Spirited Magazine Winter 2014

WINTER 2014

The Official Magazine of the World Class Beverage Program

Francis Ford Coppola W

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The legendary filmmaker’s passion for family and fun fuel the success of his award-winning winery and other enterprises.

Talking F&B with Heather Balsley The Senior Vice President, Americas Holiday Inn® Brand Family, shares about her love of the hospitality industry and a glass of great Oregon Pinot Noir, as well as the key role of F&B in the future of IHG’s most iconic brand group.

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In This Issue

Talking F&B With Heather Balsley

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World Class Beverage Program Supplier Profile: Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Holiday Inn WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort

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Mapping the Future of F&B

Owner Profile: Buggsi Patel

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Mind Your SOPs!

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Box It Up! Profile: Bob Midyette, Corporate Manager, Beverage

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Change & Growth at the USBG

Winter Promotions: InterContinental Hotels & Hotel Indigo

Happy New Year!

Please allow me to introduce myself—I’m Bob Midyette, Corporate Manager, Beverage. I came onboard about five months ago in a brand new role on the IHG Food & Beverage Team. I’m responsible for directing the World Class Beverage Program and for leading beverage operations across each of our brands. I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting many of our hotel beverage leaders throughout the Americas region and am in the process of getting to know our supplier partners. You can learn a bit more about me in the article on Page 14.

I’m excited about the evolution of food and beverage and the critical role it plays in the future of our brands.

I’m looking forward to working with you to realize our tremendous potential in the beverage arena, starting with some exciting 2014 initiatives you’ll be hearing more about soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this New Year’s issue of Spirited, and here’s wishing each of you a happy, productive and prosperous 2014!!

22 Beverage Briefs

When it comes to food and beverage, Heather Balsley is decidedly of two minds. On the one hand, she’s clear about what she likes. But on the other, she’s always up for adventure and taking a chance—on an out-of-the-way, nondescript restaurant or perhaps a chef or server she’s decided to trust.

In a recent interview, the Senior Vice President, Americas Holiday Inn® Brand Family, talked about her F&B preferences, including her penchant for cheese and her skill with salmon and the Big Green Egg.

Talking F&B WITH heather balsley

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Any foodservice experience in your background?

“This may not count as foodservice, but my first job in high school was as a poultry butcher for a family-owned market in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where I grew up. I learned to cut up turkey, chicken and rabbits. I also worked as a waitress all the way through high school and as both a waitress and bartender when I was an undergraduate at Duke. I loved it—food and beverage is a very social occupation and a great way to get to know people.

After I earned my MBA from Harvard, I went into management consulting. Several years later, IHG was a client on a global strategy project, and I fell in love with the industry, the company and the people. In 2007, I jumped ship to join IHG in a strategy role.”

What does a great dining experience look like?

“The first thing that makes a meal memorable, of course, is excellent food. I don’t have a particularly sophisticated palate, but I know great food when I taste it. And I’m open to trying new things. It’s exciting to dine in a little no-name, hole-in-the-wall place in a far-off country and put your dining destiny in the chef’s hands! The other part of the equation for a great meal experience is a casual, relaxed atmosphere where you can kick back and just relax a bit.”

What’s your favorite food?

“It’s hard to say—I enjoy so many foods. I have a weakness for chocolate and pasta, but I really love all kinds of cheese. I’m partial to a good brie and pungent varieties like bleu cheese. There’s nothing I like more than a cheese plate at a restaurant where I can sample a lot of different types.”

How about your favorite beverage?

“I’m definitely a wine drinker, but not really a connoisseur. I’m fortunate that a number of my IHG colleagues do know wine and have exposed me to many good vineyards and selections. The wine I drink depends on the occasion. In the summertime, on a Friday after work I might enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio. But generally I prefer red wine. I like the clichéd Pinot Noir, primarily from Oregon wineries, but also some California producers.”

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Favorite restaurant?

