Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 2nd Quarter 2019 | Page 39

“There’s more than just learning how to taste tea,” explains Tea Master Al Cardenas. “We do blind evaluations and have a blending component.” “Each person has to make and present a blend, describing what that their motivation was behind it which covers a bit of marketing,” says Cardenas. “There’s also an open forum where we do group discussions and provide solutions for challenges at the hotel-level.” The Tea Masters at METZ focus on training managerial staff that can implement change at the property level. By focusing on higher level staff versus front-of-house staff – which traditionally experience higher turnover rates – these employees can return to their properties and train multiple departments to deliver an experience that is unique, educational and fun for guests. These team members must complete a 5-hour online curriculum prior to attending the in-person seminar. The online course is made up of videos, reading material, and questionnaires that cover the fundamentals of tea and manufacturing techniques, making sure that everyone comes to the seminar with the same level of knowledge. “It’s a fairly accelerated course so we don’t have time to tell people, for example, that green tea and black tea come from the same plant. For a lot of people that’s a pretty a-ha moment,” laughs Cardenas. The focus of the training when they arrive at METZ is getting into the nitty- gritty of what it is to be a tea sommelier. “That’s learning how to taste tea, understanding terroir, diving a little deeper into different manufacturing processes, but also understanding what we as a supplier do to ensure the quality and the food safety of their products,” says Cardenas. Guests receive a tour of the property which features a state of the art, 100,000 sq. ft. solar array on their rooftop – a part of METZ’z commitment to reduce and offset carbon emissions. “This is one of the behind the scenes part they get to see of how their tea comes to market,” says Cardenas. METZ upholds a mission to provide luxury teas to their global customer base, to stand up for social justice in the regions they visit, and to promote ethical environmental practices on the farms they buy from. Founder and President, Gerry Vandergrift has been tea trading for over 4 decades. METZ’z general manager, lovingly referred to as “Professor Pekoe,” comes from a lineage of tea tasters and has been in the business for 40 years. All team members are highly skilled Tea Masters with first-hand experience visiting with suppliers and growers at various tea plantations. They have different backgrounds in fields such as luxury marketing, sales, commodities training, and more. Having that type of expertise behind your staff’s training — coupled with a luxury tea supplier that provides blends you can’t find in supermarkets or online retailers – is a smart way to elevate your hotel’s beverage offerings and contribute to personalization and brand awareness. ILHA 39