Hotel Banquet & Catering Trends Newsletter: April 12, 2007

Good Sensations and Good Vibrations
Omni Hotels' Sensational Meetings delight the senses
by Chris Olsen

The purpose of Omni Hotels' new Sensational Meetings program is to create the right mood, the right atmosphere, and, ultimately, good vibrations, by customizing the environment surrounding the meeting.

This new concept is the brainchild of Stephen Rosenstock, senior VP of brand standards. Rosenstock relates, “We first noticed the effects after installing sensory altering devices in our lobbies. The feedback from guests and hotel associates was very, very positive and favorable. It got us wondering where else we could use this concept to provide a better experience for our guests. We realized that not much has changed with meeting rooms. They have not evolved in the same ways as have guest rooms, bathrooms, restaurants, etc. Meeting rooms have stagnated; they are the same as they were 30 years ago, same skirted tables, same coffee break setup, etc. The only thing that’s different is that in the past you saw a pitcher of water at tables, now you see bottled water.”

Sensory Advisory Board

That led to the question: "Why not research the various sensory components that contribute to the overall success of a meeting?" A “Sensory Advisory Board” was created to review and analyze the feedback from beta tests at various hotels. A group of businesses was selected that would bring the benefit of their experience and knowledge about guests and travel. Those selected businesses help the management team interpret the impact of the altered environment on all five senses: sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell.

Omni did not have any prior relationships with any of the selected businesses. Some of the notables on this review panel are: Omni rasperries and chocolate

Through the review process, the Sensory Advisory Board felt that more than 90% of meetings fall into three categories:

In addition to these custom touches, the three essential elements for a good meeting continue to be the same: proper room temperature, the ability to hear well, and the ability to clearly see the presentation. Each hotel has digital technology designed to reliably measure temperature, sound, and light in a meeting room. Those three elements are carefully monitored, reviewed, and adjusted according to the desires of each meeting planner.

Early Feedback

Although this concept is in its infancy, just five to six weeks old at the time of this writing, initial feedback is positive. Before rolling out this program to the public, Omni put their new concept to the test. They set up the three different types of Sensational Meetings rooms and invited a group of tough, battle-hardened meeting planners. Upon entering the “Energetic Meeting,” it was reported that the tough guys' ooooohs and aaaaahs were clearly heard. While in the “Challenging Meeting,” the meeting planners themselves noticed that they were talking in much lower voices, slower and quieter. And in the “Recognition Meeting,” they felt the celebratory vibe. Omni says the consensus from the group of meeting planners was “revolutionary.”

An Omni customer recently experienced the new “Energetic Meeting” at the Omni in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Upon entering the room, there were audible 'wows' from their employees," says Rosenstock. "They felt it was unique and special. But more than that, they felt the company really cared about them and had gone over and above to help them do a better job. Everyone there left with the impression that the meeting room was specifically personalized for them."

Leading the Way
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress introduces the Personal Preference banquet menu program
by Chris Olsen

Hotel F&B magazine recently sat down with Kirk Howard, senior director of catering & convention services at the Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida, and asked him some questions about the success of the Personal Preference program and how it came to be.

Hotel F&B: When did you first try the program?

Kirk Howard: We first tried this over two years ago with a group of 750 people. We hadn’t tried the concept on tashat large a group before. And it worked.

Hotel F&B: How do you work out the serving process, because it seems complicated?

Kirk Howard: The waiters go to the table and present the concept. After they have taken orders, the service can begin. The service usually starts with wine. Service is a team effort. We have to overstaff for it. We have to have two servers for every two tables. Tables of ten usually, and that’s not quite double what we normally staff. A lot of hotels of our caliber will staff one server per fifteen guests or two servers for thirty guests so three tables on a station. The servers have to be specially trained; each chair is numbered like in a restaurant where number one is facing the back of the room. So you can serve the chicken to the right person when you bring it out to the table.

Hotel F&B: How does the kitchen keep the orders straight?