“It’s so hard to pick a favorite. I’ve had some amazing, memorable meals in restaurants I can’t remember the names of in places all over the world. But a local favorite, before I moved to Atlanta, was Oleana, a Mediterranean-style restaurant around the corner from our house when we lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There were so many items on the menu, we never knew what to order, so we would just let the server bring out whatever she thought we would like, and it was always great.”

Any recent standout meals at an IHG property?

“I had an exciting, surprising meal at the Holiday Inn Merchandise Mart in Chicago. It’s a big box, older hotel, and I hadn’t been there in years. IHG did a spectacular job of renovating the public areas! The bar was open and accessible, and the bartender was professional but friendly as he served me a glass of wine and a quick bite to eat. It was the perfect Holiday Inn bar experience for a city center location, and the epitome of what we want F&B to be like for the Holiday Inn brand.”

Any F&B “pet peeves?”

“Stuffy service! The best servers are attentive and professional, but keep the experience relaxed. Also, having to fill my own wine glass—the server should be attuned to what’s happening at the table and step in to refill from the wine bottle as needed.”

Do you cook yourself at home, and if so, what are your specialties?

“I do cook—I’m a meat and vegetable person, and my specialty is roasting Brussels sprouts or broccoli along with meat in our Big Green Egg. I also have a great recipe for salmon with a brown sugar and red curry paste that’s flavorful and easy to do.”

Americas Holiday Inn® Brand Family Team Keeping F&B Front and Center Maurice Cooper, Vice President, Holiday Inn®, Americas Establishing priorities in the Americas region for IHG’s largest brand group and leading their implementation is the charge, in a nutshell, to the Americas Holiday Inn Brand Family team. One of the key elements at the heart of the assignment: F&B. “We have the opportunity to make food and beverage Jennifer Gribble, Brand Director, Holiday Inn Express®, Americas

a major differentiator for the Holiday Inn Brand Family,” says Heather Balsley, Senior Vice President and the team’s leader. “Our primary competitors are using the same streamlined F&B concept in all their hotels, but our customers have told us that’s not necessarily what they want. Holiday Inn guests are social and looking for the hotel to help them find moments to unwind and perhaps enjoy a little local flavor after a long day. This is why it’s our priority to evolve our F&B offering to deliver an efficient, high-quality breakfast and a stellar evening occasion that delivers against our guests’ desire to relax in an inviting bar or restaurant environment with colleagues, friends and family and

Hanni Berger, Brand Director, Americas Holiday Inn Resort® & Holiday Inn Club Vacations®

have a great bite to eat.”

For Holiday Inn Express, the focus will be on updating the simple, streamlined breakfast offering that is beloved by consumers and a cornerstone of the brand identity, Heather notes. “This year we tested a number of healthier options for the Express Start Breakfast to help guests maintain their routine on the road. These items—including Chobani yogurt and oatmeal—have been approved as a new brand standard and will be

Al Reingold, Director, Americas Holiday Inn® Brand Family Business Management

implemented across all Holiday Inn Express hotels in early 2014.”

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Making F&B

Holiday Inn WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort

What

do you get when you combine one of the most prized hotel locations in the United States with an engaged, energized new F&B team? A Holiday Inn hotel that’s edging out the local competition and raising the bar for food and beverage across the brand.

The Holiday Inn WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is situated a short walk from the shopping, dining and entertainment hub of Downtown Disney® and is one of only 10 non-Disney-owned hotels within the entire WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort complex.

“We’re in a unique, international destination. This year Orlando surpassed New York as the most-visited city in the U. S.,” says Hugh Anderson, who was named General Manager and IHG Regional Director of Operations for Florida in January 2013. Hugh has been with IHG since 2001 and was previously RDO for the Northeast. “Families from all over the world travel to stay with us, and our hotel is becoming a popular meeting venue as well.”

