Joie de Vivre is California's largest boutique hotel management company, operating nearly 40 boutique hotels, including a luxury lodging camp resort. The portfolio comprises a total of 4,500 guestrooms, including five spas and twenty distinctive restaurants. Joie de Vivre's growth strategy focuses on market penetration, to become the one-stop hospitality provider in California by creating multiple products in one geographic area.
Boston is a pretty toney town, even though it has no classic song, like New York, Chicago or San Francisco (“Down by the River Charles” and “Charlie on the MTA” don’t quite cut it). High end Retail is prominent, from iconic hotels, Newbury Street merchants, extraordinary cuisine, cultural institutions, attractions and a well read, traveled, educated consumer. Boston is a Destination of Choice.
While in Safeway the other day to purchase laundry detergent I was so overwhelmed by the array of choices I almost left without buying anything. How did the simple process of purchasing laundry soap become a highly emotional, self-defining exercise? My conscience told me I should go with the eco-friendly choice, but part of me really wanted my clothes to smell Tide Mountain Fresh™. “WHY PAY MORE?” shouted the ABC label—a valid point, but did I want to be seen at checkout with that tacky box? A myriad of other benefits screamed for my attention. Dawn Stainscrubbers™! Colorguard™! All Stainlifters™! If I made the wrong choice, would glaciers melt and whites turn pink? What if I wanted all the features? That option didn’t appear to be available. I was forced to choose what was most important to me.
I recently found myself in the middle of a discussion on the validation of professional design service fees and whether or not hospitality design professionals were worth their salt when it came to obtaining a desired objective; yeah…ouch! Well, the ‘desired objective’ was actually my term. The goal of the conversation from this international forum where hospitality topics could be offered up to a group of diverse hospitality professionals all within various industry disciplines was to offer a platform for opinion and professional positioning.
Hospitality Lawyer on “LIFESTYLE” hotel mixed-use development. Hotel mixed-use has emerged as one of the few ways hotel developers may be able to make a new development economically feasible, with skyrocketing construction costs. It has also become one of the hottest things going as developers of other real estate uses (shopping centers, office, retail, residential and entertainment) discover the big “IRR Premiums” that may harvested from well-planned and tightly integrated hotel mixed-use projects.
Goldie Locks was quite selective, one of the pickiest fairy tale characters ever. She had no tolerance for anything that was too hot or too cold, too big or too small, too firm or too soft. She wanted everything to be just right. You know what? Goldie Locks may have been on to something. Hospitality developers should be just as picky.
Once upon a time... most design teams included a professional called an owner’s representative, or owner’s rep as they are more commonly referred to throughout the design and construction industry. That time, however, is no more. Rather, the role of this individual in the design process, much like the way I began this column, is reminiscent of a fairy tale.
The desire (by hotelier and designer) to make a design ‘statement’ can overwhelm any sense of functionality. Thus in one hotel a designer shortened all the chairs in the restaurant, lowering the seats and tables to make eating a more ‘laid back’ experience. You had to lay back with your legs stretched out in front of you because to do different was to sit with your knees approaching your chin, doing dreadful things to the digestive tract. Laid back maybe, but ergonomically unsound and within weeks of the hotel opening a source of many complaints.
As a one of my colleagues often criticizes about the design of most kitchens in the foodservice industry … “We are still cooking in Escoffier’s kitchen.” What he is implying, and correctly so, is that the design of kitchens and the equipment within them has not changed much over the last 100 years or more. Escoffier could walk into a modern kitchen and feel quite at home. Consider for a moment the progress that has been made in other industries over the course of a century, and then look at our industry. Ford recently celebrated 100 years in business. 100 years ago Ford was making the Model T – and look at where they are now. A deck oven from the early 1900’s look remarkably like the deck ovens we still use today. Looming on the horizon is what I believe to be the Kitchen Evolution.
I will share with you one of the most valuable lessons that I learned in college … it is the definition of success. Success equals expectations plus one. That is to say, that in order to truly succeed - at anything - one must not only meet, but exceed the expectations that exist. This especially holds true in the design process.
When you hire a design professional, what are you really hiring? Well, you should be hiring experience, creative solutions, contacts, and a variety of other resources, all in the form of a partner who is going to commit to you and your project. It is natural to assume that anyone who presents themselves as a design professional would, in fact, have the necessary expertise to execute his or her job effectively. But expertise alone does not guarantee that your designer will be able to develop and implement the best solution for your unique scenario. Like it or not, you need to play an active role in the design process. If you are not familiar enough with plan reading and standard design practices, you can make a very costly mistake by trusting misguided advice.
A cooking line is a culinary team's office. Just as with any space where efficiency, speed, and accuracy are required, a cooking line must be properly set up to allow for the culinary team to perform. Upon first glance, it may be difficult to evaluate how well a particular cooking line is designed; there are an infinite number of issues that must be considered, and each operation is unique. But there is more to a well-designed cooking line than simply placing equipment under the exhaust hood. Listed below are some of the issues to consider when developing the cooking equipment layout.
A few months back, I received a phone call from a potential client that was calling to inquire about design services for his new restaurant. As is the norm for these types of calls, I tried to dig for information about this gentleman's concept, goals, and objectives. He proceeded to tell me that he had just signed the lease for a place on the beach, and was looking to create the new "hot spot" for his area of the shore line. He wanted a full kitchen, a full bar with 20 seats, a 185 seat dining room, a dance floor, and all other required facilities, such as restrooms.
Throughout my hospitality education, I was taught that a guest's dining experience begins in the parking lot, meaning that the impression left on the guest included the events leading up to the experience, and not just the experience itself. Well, this theory is close … but no cigar! More often than not, the guest's experience begins well before they ever decide to dine in your facility. Advertising, reviews, word of mouth, and a variety of other factors can affect the customer's expectations before they even see that parking lot.
The concept for your new restaurant has been bouncing around in your head for years. You knew what you wanted to do; you were just waiting for the right opportunity. Four months ago, you finally began the logistical planning effort to make this dream of yours a reality. The lease is signed, the financing is taken care of, and you are excited, amazed, and a little petrified that this project is actually happening.
Is design becoming the private turf of French designers? In the early 80's, Andree Putman, designed Morgan's Hotel in New York, soon followed by a succession of small hotels by Philippe Starck, both being French designers. A completely new standard in hotel design was then established. The hotel environment would no longer be judged by its quantities of velvet and gilt, but also by its quotients of adventure and imagination.
As you enter the dining room, fully anticipating a memorable dining experience, it is not long before your expectations are met. The individual showing you to your table marches you past an extraordinary display kitchen. Flames are flaring, chefs in custom uniforms are bustling about, and the aroma from the kitchen is enticing, to say the least. A true feast for the eyes.