Kirk Howard: We offer guests a choice of 3 entrées: chicken, fish, or beef. Guests don’t choose their own appetizer or salad. The meeting planner chooses those items. The choice comes in the main entrée, where most people want it anyway. Initially, guests are served the appetizer course while orders go to the kitchen. We serve bread between the appetizer and salad. You need to have four courses to have enough time to get that number of entrées correct. The kitchen has a pretty good idea of how many people will want beef, chicken, or fish, so that makes it easier. For the final course, we serve a trio of desserts—three different, elegantly presented desserts on the same plate in small portions, which is the trend.

Hotel F&B: How do you customize the menu for each banquet?

Kirk Howard: We have a template that we use. We put the customer’s logo at the top along with the logo of our personal preference menu. Then we list the courses, and we usually pair wines with the courses, This is a part of the presentation at the table. The guests see the menu when they first sit down.

Hotel F&B: How is the program working out financially?

Kirk Howard: We charge a little more for it, and that covers the cost of any overproduction and waste that we have in the kitchen and any overstaffing. We do two to three personal preference menus a week, which represents about half of the overall plated banquet dinner sales. We still do a lot of buffets. Buffets are requested because people want to have choices. We will run a higher profit doing personal preference menus because there is less waste than on a buffet. It allows us to present a more elegant dinner, a four course plated dinner, but still satisfies the need of the customer to have what they want for dinner.

Hotel F&B: How did you determine that the customer wanted more personalization, more choices?

Kirk Howard: People feel they are entitled to what they want wherever they go, and they haven’t been able to get that in a banquet setting. Traditionally, we have catered to the meeting planner and now our company is trying to provide options that address the individual needs of the guest.

Hotel F&B: Was there any “push back” when you first introduced the idea?

Kirk Howard: Initially, there is always some resistance to change. No one had done this as a general rule. Hotels had tried to do this on an individual basis for customers who asked for it. We had to change perceptions in the kitchen and in the food and beverage department about whether or not we could be successful at it. A lot of chefs initially had some resistance to it. Our chef had no resistance to it because he knew we could decrease the number of buffets that we do. By decreasing the number of buffets, we would lower our food costs. We will spend a little bit more on labor, but we can offset that because of the additional price we can charge for more personalized service. So it’s a win, win, win for everybody.

Hotel F&B: Is any other hotel chain doing this now?

Kirk Howard: Right now, the Hyatt Hotel chain is the only hotel chain offering this type of banquet service across the board. Other companies will do it for you now that we offer it.

Exceeding Customer Expectations
IFMA Silver Plate Award nominee Erika Danijel sets the standard in customer service
by Chris Olsen

If there was a guidebook to exceeding customer expectations, Erika Danijel could be on the cover. Recently nominated for the 2007 IFMA Silver Plate Award for excellence in hotel industry foodservice operations, Danijel is a shining example to others in the banquet and catering business who wish to excel in their craft.

Danijel likes people, food, and service, and she loves making people happy. Early on, she quickly excelled in the restaurant business. One of her first successes took place at a small restaurant in upstate New York. After three weeks as a waitress, the owner promoted her to manager. Three weeks later, she multiplied sales by tenfold. "I hired a live band and changed the menu. Then I trained the staff to greet guests, want them back, and take care of them,” she explains. A Crowne Plaza Hotel executive later discovered Danijel and convinced her to work for them.

Now as Director of Banquets at the new Crowne Plaza (previously the Hotel Sofitel) in Houston, Texas, Danijel and her staff of 25 continue to do it right for the customer. Danijel has the gift of hospitality, but she also possesses instincts and insights into what customers want in their meetings. She either sits in the actual meeting room with the customer or reviews the floor plan in detail. Within five minutes, Danijel has an idea what the customer wants and what she can do for them.

Danijel doesn’t always require a big budget—she repeatedly performs for groups with limited funds. Danijel often discovers and buys inexpensive decorative items for future use at meetings while out shopping at local department, linen, gardening, pottery, hobby, and craft stores.