Providing What’s Needed The abundance of Disney and national chain restaurants within a stone’s throw of the hotel present a marketing challenge. Hugh strategized with his team leaders—F&B Director Gary Urquiola and Executive Chef Bob Milligan, both of whom are also fairly new to the property—to determine the most effective positioning.

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Hugh Anderson, General Manager & Regional Director of Operations - Florida

Their solution: provide F&B support to guests where it’s needed, rather than attempt to compete head-to-head. This plays out on a daily basis in the hotel’s three-meal-a-day Palm Breezes Restaurant. Along with the Holiday Inn Best 4 Breakfast menu items, the restaurant features a Sunrise Market Place Breakfast Buffet, popular as a quick way for families to fuel up before heading out to explore the theme parks.

“The buffet does a high volume and is among the leaders in guest capture within our company-managed hotels,” Hugh notes. “We’ve upgraded the offerings with fresh, organic and health-conscious choices that appeal to our international travelers, younger couples and families.”

An Alternative To The Parks The companion Palm Breezes Bar also received significant focus in 2013, Hugh says. “Gary introduced a unique new menu that showcases fresh cocktail ingredients, local craft beers and memorable food offerings— such as locally made flatbreads, pizza and tacos—that bring a bit of flair to the casual atmosphere.” The result? A 100 percent increase in bar revenue versus last year.

The Aqua Luna poolside patio meets another somewhat surprising guest need. “We’ve found many of our guests like to take a ‘pool day’ away from the crowds at the theme parks,” Hugh adds. “We provide entertainment outside in season, and selections such as barbecue, fresh chicken and seafood sandwiches.”

Gary Urquiola, F&B Director

Bob Milligan, Executive Chef

To up the ante for guests choosing to spend a day or evening at the hotel, Gary launched a series of themed events, beginning with a weekly “Movie Night” in the Palm Breezes Restaurant, where families can make their own pizza and then enjoy a film.

At breakfast, Chef Bob’s front-of-the-house personality keeps guests in an upbeat mood during the buffet. To alleviate long lines of children waiting for waffles in the shape of Mickey Mouse, the culinary team recently premiered “make and decorate your own waffles.”

“Families enjoy getting their hands gooey with batter and toppings. It’s extremely popular, and after several months, our breakfast numbers are continuing to grow,” Hugh says. “Features like this result in great guest reviews on Trip Advisor. We consistently rank in the Top 20 among all 320 Orlando hotels.”

Bringing The Hotel Into The Future Hugh attributes that achievement directly to the guest-oriented staff, who are committed to ensuring a great vacation experience. “Many of our customers save for months or even years for their WALT DISNEY WORLD vacation, and the team here knows that. There is a high value expectation, and we aim to deliver.”

The Palm Breezes Bar features fresh, interesting offerings in a casual atmosphere.

The willingness to delight the guest extends to function business as well, where the banquet and catering staff has earned a reputation for top quality food and flexibility with the property’s 10,000 square feet of event space. Meetings tend to be a mix of corporate and association business, and the hotel will also host 25 weddings on-property in 2013, with bookings by brides from around the country.

“We are evolving into a fantastic overall operations team, and we’ve just begun to scratch the surface of the hotel’s potential,” Hugh says. “Gary and Bob have brought vast experience and a fresh perspective, and we continue to explore new, cutting-edge F&B ideas to bring life to the guest experience.

“It doesn’t really matter where your hotel is located—if you listen to the guests’ needs and provide your product with pride, passion and creativity, then your property will be a Great Hotel Guests Love. Because of our terrific team, we are delivering on that.”

The inviting pool area also includes the Aqua Luna poolside patio.

The hotel’s colorful Palm Breezes Restaurant is situated in the spacious atrium.

The property provides guests an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the nearby theme parks.

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There’s something to be said about keeping it all in the family, especially when you’re a wine company, because you can trust that we’ll always give you the very best.

