Thinking About the Whole Experience

Everyone in travel wants to know what the next big thing — or disruption — will come from, and for luxury travel, innovation has a number of different definitions and approaches.

For some, it’s about using technology to personalize the experience. For others, like Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, it’s about empowering employees to deliver the best service possible. For Sereno Hotels, it revolves around staying true to the meaning of hospitality. And for W, JW Marriott, and The Luxury Collection, innovation involves looking to F&B sectors like retail and dining for some inspiration. See how FRENCHEFS can help you to fuel your inspiration through Premium or Trendy Casual Dining.

Looking Toward Retail and Dining

Lots of hoteliers are looking beyond hotels, and to dining and retail for inspiration.

“Retail,” Ingham of W Hotels noted, “reinvents itself all the time,” and we’re already beginning to see evidence of high-end retail’s influence on the hospitality space.

Nicholas Clayton, Capella Hotel Group CEO, said, “We’re not in a position to lead in technology, but we’re really investing in food and beverage and developing partnerships.” FRENCHEFS can be your partner to (re)-invest your F&B approach by :

• organising successful culinary events with unique guest chefs
• providing the perfect consultant chef that can step up your offer
• setting up a deal with a renowned chef to open and endorse a proven concept

At Marriott’s JW Marriott and The Luxury Collection brands, vice president and global brand leader Mitzi Gaskins, said, “I’m watching the independent food-and-beverage industry, especially restaurants and bars, because it changes faster than hospitality, and it’s also becoming an increasingly integral part of the luxury experience. The transition from formal experiences to more casual ones took place in restaurants first and it’s a good way to see what’s coming.”

And there again FRENCHEFS can give you access to those new generation chefs, to invite those new concepts to your place in order to stay on the edge of trends!

At the Four Seasons George V Paris, Clerc pointed to how the company is pursuing innovation at one of its restaurants

At Le George, employees are encouraged not to wear a formal uniform. Furthermore, they’re asked to wear their own clothes and to express their own personalities through their garb. It’s not a brand-wide standard at each Four Seasons hotel, but for this particular restaurant, the strategy works beautifully, he said.

“No name tags. No uniforms. People wear their own clothes,” Clerc said. “Of course, it’s Paris, so it’s easy to achieve here, but in the restaurant, the whole experience becomes very personal. It’s been really wonderful to see the response we see from that. It’s an example of one of the ways we continue to innovate in terms of just challenging the norms around how we deliver service. And, specifically how we provide employees an environment in which they can be themselves and shine.”

Clerc continued, “In terms of hospitality, to me, one of the big opportunities is restaurants and bars. We are focusing a lot of energy behind this. With, for example, Airbnb, which is entering the hotel space, for us, we see restaurants and bars as a real point of differentiation when it comes to providing a luxury hospitality experience. The other thing about restaurants and bars is, if you think about it, they act as a gateway to the local community.  It is a way to expand the brand in a different way.”

Discover all our chefs available to your next F&B project here.