The true measure of her success? More than 100 guests have sent letters and emails praising the exceptional customer service of Erika Danijel and her staff. Danijel believes you can’t have great customer service without great employees. She says, “As a leader and manager, you must treat your employees with respect, understanding, and compassion. If you share respect with them, they will do anything for you. When employees feel important and that they matter, those feelings flow right through to the guests.” She believes this is what truly sells the customer and encourages them to come back again.

A Walk in the Park
New York's Central Park inspires creative meeting break menus at Mandarin Oriental
by Ashley Brown Allen

Meeting breaks at Mandarin Oriental New York hotel are a walk in the park, according to Conference Services Manager Alani Principe. She explains that Executive Sous Chef Amy Thompson, a fan of leisurely strolls through the park—Central Park—was inspired to theme some of the hotel’s meeting breaks around the locale’s popular gathering places, e.g., Literary Row, Strawberry Fields, Sheep Meadow, the Conservatory, and Merchants’ Gate.

“The Literary Row menu, our bestseller for mornings, features patisserie-style treats one can imagine leisurely enjoying while sitting underneath a canopy of autumn leaves in that part of the park [also commonly called Poet’s Walk],” says Principe.

These treats include raspberry Napoleons, honey green tea madeleines, apple tartatins, mocha eclairs, almond shortbread, and ginger scones.

The Strawberry Fields menu, themed around strawberries, includes sweet delights like miniature strawberry shortcakes with fresh cream and lavender honey, strawberry poppy seed cupcakes with lemon icing, and mini strawberry smoothies.

Sheep Meadow is a popular spot for picnicking, so that menu includes takeaway fare like grilled vegetable kabobs with crushed pigoline olive dip, crispy blue corn chips with avocado and tomato salsa, tangy lemon bars, chocolate bark, almond biscotti, and crisp olive oil chips.

The Conservatory break plays into the garden theme with healthy and all-natural choices like fresh fruit skewers, mango yogurt dip, mini health muffins (made with applesauce instead of butter), banana soy milk smoothies, lemon cucumber water, power bars, and granola bars.

Finally, Principe adds, “The Merchants’ Gate menu is an ode to popular NYC street food that is especially popular among clients—they love having the opportunity to enjoy street vendor-esque snacks like classic New York hot dogs, Dale and Thomas flavored popcorn, soft pretzels with mustard, cinnamon churros, and roasted assorted nuts.”

View of Central Park from Mandarin Oriental
[click on image to enlarge]

Making a Good First Impression
Gaylord Texan rolls out dual-purpose back bar/coffee cart solution
by Chris Olsen

The Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, outside of Dallas, is not taking any chances on making first impressions at meetings and breaks, especially when it comes to their new rolling back bar.

Steven Potts, director of catering, and 2007 IFMA Silver Plate Award nominee, is the project leader of this newly designed, functionally efficient, and aesthetically appealing presentation serving as both a back bar and coffee break bar.

[click on image to enlarge]

This idea arose out of regular teleconferences led by Potts. The primary purpose of the meetings is to brainstorming and focusing on ways to build the Gaylord brand. This patent-pending rolling back bar took eight months to go from concept to finished product. This concept received extra energy when Steven and his team saw a rolling cordial cart at a restaurant bar. They thought, “What if we took this rolling cart and expanded it to work both ways…as a bar and a coffee barista, like a Starbucks.” And voila, the new concept is now rolling into meetings.

Unspoken Message of the Customer

Potts strongly feels that the new rolling bar concept was driven by the voice of the customer. "Although customers had not actually come forward and expressed their opinion about the boxes, bottles, glasses, ice, crummy looking shelving, etc., we knew it was distracting," Potts said. "Sometimes we need to hear what is not being said."

The challenge with the rolling bar was to develop an all around, three-dimensional look that is aesthetically pleasing and still functional. You need to showcase your product but also have an excellent support and storage vessel.

[click on image to enlarge]

The concept first came to life as a sketch on the back of a napkin. The team wanted something that was very comfortable, and had a residential feel to it, like it was part of a large living room or den. A company specializing in designing and building furniture for homes was hired to create it.