— Francis Ford Coppola

For Francis Ford Coppola Winery...

It’s a Family Affair

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E

ntertainment, adventure and family—not necessarily in that order—have formed the basis for the artistic and commercial success Francis Ford Coppola has achieved in his storied career. And two important elements combine to form the very heart of the legendary filmmaker’s many enterprises: storytelling and winemaking.

Best known as the five-time Academy Award-winning director, writer and producer of such epics as the “Godfather” trilogy and “Apocalypse Now,” Coppola has been making films for more than 40 years. Somewhat less well-known is the fact that he has been producing wine for more than 30.

Both traditions are in his blood. Generations of the Coppola family have been winemakers, including Francis’ grandfather, who made pleasant, everyday drinking wines in the basement of his New York apartment building to share with the family and friends at mealtime, along with great food and stories.

Coppola’s film successes in the early 1970s allowed him and his wife, Eleanor, to purchase and restore an estate in Napa Valley that included one of California’s most historic wineries. Within 10 years, Francis had become a dedicated commercial vintner, producing a wide array of wines and styles.

Today Francis Ford Coppola Winery, under the direction of winemaker Corey Beck, is a consistent industry award-winner, earning an astonishing 26 medals at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in May of 2013.

Wines That Tell A Story The Francis Ford Coppola entertainment empire has expanded over the decades to include restaurants, a line of foods, resorts in Central America and Italy, magazine publishing and a second winery.

Coppola’s presence is felt throughout.

“Francis is very involved in all aspects of the business, from marketing and public relations to the design of labels for the wine bottles,” says Marlow Daniel, Director of Public Relations and Communications for holding company Francis Ford Coppola Presents. “The business grew out of his passion for the things he loves and wants to share. That gives our company and its products and services a warm, personal feel that we believe sets us apart.”

The backstories and family connections of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery selections in the World Class Beverage Program illustrate the point: • Director’s Cut Chardonnay (InterContinental Hotels): Taking a cue from the film industry, the Director’s Cut series was created as a way for “director” Beck to craft products that would reflect his own unique interpretation of the quintessential Sonoma wine. The Russian River Valley-sourced Chardonnay is one of five wines in the Director’s Cut line.

• Diamond Claret (InterContinental and Crowne Plaza Hotels): When Francis and Eleanor were renovating their Napa Valley property, they discovered a 1906 bottle of Claret in the cellar. This inspired Francis to create a red blend he dubbed Black Label Claret that became the flagship of the company’s best-known offerings—the Diamond Collection, which today comprises 13 varietals.

• Rosso Red Blend & Bianco Rosso (Holiday Inn and Hotel Indigo): Described as “wines for everyday life,” these selections honor the Coppola family heritage and were some of the first that Francis Ford Coppola Winery created.

• Votre Santé Chardonnay (Hotel Indigo): This wine and its sister Burgundian varietal Pinot Noir offering pay tribute to Francis Coppola’s grandmother, Maria Zasa, who would toast with the traditional French phrase, “à votre santé” (“to your health”), each time she raised her glass.

The brands in the World Class Beverage Program are four of 10 in the Coppola portfolio.

Creating A Wine Wonderland Coppola’s latest venture, which debuted in 2010, brings together his love of wine, food and adventure in a winery resort located in the heart of Alexander Valley, California. The centerpiece is the renovated Francis Ford Coppola Winery, surrounded by attractions that include wine tasting bars, two restaurants, a swimming pool, a movie gallery featuring memorabilia from Coppola’s and others’ films and a performing arts pavilion.

According to Daniel, the venue is a true fulfillment of Francis’ vision for the place, as he puts it, as “a wine wonderland, a park of pleasure where people of all ages can enjoy all the best things in life—food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming and performances of all types. A place to celebrate the love of life.”

