s name, he uses foraged ingredients.

He took beef off the menu because bison and elk could be sourced closer. “I try to commit to 90 percent from the region in summer and 75 percent in winter,” says Whittaker.

Good relationships with producers are crucial, he says.

Canned goods are banished from his kitchen, except for the problem tomatoes. He needs canned tomatoes for the 2.3 tonnes of ketchup the kitchen goes through every year. A social enterprise business pickles and cans seasonal produce for him, and a second walk-in cooler offers more latitude to optimise seasonal ingredients. W ines are all regional and

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eight are served on tap, eliminating bottles. Sustainable food is costly but profits are up.

“We’re up 15 percent in revenues from last year and after this year, probably quite a bit more,” says Whittaker.

But there has been some attrition of ‘older loyalists’ who aren’t keen on dishes like wild mushrooms and stinging nettle gnocchi with pickled wild onion and brown butter, he says.

He’s even reduced menu price points. “I use different cuts of meat. Instead of bison short ribs, we’ll do bison tongue. Instead of an 8-ounce salmon, we’re doing 5 or 6 ounces. And the grazing style menu helps,” he says. “People are choosing us because we use local products. I’ve even had vegetarians try non-vegetarian items because they know where the meat and fish are coming from.”

Less obvious to guests, the restaurant, like the hotel, follows a zero waste policy. Absolutely nothing goes to landfill; non-recyclables go to a facility that produces fuel pellets.

The kitchen, with its gargantuan energy appetite, reduced gas and electricity use by 26 percent with a $30,000 ventilation system that operates on demand, triggered by heat and smoke sensors. “It’s amazing. You can hear it shutting down after service while we’re cleaning up,” says Whittaker.

The old exhaust system ran from 4:30 am to 1.00 pm.

Six years earlier, the hotel installed a waste heat recapture system (assisted by solar energy) to recycle heat from equipment like boilers and air conditioning to preheat the hotel water, a huge energy saver. (Whittaker would like a rooftop garden, but the solar panels have claimed the space.)

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On the cookery side, an induction griddle dramatically reduces preheat time from 45 minutes to five minutes. A convection steamer Combi oven outperforms the standard six-pan steamer. High efficiency Turbo Pots cut boil time by half. And a fryer with a built-in filter saves 25 litres of oil per week. Also unbeknownst to diners, the dining room is eco-friendly from its compostable felt walls to the woods, furniture and tableware.

The costly renovation was worth it, says general manager Jim Mockford. “The restaurant is far less expensive to operate now. The menu is more efficient and is used for catering and room service as well. This isn’t just feel-good.

The bottom line is, we’re saving money.”

The hotel’s earlier $300,000 investment in the solarassisted heat recovery system is a good example, he says.

“W ith capital investments, we expect a return in seven years but in that case, it was only five years. We have fourteen

years of reduced energy and savings for the life of the system,” says Mockford.

And, he says, the eco-philosophy attracts and helps retain excellent employees. “Guests appreciate it, too, and tell us at our nightly wine reception that it’s why they chose the hotel. It differentiates us from our competitors,” he says.

“I don’t understand why more hotels aren’t jumping on this.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mia Stainsby is a food writer and restaurant critic for The Vancouver Sun newspaper. She has contributed to Gourmet, Town and Country, L.A. Times and National Geographic Traveler magazines. Follow her @miastainsby and on her blog, Word of Mouth.

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THE LISTEL HOTEL Address: 1300 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C. Phone: +1 604 684 8461 Web: www.thelistelhotel.com Number of rooms: 129 Manager: Jim Mockford Rack rate for standard room: $149

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LAST LOOK THE EDIBLE HOTEL BY: BOyD FARROw

Dexter Moren Associates, one of London’s leading hotel and leisure design studios, usually works on glamorous projects – the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard, for instance. But with The Edible Hotel, it has come up with a far loftier concept. A five-star showcase for sustainable urban living, the company has imagined a hotel that features open-plan lobby space and reception areas, and kitchen and bar areas with an edible wall and aquarium at its heart. Yes, that’s right – an edible wall. Incorporating hydroponics and aquaponics – the two vertical farming technologies du jour – the wall would be several storeys high and produce enough food to subsidise two-thirds of the hotel’s meals. In step with the trend of making lobbies the social hubs of hotels, the design of the Edible Hotel also features an open-kitchen, from where guests and locals would be served with fresh, hotel-grown and locally sourced produce. It is envisaged that chefs would design menus around ingredients from the edible wall. The hotel would also have a roof garden, where food could be grown in more traditional ways.

The whole concept was created to illustrate how hotels of the future may deal with sourcing food both on-site and locally within a densely populated environment. At the very least, they’ll be able to put fresh mint on the pillows.

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