Marriott ' s
Matthew Von Ertfelda has run endurance races , including one for 155 miles over six days across the Amazon , Sahara and Antarctica . top of great food and drink , experiences that produce stories that I can add to my own personal stories .”
What ’ s most exciting in F & B ? “ This notion of more with less . The required resourcefulness , creativity and adaptability that restaurant operators and independents are forced to grapple with as they have to respond to trends that are fast-changing at the global , regional and local hotel levels , but have challenging labor models … How we as operators and foodies bootstrap and recognize the constraints and how we respond to them . I love seeing a lot of the edgy , indie , street side restaurant and bar concepts within hotels . I love the continued trend towards ethnic , local , honest , very real food and real restaurant and bar experiences , and how those can be executed authentically and creatively on the independent side as well as on the hotel side .”
Von Ertfelda says relevance and return are critical . “ It ’ s really about delivering locally relevant restaurant and bar experiences that matter , that people care about , that people talk about ,” he adds . “ It ’ s founded on three pillars : going local , hiring craftsmen and driving profitable revenue , top-line growth . This is a strategy that has been cast across all of our full-service hotels , from a restaurant and bar discipline perspective . That is really changing and coloring how we design restaurant and bar spaces to be more dynamic , to be more concept-driven , more independent in character and style , and experience , and ambience , that are staffed with local artisans as well as emerging craftsmen .”
He is excited about the interplay between design – both kitchens and restaurant / bars – and how they are merchandised : Think floor-to-ceiling chalkboards celebrating local farmers and purveyors , featuring well-known and local micro-brews , and micro-distilled spirits . “ Create these really exciting , dynamic environments that , for all intents and
A bar accelerator is an internal Marriott incubator designed to accelerate beverage
purposes , are part of the public space but still independent ,” he says .
Bigger picture , Von Ertfelda believes the most successful hotel companies understand how a brand and its restaurant and bar experiences cater to both local residents and hotel guests .
“ The most successful companies and travel companies are going to be those that understand how to bring food and beverage forward , bring restaurants and bars forward confidently and boldly ,” he says . “ The people that get it right can really win . They win in terms of revenues and profitability . They also win in terms of reputation . That ’ s what benefits the brands . That ’ s what benefits the broader hotel company .”
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