Extended Family Along with Eleanor, Francis Coppola’s son, Roman, daughter, Sofia, and other relatives are involved to some degree in the winery business, Daniel notes. However, she adds that the sense of family extends to Beck and his winemaking team as well as all company employees and the network of more than 150 respected grape growers that Francis Ford Coppola Winery has worked with for years to access exclusive vineyards and some of the region’s most sought-after fruit. Beck oversees a well-regarded grower-relations program and the company is known for its commitment to sustainable efforts in the vineyards as well as at the winery.

On-premise entities such as IHG are included in the family outreach, Daniel says. “We have a great partnership with IHG, and look forward to continuing to grow our relationship and our business together.”

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In our occasional series profiling leaders within the IHG owner community, we asked the new Chairman of the IHG Owners Association to weigh in with his thoughts about the strategic role of food and beverage for IHG.

Buggsi Patel Driving Brand Preference Through F&B

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Bakulesh “Buggsi” Patel

is a believer in the power of food and beverage to help strengthen IHG’s brands. As the owner of four Holiday Inn Express hotels and one Holiday Inn property, the new Chairman of the IHG Owners Association has seen first-hand the ability of an iconic offering such as the Express Start℠ Breakfast Bar to attract customers, enhance the quality of their stays and reinforce brand loyalty.

“Food and beverage is an important part of the Association’s shared strategy with IHG to increase preference for our brands,” he says. “It’s going to play a bigger role than ever, across the whole portfolio, going forward. So we want to be sure we think about it in the right way, to set our hotel operators on the right course to take maximum advantage of each brand’s unique F&B opportunity.”

Owning and Operating Buggsi’s entree into the hotel business came through the owner/operator route rather than food and beverage. “The closest I ever came to an F&B job was bussing tables and serving food when I was in boarding school in London,” he says.

Born in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa, Buggsi attended public boarding school for eight years. He learned about customer service and retail operations by working with his father during school holidays in the familyowned supermarket business in Africa and England.

state and national hotel and restaurant associations, serving as president of AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association) in 2000 and as a member of the IHG Owners Association Board since 2009.

His personal culinary experience, however, has remained in the amateur arena. “Occasionally I cook breakfast for my family, but that’s about it,” he laughs.

Staying on the Leading Edge When it comes to the part food and beverage will play in IHG’s future, Buggsi is all business. He is a past Chairman of the Owners Association’s Holiday Inn Express Brand Committee, and remains fully involved in the work IHG has currently under way to reinvigorate the Express Start Breakfast Bar and to deliver a high-quality, desirable breakfast and dinner experience for guests at Holiday Inn hotels.

“It’s all about what the guest wants, at each of the IHG brands,” he says. “We are excited about partnering with the IHG brand teams as they develop food and beverage concepts that appeal to the guest, but are also at the forefront within the industry for innovation, quality and consistency.”

Holiday Inn Express Portland West/Hillsboro, Oregon

His father died suddenly just before Buggsi turned 18, and he left school to run the store with his mother for the next nine years. He became intrigued by the hotel business when one of his four sisters and her husband emigrated to Oregon to buy and operate a budget property.

In 1988, Buggsi also moved to Oregon and built his first motel, which he operated with his sister as they learned the business, working in every job. He has continued to expand his holdings until today, Buggsi’s BHG Hotels has interests in 23 properties in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Iowa and Michigan.

The range of his current portfolio includes full-service as well as limited service and budget hotels, and throughout his career Buggsi has been actively involved in local,

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Global

A

Perspective

O

ver the past three years, food and beverage has moved into the spotlight at IHG. The company’s Executive Committee has identified F&B as a key priority with the potential to set IHG brands apart from the competition. To leverage this advantage, the senior leadership has committed to transform the global F&B offering and develop a community and culture for IHG food and beverage colleagues.

One important step toward that goal was the creation in 2013 of a new Global F&B Council, comprised of the function leaders from each region: Andy Chan, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Greater China; Stephen McCall, COO, UK & Ireland and Head of Europe Operations Performance & Support; Phil Broad, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and Jean-Pierre “JP” Etcheberrigaray, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Americas.

