TWEAK OR TRANSFORM ? NO MATTER WHAT , HOTEL F & B SPACES NEED LOCAL INSIGHT AND A STRONG IDENTITY .

By BARBARA BOHN , MANAGING EDITOR

“ The number one question to the concierge is , where do the locals go ? We want to make sure the answer is ‘ here ,’” says Heksch , global vice president of Pure Grey , a New Yorkbased F & B design company owned by Marriott International .

Local appeal has become the focus , and sometimes the

driver of , a decision to re-concept . Local customers fill seats , generate buzz , provide prized ambience – and spend money when a hotel has more beds than heads . To the point where Heksch , whose company works mostly with Marriott ’ s luxury segment , brands such as Shangri-La and boutique independents , says he lowers the emphasis on an F & B space if it doesn ’ t have , say , street access . “ If we discover that we cannot attract locals ,

then we ’ re really – not eliminating , but toning down our food & beverage offerings .”

Hotel restaurants often “ want to be everybody ’ s darling , and that ’ s kind of a problem because design needs to be specific to be recognized at all ,” says Peter Joehnk , founder of JOI- Design , a Hamburg , Germany-based interior designer for the hospitality industry . The diverse challenges – say , serving guests a reliable breakfast while creating a space that brings in

locals – can be solved with separate spaces for each , Joehnk says .

“ The big brands want to be more casual , but still they want to have the direct red line running through the hotel , which means that the restaurant should not be too different from the rest of the hotel . Sometimes that is a conflict between what hoteliers say and want and what they dare to do ,” Joehnk says .

The more stakeholders , the harder it can be to make decisions , adds

28 hotelsmag . com March 2018