“When we set up the new rolling bar in a meeting room, we throw a nice wash of light on the bar, which brings out the handmade floral leaf patterns in the iron work. To complete the look, there are soft patterns in the carpet, chaise lounge sofas, with a pleasing combination of muted earth tones," Potts elaborates. "As far as we know, no one else in the large convention business is doing this. We’re bringing sexy back to banquet bars.”

Seeing Is Believing
Accor University Food and Beverage Seminar showcases innovative banquet displays
by Chris Olsen

In January 2007, Jean-marc Jalbert, corporate director of food and beverage for Accor N.A., invited Hotel F&B magazine to be his guests at the two-day Accor University Food and Beverage Seminar held at the Hotel Sofitel in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The previous year’s business was discussed, sales and costs were reviewed, best practices were shared, and new food and beverage ideas were introduced.

Among the best new ideas are Jalbert's innovative ways of displaying food and beverages, emphasizing the use of different levels, color, and lighting. He creatively presents buffets using small tables at different heights with translucent shelves mounted on uniquely styled stands and employing dramatic upward lighting.

The emerging trend of smaller-sized portions was featured during the meeting at breaks and lunch, which consisted of primarily hors d’oeuvres, salads, sandwiches, and desserts.

[click on images to enlarge]

*Hotel Banquet & Catering Trends Newsletter: April 12, 2007* **Published by Hotel F&B magazine Click here to subscribe»**