The group, which will meet quarterly, is charged with providing a global perspective on how to raise the bar for F&B experience

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The new F&B Council will meet four times a year. From left are: JP Etcheberrigaray, Phil Broad, Andy Chan and Stephen McCall.

across each brand and region and is accountable for developing a consistent approach to driving F&B performance globally.

“We’ve got a team of experts all across the world,” says Phil Broad.

“By bringing together the four regional F&B leaders to share our plans and ideas, we can tap into our collective knowledge. This is what’s going to edge us ever closer to our shared goal of winning.”

The inaugural Council session was held in September in Singapore, marking the first time the IHG F&B leadership had come together to determine a global future for the function. The team created a three-year roadmap and priorities as well as the metrics they will use to measure success. A second Global F&B Council meeting took place in Chicago in November.

“More than $4.5 billion of our global revenue each year comes from food and beverage. Not only is it a big revenue generator for us, it’s also a crucial part of delivering a great guest experience,” JP Etcheberrigaray adds. “We’ve now got a clear global vision for the future and an understanding of the role each of us will play in transforming our F&B program.”

New F&B Procedures Will Help InterContinental Hotels

Mind Your

SOPs!

W

hen the InterContinental Hotels brand team presented a draft of new Food & Beverage Service Operations Procedures (SOPs) to a group of F&B directors in Chicago recently, the document received a standing ovation.

“The message was that these new SOPs are much needed,” says Michael Jackson, Brand Manager, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Americas. “We’ve long had a very specific set of standard operations procedures for food and beverage—including requirements for things like placing the fork five inches from the plate. What was missing was a set of procedures focused on the service aspect and guest touch points, such as having our servers suggest wine pairings when taking the guests’ orders.”

The Service Operations Procedures initiative grew out of consumer research conducted in 2011 identifying service gaps in two areas that were impacting HeartBeat scores—arrival and departure, and food and beverage. The brand team tackled the front desk component in 2012, completing and rolling out SOPs for arrival/departure in early 2013. Brand HeartBeat scores for overall arrival quickly shot up 12 points. In May, the team turned to F&B. A task force of F&B leaders from representative Americas hotels then conducted a line-by-line assessment of current hotel F&B service procedures, InterContinental Hotels global F&B service requirements and industry F&B service standards from groups such as AAA to determine those items that could have the greatest guest impact. This process identified the bar experience, room service and restaurants as three major areas of opportunity.

The brand team used this information to develop the Service Operations Procedures, making sure to incorporate the InterContinental Hotel brand service behaviors. The SOPs were tested in several of the task force hotels and finalized in late December. Translation into Spanish and Portuguese for hotels in Mexico and Latin America is under way, and the next step will be working with the IHG Owners Association Standards Committee to have the new SOPs incorporated into the overall standards for the brand.

Hotels will receive the procedures early in the new year, with a goal of full implementation by April 2014. Training of the property food and beverage teams will also begin in the first quarter, Michael says. Weekly sessions conducted by the F&B director in concert with the hotel’s HR or training manager will cover different parts of the SOPs. Each month the hotels will also receive an F&B scorecard and participate in a conference call to allow all brand food and beverage associates to review results, share best practices and request support.

“The Service Operations Procedures are designed to help our hotel F&B teams bring the guest experience to life through engaging with guests and telling stories about the unique aspects of each hotel, various menu items and specialties of the bar,” Michael says. “We’re confident focusing on the SOPs will make a big difference in F&B satisfaction in the three target areas, and will move us ahead toward beating the competition.”

