Bar at The George inside the Fairmont Olympic Hotel , Seattle
inside the hotel , but we wanted to give it its own identity .”
To that end , they created a new entrance so that diners could go straight into the restaurant without walking into the hotel . But the main challenge was to preserve the history yet create a new restaurant that would be popular for years to come .
“ We had multiple designers come over , and we gave them the instructions that we don ’ t want to move away from the past too much , we don ’ t want to be too fancy , and we cannot suddenly make this the hip-hop restaurant . The community has to buy in ,” Joseph says .
The hotel selected Spanish design studio Lázaro Rosa-Violán to undertake the redesign . Two enormous , antique chandeliers were the focal point in the old restaurant , but they didn ’ t fit the new concept . Instead of just tearing them out , they painstakingly removed them , crystal by crystal , and after cleaning them , they re-installed them in the
hotel ballroom .
Often , when a hotel restaurant is redesigned , many people in the community complain . “ A lot of times , when hotels renovate , guests will say things like how the place was destroyed ,” Joseph says . “ That didn ’ t happen at all with The George . The most common comment is that people say that they feel like it ’ s always been here . It fits in seamlessly .”
One thing the hotel did to preserve the past was to create a history wall , just above the lobby level . “ We don ’ t want to shrug off the past ,” Joseph says , adding that the hotel ’ s social media followers doubled within the first two weeks of The George ’ s opening .
With the pandemic and supply chain issues , the renovation took longer than expected . Originally , when construction began in late 2019 , it was estimated to last six months but getting supplies from overseas were delayed . The lobby , with its new bar , reopened in April
2021 , and the last piece was The George . “ We wanted to be sure that we were launching when the market was ready ,” Joseph adds .
Historically , the hotel was a gathering place for the locals , and that ’ s become true again . “ We are busy on Monday , and busy on a Tuesday ,” Joseph says . “ We are very optimistic about the future , and the community reaction has been great .”
ZUMA , WALDORF ASTORIA MALDIVES ITHAAFUSHI The first overwater Zuma restaurant recently made its debut at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi .
This sophisticated twist on the traditional Japanese Izakaya style of eating and drinking replaced the resort ’ s more traditional Japanese restaurant , Shimizu . “[ Global restaurant brand ] Zuma was a natural choice , as it offers an enhanced experience and quality fine dining in line with what we aim to offer our guests ,” says Etienne Dalançon , general manager for the resort . “ We are confident that Zuma , with its consistency in providing quality service and experiences , will help us raise the bar .”
Japanese Izakaya typically hosts a casual environment for afterwork drinks and food , and Izakaya ( restaurants ) often have multiple and different types of seating areas form low tables , tatami mats to bar seats , according to Rainer Beck , creator and co-founder of Zuma . “ The food at Zuma is authentic , but not traditional ,” Beck says . “ We wanted to bring Japanese food to a wider audience , so the flavors are perhaps more robust than those found in Japan . The atmosphere at Zuma is informal and fun , and
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