Good Sensations and Good Vibrations Omni Hotels' Sensational Meetings delight the senses by Chris Olsen The purpose of Omni Hotels' new Sensational Meetings program is to create the right mood, the right atmosphere, and, ultimately, good vibrations, by customizing the environment surrounding the meeting. This new concept is the brainchild of Stephen Rosenstock, senior VP of brand standards. Rosenstock relates, “We first noticed the effects after installing sensory altering devices in our lobbies. The feedback from guests and hotel associates was very, very positive and favorable. It got us wondering where else we could use this concept to provide a better experience for our guests. We realized that not much has changed with meeting rooms. They have not evolved in the same ways as have guest rooms, bathrooms, restaurants, etc. Meeting rooms have stagnated; they are the same as they were 30 years ago, same skirted tables, same coffee break setup, etc. The only thing that’s different is that in the past you saw a pitcher of water at tables, now you see bottled water.” Sensory Advisory Board That led to the question: "Why not research the various sensory components that contribute to the overall success of a meeting?" A “Sensory Advisory Board” was created to review and analyze the feedback from beta tests at various hotels. A group of businesses was selected that would bring the benefit of their experience and knowledge about guests and travel. Those selected businesses help the management team interpret the impact of the altered environment on all five senses: sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell. Omni did not have any prior relationships with any of the selected businesses. Some of the notables on this review panel are: Red Door Spa by Elizabeth Arden Whole Foods Starbucks Julliard School of Music Muzak Through the review process, the Sensory Advisory Board felt that more than 90% of meetings fall into three categories: Energetic Meetings: Vibrant, high-energy, unique lighting and brilliant accents are used to create an invigorating, intellectually stimulating environment to keep people alert, focused, and creative. Challenging Meetings: Muted colors, objects soft to the touch, and soft music designed to reduce stress and provide a relaxed environment to increase productivity, for challenging meetings, e.g., a change in management. Recognition Meetings: Silver and gold, reflective mirrors, and upbeat music are about celebrating a milestone, honoring past accomplishments, and building a vision for the future. In addition to these custom touches, the three essential elements for a good meeting continue to be the same: proper room temperature, the ability to hear well, and the ability to clearly see the presentation. Each hotel has digital technology designed to reliably measure temperature, sound, and light in a meeting room. Those three elements are carefully monitored, reviewed, and adjusted according to the desires of each meeting planner. Early Feedback Although this concept is in its infancy, just five to six weeks old at the time of this writing, initial feedback is positive. Before rolling out this program to the public, Omni put their new concept to the test. They set up the three different types of Sensational Meetings rooms and invited a group of tough, battle-hardened meeting planners. Upon entering the “Energetic Meeting,” it was reported that the tough guys' ooooohs and aaaaahs were clearly heard. While in the “Challenging Meeting,” the meeting planners themselves noticed that they were talking in much lower voices, slower and quieter. And in the “Recognition Meeting,” they felt the celebratory vibe. Omni says the consensus from the group of meeting planners was “revolutionary.” An Omni customer recently experienced the new “Energetic Meeting” at the Omni in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Upon entering the room, there were audible 'wows' from their employees," says Rosenstock. "They felt it was unique and special. But more than that, they felt the company really cared about them and had gone over and above to help them do a better job. Everyone there left with the impression that the meeting room was specifically personalized for them." [Click here to view Omni's Sensational Meetings brochure PDF] Leading the Way Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress introduces the Personal Preference banquet menu program by Chris Olsen Hotel F&B magazine recently sat down with Kirk Howard, senior director of catering & convention services at the Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida, and asked him some questions about the success of the Personal Preference program and how it came to be. *Hotel F&B:* When did you first try the program? Kirk Howard: We first tried this over two years ago with a group of 750 people. We hadn’t tried the concept on tashat large a group before. And it worked. Hotel F&B: How do you work out the serving process, because it seems complicated? Kirk Howard: The waiters go to the table and present the concept. After they have taken orders, the service can begin. The service usually starts with wine. Service is a team effort. We have to overstaff for it. We have to have two servers for every two tables. Tables of ten usually, and that’s not quite double what we normally staff. A lot of hotels of our caliber will staff one server per fifteen guests or two servers for thirty guests so three tables on a station. The servers have to be specially trained; each chair is numbered like in a restaurant where number one is facing the back of the room. So you can serve the chicken to the right person when you bring it out to the table. Hotel F&B: How does the kitchen keep the orders straight? Kirk Howard: We offer guests a choice of 3 entrées: chicken, fish, or beef. Guests don’t choose their own appetizer or salad. The meeting planner chooses those items. The choice comes in the main entrée, where most people want it