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Creating A

Powerful Process

Bob Midyette

is a self-described “process guy.” For him, how things get done is every bit as important as the product being delivered. He is bringing that commitment to exceptional implementation to his responsibilities as Corporate Manager, Beverage, for IHG. In this newly created role, Bob is charged with leading beverage operations for all brands within the IHG portfolio, including overseeing the World Class Beverage Program. “We’re out to build an infrastructure that will allow our F&B hotel teams to fully leverage the power of the World Class Beverage Program in creating a consistent, memorable, superior experience for our guests,” he says.

We want to ensure we have the most compelling products available for each of our brands, and that we deliver value and a unique experience to our guests and vendor partners.

Bob Midyette Corporate Manager, Beverage 14

Bob joined IHG in July after 11 years in global beverage operations for both Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises. At Royal Caribbean, he focused on execution, quality and innovative tactics to more than double gross beverage revenue (and that excludes capacity growth) over the course of his tenure.

Guest satisfaction also grew to a historic high during that timeframe. He traveled extensively to assist with opening up markets for the cruise lines in South America, Australasia, China and Europe.

The hospitality bug bit Bob at an early age. In high school, he held down part-time jobs in local restaurants in his hometown of Southport, North Carolina. After earning an AS in Culinary Arts and then a BS in Hospitality Management, he took on a series of food and beverage management positions in restaurants and hotels before going back to school to get his MBA. Bob was appointed by the United States Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

His first hotel F&B job was with the InterContinental Miami. “I immediately liked both the company and the culture,” he notes.

As he looks ahead to 2014, Bob says the beverage priorities for IHG will be, along with strengthening the delivery process, “continuing to elevate the caliber of products and promotions within each of the IHG brands and further developing our people.”

Emphasis will also be placed on metrics, revenue generation and design.

“We want to ensure we have the most compelling products available for each of our brands, and that we deliver value and a unique experience to our guests and vendor partners,” he says. “We have big plans for 2014. We want to start by getting some small successes under our belts, then will move forward aggressively, building on those achievements.”

ReadytoRaise

?

The Bar

Your bar is one of the primary guest touch point areas in the hotel, and your bartenders have the opportunity for more customer interaction than almost any other employee. That means having professional, well-trained team members behind the bar is key to ensuring an exceptional guest experience.

The IHG Bartender Academy offers two courses designed to enhance the skill level of new as well as experienced staff. Both are offered free of charge to employees of U.S. hotels that are members of the World Class Beverage Program. A small fee will be charged for associates of non-member properties.

The courses are available through the MyLearning section of IHG Merlin.

Essential Skills of Bartending: an introductory, online course covering the fundamentals. Highlights include: • Available to any IHG employee.

• Aimed at entry-level bartenders, those returning to the craft who want to brush up on the basics, F&B managers or chefs who have never bartended but want an understanding of the fundamentals.

• Takes approximately two hours to complete.

• Can serve as a precursor to the Bartender Certification course.

Bartender Certification: offering a comprehensive review of bartending basics.

The course includes: • Online instruction comprised of six modules covering topics such as guest interaction and product knowledge (beer, wine, spirits, soft beverage). This part of the course takes approximately nine hours to complete. The applicant must score at least 80 percent on the final exam to move on to the second part of the certification process.

• Live skills check, conducted by the applicant’s manager and consisting of assessment of the applicant’s ability level in 42 competencies within five areas (guest interaction, knowledge of products/processes, personal skills, effectiveness, teamwork).

• One-year, pre-paid membership in the United States Bartenders’ Guild (a $100 value) for applicants who successfully complete both parts of the training and are designated an IHG Bartender Academy Certified Bartender.

Hotels earn one Food & Beverage Training Credit (maximum of one per year) when an employee completes the certification process.

ENROLL YOUR BARTENDERS TODAY! For questions and more information about IHG Bartender Academy courses, email +AMER Bartender Academy (amerbartenderacademy@ihg.com), or register directly by visiting the MyLearning section of IHG Merlin.

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Wines To Ensure AWarm The InterContinental® Hotels brand and the Hotel Indigo® brand are helping guests keep the winter blues at bay through Champagne and wine promotions designed to touch the heart and foster conviviality.

