Interview with Steve Hedberg, VP of Operations and Food & Beverage, Managed Hotels & Resorts, Carlson Hotels Worldwide

Fred Tibbitts: Steve, how did you find your way into the hotel business and where have you served?

Steve Hedberg: I began in hotels in 1977, fresh out of business college. Growth opportunity in hotels was on the rise in all facets of the business. I began in accounting in F&B control and worked my way from there into food & beverage. I served in all F&B capacities, from leading a night cleaning crew to managing three-meal and fine dining restaurants, beverage sales and merchandising, running banquets, selling catering, and finally running entire F&B operations. I cross-trained in the rooms division as a resident manager, then was responsible for over 30 hotels as a corporate F&B person. After multiunit experience, I went back to the field and ran hotels in three countries, returning to the U.S. to manage hotels here. For the past six years, I have been alternatively responsible for F&B direction of our owned and managed group as well as serving as VP of Operations for the same group of hotels in North America. I am a much fulfilled veteran.

FT: Where did you formulate your views on premium wines and the importance of wine service standards?

SH: Through many facets of beverage merchandising, wine promotion, and sales, it has become more and more important. I remember when having just two to three varietals for sale put you a head above the competition. Now, without a comprehensive premium wine program that addresses every segment of our customer mix, you can’t compete. The early ‘80s was where we started to make progress, getting customers more involved in premium wine consumption, and it has progressed steadily.

FT: You have launched a new two-year program combining “New World” and “Old World” wines. It offers many wines by the glass, and you have a broad bottle list to back it up. How did you decide which wines made sense and with which producers and importers to partner?

SH: Several factors went into it. We first took what was working for us and ensured that our customer base had their favorite varietals. We explored and looked into the up-and-coming regions to find the best values, based on our research on what today’s wine consumer seeks. The end result is a combination of Old World and New World: exciting values we have not previously selected, surrounded by some of the industry’s top brands.

FT: You are in the process of developing a beer, wine, and spirits menu to feature the most popular brands you carry and drive sales and better entertain customers.What can we expect?

SH: We are tiering our approach, as we run three uniquely distinctive types of hotels. We have a full-blown program of domestic and imported beer, wine, and spirits for the hotels with full-service F&B operations with larger volume. We tier down to smaller full-service hotels with a reduced menu of services with many of the same beverage partners. We then have a third tier of hotels that are upgraded select service models with limited F&B offerings. We have a customized program that offers variety but maintains integrity with respect to inventory control. All menus have the same look and feel; the real difference is the extent of the offerings.

FT: Will you offer two-ounce flights of the same varietal wines (i.e. Chardonnay, Bordeaux blends, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc)?

SH: We are experimenting with wine flights in our city center hotels where the customer base is more knowledgeable. Our standard pour on wine is six ounces. But if we take that same six ounces and show our more adventuresome customers three two-ounce pours of, say, a Sauvignon Blanc from California, South Africa, and New Zealand, we are still at one drink and they have circled the globe. It’s about entertainment, yet moderation.

FT: How many company-managed properties does your new program affect and how many franchised properties do you estimate might want to participate?

SH: We have 27 hotels on our program that we own and manage. We offer the same program to our franchise community, where acceptance is slow because many have their own programs. But we see growing interest as we share the results of our increasing success and they realize they can take advantage of our research and proven formats.

FT: Wine preservation is becoming more of a priority with operators as they add more wines by the glass to their menus.What do you do to limit wine waste and ensure every guest a fresh glass of wine every time?

SH: We have installed in all of our hotels the Le Verre de Vin system, letting us open several bottles of wine and extend the life of those bottles for up to 21 days. The system creates a vacuum for still wines and injects just the right amount of C02 for sparkling wines.

FT: Do you offer waitstaff incentives? If so, what types work best?

SH: Each hotel is allowed the individuality to create incentives. The best incentive, we have found, is wine education for servers in the restaurants, giving them the knowledge to comfortably sell wine and increase their average check.

FT: How do you see wine trends in the United States changing over the next five years? More “New World” or “Old World” wines or more of both? Will customers be even more wine knowledgeable? How do you intend to meet these challenges?

SH: Our customers are becoming more value conscious. They know it is no longer necessary to spend a small fortune on a good bottle of wine, especially with the amount of quality wines we are seeing from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, and Argentina, to name just a few. Customers are more willing to try new and different offerings, often looking for wines they have enjoyed out at dinner as they browse their favorite retail shops, so they can recreate the magic they experienced.

FT: Do you travel outside the United States to wine-producing countries to update your knowledge?

SH: I have traveled to a number of foreign countries and experienced some phenomenal wines not yet available in the U.S. My favorite wine producing countries outside the U.S. are Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina. Great values and phenomenal quality.

FT: What are your favorite wines and why?

SH: From a California perspective, I love the wines of Napa and Russian River. They really have a great climate for producing great grapes and great wines. I recently returned from Argentina, and our group spent nine days trying to find a bad bottle of wine. We failed miserably, to our great satisfaction. The most expensive bottle I bought in any restaurant down there was $18 U.S., and it would easily be comparable to most (but not every) California Reserves. We found our favorite label was the vineyards of Luigi Bosca, a long and storied tradition and just an excellent value. Bon Appétit!

Fred Tibbitts & Associates Inc. is the foremost global wine-by-the-glass consultant, working with on-premise chains around the world. Contact him at fredbev@fredtibbitts.com.