anyway. Initially, guests are served the appetizer course while orders go to the kitchen. We serve bread between the appetizer and salad. You need to have four courses to have enough time to get that number of entrées correct. The kitchen has a pretty good idea of how many people will want beef, chicken, or fish, so that makes it easier. For the final course, we serve a trio of desserts—three different, elegantly presented desserts on the same plate in small portions, which is the trend. Hotel F&B: How do you customize the menu for each banquet? Kirk Howard: We have a template that we use. We put the customer’s logo at the top along with the logo of our personal preference menu. Then we list the courses, and we usually pair wines with the courses, This is a part of the presentation at the table. The guests see the menu when they first sit down. Hotel F&B: How is the program working out financially? Kirk Howard: We charge a little more for it, and that covers the cost of any overproduction and waste that we have in the kitchen and any overstaffing. We do two to three personal preference menus a week, which represents about half of the overall plated banquet dinner sales. We still do a lot of buffets. Buffets are requested because people want to have choices. We will run a higher profit doing personal preference menus because there is less waste than on a buffet. It allows us to present a more elegant dinner, a four course plated dinner, but still satisfies the need of the customer to have what they want for dinner. Hotel F&B: How did you determine that the customer wanted more personalization, more choices? Kirk Howard: People feel they are entitled to what they want wherever they go, and they haven’t been able to get that in a banquet setting. Traditionally, we have catered to the meeting planner and now our company is trying to provide options that address the individual needs of the guest. Hotel F&B: Was there any “push back” when you first introduced the idea? Kirk Howard: Initially, there is always some resistance to change. No one had done this as a general rule. Hotels had tried to do this on an individual basis for customers who asked for it. We had to change perceptions in the kitchen and in the food and beverage department about whether or not we could be successful at it. A lot of chefs initially had some resistance to it. Our chef had no resistance to it because he knew we could decrease the number of buffets that we do. By decreasing the number of buffets, we would lower our food costs. We will spend a little bit more on labor, but we can offset that because of the additional price we can charge for more personalized service. So it’s a win, win, win for everybody. Hotel F&B: Is any other hotel chain doing this now? Kirk Howard: Right now, the Hyatt Hotel chain is the only hotel chain offering this type of banquet service across the board. Other companies will do it for you now that we offer it. Exceeding Customer Expectations IFMA Silver Plate Award nominee Erika Danijel sets the standard in customer service by Chris Olsen If there was a guidebook to exceeding customer expectations, Erika Danijel could be on the cover. Recently nominated for the 2007 IFMA Silver Plate Award for excellence in hotel industry foodservice operations, Danijel is a shining example to others in the banquet and catering business who wish to excel in their craft. Danijel likes people, food, and service, and she loves making people happy. Early on, she quickly excelled in the restaurant business. One of her first successes took place at a small restaurant in upstate New York. After three weeks as a waitress, the owner promoted her to manager. Three weeks later, she multiplied sales by tenfold. "I hired a live band and changed the menu. Then I trained the staff to greet guests, want them back, and take care of them,” she explains. A Crowne Plaza Hotel executive later discovered Danijel and convinced her to work for them. Now as Director of Banquets at the new Crowne Plaza (previously the Hotel Sofitel) in Houston, Texas, Danijel and her staff of 25 continue to do it right for the customer. Danijel has the gift of hospitality, but she also possesses instincts and insights into what customers want in their meetings. She either sits in the actual meeting room with the customer or reviews the floor plan in detail. Within five minutes, Danijel has an idea what the customer wants and what she can do for them. Danijel doesn’t always require a big budget—she repeatedly performs for groups with limited funds. Danijel often discovers and buys inexpensive decorative items for future use at meetings while out shopping at local department, linen, gardening, pottery, hobby, and craft stores. The true measure of her success? More than 100 guests have sent letters and emails praising the exceptional customer service of Erika Danijel and her staff. Danijel believes you can’t have great customer service without great employees. She says, “As a leader and manager, you must treat your employees with respect, understanding, and compassion. If you share respect with them, they will do anything for you. When employees feel important and that they matter, those feelings flow right through to the guests.” She believes this is what truly sells the customer and encourages them to come back again. A Walk in the Park New York's Central Park inspires creative meeting break menus at Mandarin Oriental by Ashley Brown Allen Meeting breaks at Mandarin Oriental New York hotel are a walk in the park, according to Conference Services Manager Alani Principe. She explains that Executive Sous Chef Amy Thompson, a fan of leisurely strolls through the park—Central Park—was inspired to theme some of the hotel’s meeting breaks around the locale’s popular gathering places, e.g., Literary Row, Strawberry Fields, Sheep Meadow, the Conservatory, and Merchants’ Gate. “The Literary Row menu, our bestseller for mornings, features patisserie-style treats one can imagine leisurely enjoying