GLOBAL UPDATE : F & B
Urbane sea scallops from Hyatt ’ s “ Thoughtfully Sourced ,
Carefully Served ” program
HYATT
MAKES F & B RESPONSIBLE
A new philosophy is about to be launched globally with three core pillars : health and nutrition , sustainability and community .
By Jeff Weinstein , editor in chief
‘‘
Food . Thoughtfully Sourced . Carefully Served .” is the name of Hyatt Hotels Corp .’ s new food and beverage philosophy being launched globally this month . Hyatt claims to be the first and only hotel company to make a company-wide commitment to responsible eating by purchasing and serving products that are environmentally safe , better for guests and sustainable .
The philosophy , developed by Vice President of Culinary Operations Susan Terry and Vice President of Food & Beverage Susan Santiago , is based on three pillars — health and nutrition , sustainability and community — that will guide F & B from the operational level to the consumer experience . The program also serves to enhance Hyatt ’ s corporate social responsibility platform , Thrive .
The health and nutrition component focuses on natural meat without supplemental growth hormones or antibiotics , as well as reduced sodium and additives . The sustainability pillar already includes cage-free shell eggs , and will include naturally raised beef and pork as well as sustainable seafood . Community is all about locally sourced products and partnerships with local community groups .
“ This must become who we are in F & B because it is the right thing to do ,” says Terry , who made it clear the move is not related to driving ROI . “ We also went to our customers and found out if it was what they wanted ,” Terry notes , conceding there is a 20 % to 40 % product cost premium to this move .
Hyatt conducted a beta test for 90 days at 10 hotels and identified menu items like its all-American breakfast and compared it to a new organic breakfast at a higher price point . It did the same thing with the hamburger at lunch , as well as with sustainable seafood and steak at dinner . “ We told ourselves if 10 % of the time guests chose more conscious items it would be a success . It turned out they selected them 30 % of the time ,” Santiago says .
Hyatt was especially focused on talking to top meeting planners about the new program and learned that over time , an initiative like this will become a point of entry . “ They told us no one else had learned to incorporate this into the banquet arena at an acceptable price ,” Santiago says . “ If we could do it , they would make decisions to stay with the brand . That was compelling , and we had to figure it out to do it .”
How the program is rolled out globally will vary by country . “ Our international counterparts have a steeper hill to climb , but very often there is more opportunity than what might be outwardly identified ,” Terry notes .
In fact , Terry says , in certain pillars such as “ community ,” many international operators are already 100 % compliant , as it is naturally a part of their business model .
Flexible guidelines The launch of this program has been a two-year journey for Hyatt ’ s corporate F & B team . “ We looked at our own operating standards and realized this was a no-brainer ,” Terry says . “ It is important for us to treat customers well and allow them to maintain their
10 HOTELS May 2012 www . hotelsmag . com