FOOD & BEVERAGE
Art , science of
REPOSITIONING
The Verandah Terrace Riverside at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
HERE ARE THREE STORIES ABOUT HOTEL RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY TRANSFORMED A PREMIER RESTAURANT SPACE .
Contributed by JEANETTE HURT
When a hotel or resort undertakes a restaurant reconceptualization , the process can take a year or even several years to produce a successful outcome . Proper planning is the first step , and hotels and resorts sometimes must audition several different design teams and partners to make sure their vision is executed properly . Finding a designer who fits your property ’ s vision is key to the entire project , and a good foundation to start is to audition several , says Sunny Joseph , general manager of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle . “ We had designers who took a very bold approach , and we had others who took the old restaurant and just enhanced it a little bit ,” he says . “ The designers we selected made an entirely different proposal , and it appealed to everyone at the decision-making table .”
A restaurant redesign should be thoughtful , says Jeffrey Wilkes , founding principal of DESIGNWILKES , who has helped reconceptualize restaurants across five continents and 19 countries . It is important , he says , to maintain the history and the culture of a property , and the new design should always reflect that .
Etienne Dalançon , general manager of Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi , says hotels need to be aware of trends . “ It is also important to remain open to different concepts and learn from what other restaurants
78 hotelsmag . com June 2022