F & B
working on setting up a pop-up bar in our herb garden , and we ’ re going to do some cocktail classes out there , creating some of those cool , one-off experiences .”
Langan says that at his properties , outdoor dining and drinking experiences were popular . When hotels didn ’ t have enough outdoor spaces or the weather was prohibitive , he saw hotels turning meeting spaces into socially distant dining rooms . “ Hotels already have these beautiful , well-appointed meeting spaces or ballrooms so it ’ s sort of a natural conversion to use them for a la carte dining , and it makes sense to use them to whatever degree you can ,” he says .
With different markets reopening , the demand is “ outperforming our reopening expectations ,” Langan says . “ It ’ s important to remember that a lot of people now coming into our hotels , this is their first real trip since the pandemic began ,” he says . “ We need to welcome them back and do so in such a way that makes them feel comfortable and safe . That is probably the most important thing for us this year .”
The Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto also did private dining and drinking experiences en-suite . “ We did wine flights and wine tastings with our sommelier by Zoom , and we also did cocktail classes by Zoom ,” says Nancy Munzar Kelly , general manager of the hotel . “ The idea is to bring the bar experience to an en-suite environment .”
Kelly says they even did this for corporate clients by mailing out tasting kits and packages . “ We did a corporate event with 40 people and our tea sommelier ,” she says . “ We mailed out a tasting package of tea and tea snacks , and at a certain time , all of their clients logged into this virtual event , and it was really well received .”
They also did this with coffee and with whiskies , too , Kelly says . “ This is something that may last ” post-pandemic , she says .
Locally sourced cocktails have become very important , says a spokesperson for the ingredients are there , and you can do something more exciting than ( just a cup of coffee ). And if there ’ s one thing people will spend money on , it ’ s coffee .”
Behind bottled water , coffee is the second largest category in terms of beverage sales , Langan points out .
MAYBE IT ’ S A CASE OF SHARING THE BURDEN IN PURCHASING THE EQUIPMENT OR THAT THE SALES FROM THE PARTNERSHIP WILL PAY FOR THE EQUIPMENT . THIS WILL TAKE A COUPLE OF CONVERSATIONS , BUT IT ’ S WORTH IT .
ANTHONY LANGAN
CHARLESTOWNE HOTELS , ON WORKING WITH A LOCAL COFFEE ROASTER
78 hotelsmag . com May / June 2021