while sitting underneath a canopy of autumn leaves in that part of the park [also commonly called Poet’s Walk],” says Principe. These treats include raspberry Napoleons, honey green tea madeleines, apple tartatins, mocha eclairs, almond shortbread, and ginger scones. The Strawberry Fields menu, themed around strawberries, includes sweet delights like miniature strawberry shortcakes with fresh cream and lavender honey, strawberry poppy seed cupcakes with lemon icing, and mini strawberry smoothies. Sheep Meadow is a popular spot for picnicking, so that menu includes takeaway fare like grilled vegetable kabobs with crushed pigoline olive dip, crispy blue corn chips with avocado and tomato salsa, tangy lemon bars, chocolate bark, almond biscotti, and crisp olive oil chips. The Conservatory break plays into the garden theme with healthy and all-natural choices like fresh fruit skewers, mango yogurt dip, mini health muffins (made with applesauce instead of butter), banana soy milk smoothies, lemon cucumber water, power bars, and granola bars. Finally, Principe adds, “The Merchants’ Gate menu is an ode to popular NYC street food that is especially popular among clients—they love having the opportunity to enjoy street vendor-esque snacks like classic New York hot dogs, Dale and Thomas flavored popcorn, soft pretzels with mustard, cinnamon churros, and roasted assorted nuts.” View of Central Park from Mandarin Oriental [click on image to enlarge] Making a Good First Impression Gaylord Texan rolls out dual-purpose back bar/coffee cart solution by Chris Olsen The Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, outside of Dallas, is not taking any chances on making first impressions at meetings and breaks, especially when it comes to their new rolling back bar. Steven Potts, director of catering, and 2007 IFMA Silver Plate Award nominee, is the project leader of this newly designed, functionally efficient, and aesthetically appealing presentation serving as both a back bar and coffee break bar. [click on image to enlarge] This idea arose out of regular teleconferences led by Potts. The primary purpose of the meetings is to brainstorming and focusing on ways to build the Gaylord brand. This patent-pending rolling back bar took eight months to go from concept to finished product. This concept received extra energy when Steven and his team saw a rolling cordial cart at a restaurant bar. They thought, “What if we took this rolling cart and expanded it to work both ways…as a bar and a coffee barista, like a Starbucks.” And voila, the new concept is now rolling into meetings. Unspoken Message of the Customer Potts strongly feels that the new rolling bar concept was driven by the voice of the customer. "Although customers had not actually come forward and expressed their opinion about the boxes, bottles, glasses, ice, crummy looking shelving, etc., we knew it was distracting," Potts said. "Sometimes we need to hear what is not being said." The challenge with the rolling bar was to develop an all around, three-dimensional look that is aesthetically pleasing and still functional. You need to showcase your product but also have an excellent support and storage vessel. [click on image to enlarge] The concept first came to life as a sketch on the back of a napkin. The team wanted something that was very comfortable, and had a residential feel to it, like it was part of a large living room or den. A company specializing in designing and building furniture for homes was hired to create it. “When we set up the new rolling bar in a meeting room, we throw a nice wash of light on the bar, which brings out the handmade floral leaf patterns in the iron work. To complete the look, there are soft patterns in the carpet, chaise lounge sofas, with a pleasing combination of muted earth tones," Potts elaborates. "As far as we know, no one else in the large convention business is doing this. We’re bringing sexy back to banquet bars.” Seeing Is Believing Accor University Food and Beverage Seminar showcases innovative banquet displays by Chris Olsen In January 2007, Jean-marc Jalbert, corporate director of food and beverage for Accor N.A., invited Hotel F&B magazine to be his guests at the two-day Accor University Food and Beverage Seminar held at the Hotel Sofitel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The previous year’s business was discussed, sales and costs were reviewed, best practices were shared, and new food and beverage ideas were introduced. Among the best new ideas are Jalbert's innovative ways of displaying food and beverages, emphasizing the use of different levels, color, and lighting. He creatively presents buffets using small tables at different heights with translucent shelves mounted on uniquely styled stands and employing dramatic upward lighting. The emerging trend of smaller-sized portions was featured during the meeting at breaks and lunch, which consisted of primarily hors d’oeuvres, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. [click on images to enlarge]		Hotel F&B home In this issue: Good Sensations... Omni Hotels' Sensational Meetings delight the senses Leading the Way Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress introduces the Personal Preference banquet menu program Exceeding Customer Expectations IFMA Silver Plate Award nominee Erika Danijel sets the standard in customer service A Walk in the Park New York's Central Park inspires creative meeting break menus at Mandarin Oriental Making a Good First Impression Gaylord Texan rolls out dual-purpose back bar/coffee cart solution Seeing Is Believing Accor University Food and Beverage Seminar showcases innovative banquet displays Sponsor Hotel Banquet & Catering Trends Vendors, you can showcase your products in Hotel Banquet & Catering Trends. For information on pricing and banner options, please call Jeanne Bischoff at 847-551-9956 or email jbischoff@hfbexecutive.com.
*© 2007 Hotel F&B* Magazine, Hotel Forums LLC Click here to subscribe.**