1990
Contributed by Jeremy KING , DIreCTOr , COrbIN & KING , LONDON hotels flashback
One of the most shocking aspects of the hospitality industry is just how inherently reactionary we are when it comes to change — although in many ways it can be our strength as well as weakness . We are also mired in plagiarism and the perceived necessity to copy existing precedents to a bewildering degree . When I made the transition from restaurateur to hotelier , I was taken aback by how often I was resisted when introducing
new ideas on the basis that “ that is not how it ’ s done .”
Whether it was on design decisions or customer interaction , whenever I queried why management wanted to implement something I would always be quoted a major operator that did it “ that way .” We all copy each other , of course , but unless you do so with the aim of developing and innovating , all you end up with is homogenization — and the guests smell it and don ’ t want it .
There seems to be a prevailing belief that to break even on our F & B in hotels constitutes a good result , but I believe that if we are more rigorous in our decisions we can all do much better , both in terms of the experience we deliver and financially . In many ways the clue to the solution is in the title question itself because the starting point must be to think
more like hoteliers rather than hotel owners . There is an inherent difference because hoteliers manage from the lobby — owners from the boardroom .
At a staff induction recently I was asked a recurring question : “ What are the essential characteristics that make a good restaurant ?” My answer is always consistent . The staff expected me to talk about location , design , chef , etc ., but my response is always , “ Two things : Heart and soul .”
Naturally , staff seeks clarification for this amorphous answer and it comes by way of explaining that it is possible to have the best of experiences in the simplest of environments as long as it feels genuine , sincere , authentic and not cynical . I am afraid too much of what we find in hotel restaurants is just the opposite .
I have some fundamental
What never goes out of fashion is a welltrained front of house team that truly connects with your guests , as that is where the ‘ heart and soul ’ resides .
— Jeremy KING beliefs on how to open a restaurant . Naturally these can ’ t be adhered to in every hotel operation but I do feel the fundamental flaw is that we don ’ t analyze whom we , the guests or local residents , actually are and whether we are framing our offer appropriately .
The starting point my business partner Chris Corbin
In 1990 , HOTELS introduced its Great Hotel Restaurant award program , a feature that remains a perennial on the pages of the magazine today .
Among the first set of 10 winners in 1990 was Louis XV ( seen here from the August 1990 issue ) at Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo , helmed by chef Alain Ducasse . What makes this noteworthy 26 years later is that this , perhaps , marked the start of a very important industry trend – hoteliers hiring prominent chefs from the independent restaurant world to drive business into their hotels and add an air of excitement to their public spaces .
When Ducasse appeared on the scene in the late ‘ 80s , Louis XV won one , then two and three Michelin stars .
Specialties on the menu in 1990 included Coquille Saint-Jacques and salad with black truffles for US $ 83 .
September 2016 hotelsmag . com 39