For lack of a better term – I am a “foodie.” I mean, who isn’t nowadays. Thanks to the success of Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and the like, every Mac-N-Cheese eating, sugar cookie burning schmuck is ranting and raving about the stylistic approach to sous-vide cooking, idolizing celeb chefs like rock stars, and detailing the complexities of pork belly and bone marrow. (With that said, if you are yet to taste either the belly or marrow, you have my sympathy.)
However, a great restaurant does more than just serve up good food, delivering a certain level of shock-and-awe, mesmerizing the guest and making them come back for more. Hmmm, sounds a lot like what a great hotel is supposed to do, right? For that reason, hotel restaurants are no longer a by-product of the hotel itself, but instead, a leading demand generator and a hotel marketers dream.
I didn’t realize the marketing power of a great hotel restaurant until I spent time working at a Relais and Chateaux resort and restaurant in the British Virgin Islands. Relais and Chateaux is a collection of the finest resorts (see The Point, The Inn at Little Washington) and restaurants (French Laundry, Daniel, Per Se) in the world. Point is, I couldn’t believe the pull our restaurant had on bringing in guests. And while some guest surveys touched on the rooms or service, almost all applauded the restaurant.
Of course, on the other hand, if a guest has a poor dining experience at the restaurant, the front desk is bound to hear about it. Even in the likely scenario where the restaurant is a leased space/separate entity, a hotel guest views them as one. That being the case, shouldn’t hoteliers equip their property with the best restaurant possible?
The partnership of fine dining and luxury hotels isn’t new. But years after Jean-Georges moved into Trump in NYC and Wolfgang Puck hit Vegas with Spago at Caesar’s, the explosion is officially upon us. Just look at the recently opened Aria in Las Vegas’ City Center, boasting a practical who’s who of culinary artists. With restaurants by Julian Serrano, Jean-Georges Vongeritchen, Michael Mina, and Masayoshi Takayama, Aria drew in a constellation of Michelin stars. Is this enough to put heads in beds? This “foodie” has been on the horn booking my Aria suite for Spring 2010.
-Mike Kitchen
The Lobby Level 