A Little Romance Nothing says love on Valentine’s Day like roses, Champagne and chocolates.

Guests choosing to celebrate at InterContinental Hotels in the Americas this February will be able to treat their loved ones to the “best of the best.”

The brand has teamed with Moët & Chandon and GODIVA for a promotion that begins Friday, February 7th (the weekend before Valentine’s Day), and continues through Friday the 14th, with the option to extend through Sunday, February 16th, if the property wishes.

Participating hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central and South America will offer a package that includes dinner—with the menu to be determined individually by each hotel—along with a bottle of Moët Champagne, a selection of GODIVA fine Belgian chocolates and a rose or other flowers.

Along with files for printed collateral items such as menu inserts, hotels will receive electronic promotional materials that can be used for email blasts via Open Table, their individual property websites and other electronic outlets.

Program execution guidelines will also be provided that contain details about the promotion and products, item numbers, FAQs and instructions for producing and using the collateral.

For more information on the InterContinental Hotels Champagne & Chocolates promotion, contact Bob Midyette at bob.midyette@ihg.com or 770-604-5206.

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Winter Food, Fun and Film For its fourth quarter promotion, the Hotel Indigo® brand teamed up with a World Class Beverage Program vendor partner with a reputation for keeping it local. Francis Ford Coppola Winery has a longstanding partnership with neighboring California grape growers who employ sustainable farming practices. Also, most of its wines have origins connected to the family of the famous filmaker (see the related story on Page 8).

The two wines featured in the Q4 “Sip & Savor” promotion are excellent examples. The Rosso Red Blend was created in the spirit of the Coppola family winemaking heritage. A classic red table wine, this selection is a medium-bodied blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah.

Votre Santé, which means “to your health,” is a Chardonnay crafted in the French tradition using Burgundian winemaking techniques, making it food-friendly and light on the palate.

The name is a nod to Coppola’s grandmother, who toasted each sip with the traditional French phrase, “à votre santé.”

The promotion, which ran from October 1 through the end of the year, was offered in all U.S. Hotel Indigo hotels, which also featured the wines paired with local menu items.

The brand is also working with Francis Ford Coppola Winery on an ongoing basis to create fundraising events at Hotel Indigo properties across the country themed around various Francis Ford Coppola films, such as “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now.” The hotels create a special menu featuring Coppola wines and invite key accounts, area businesses, city dignitaries and hotel guests. Special Coppola collateral material carries through the movie theme, and proceeds benefit a local charity.

For more information on the Sip & Savor promotion, contact Dianna Stoffer at dianna.stoffer@ihg.com or 770-604-2633.

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Testing New F&B Concepts In An All-In-One Kit

H

ow to make food and beverage memorable at IHG brands?

One approach—taking a page from the Holiday Inn Express playbook with the Express Start℠ Breakfast Bar—is to develop highly desirable, appealing concepts, package and brand them in a unique way, then deliver them consistently at all hotels.

The IHG Food & Beverage team will be testing this proposition in 2014 with two new concepts, both for Holiday Inn hotels: the Burger Bar and Pizza Now! An important part of the test will be in how the new food offerings get implemented. Test hotels will receive all the information and guidance they need to implement the concepts in a single box.

“Both research and experience have proven that people are more apt to frequent, use and trust a branded F&B concept than one they’ve never heard of,” says Mike Lewis, Corporate Manager, Food & Beverage. “We’re out to create recognizable concepts that could be put in place across our estate and promoted to build familiarity, comfort and, therefore, usage. Including all the needed elements and information in one box will make it easy for the hotels to execute, regardless of the level of F&B ability.”

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Concept-In-A-Box The box content consists of everything a hotel F&B team would need to get a concept up and running quickly and relatively inexpensively, Mike adds, comprising supporting tools for both front- and back-of-the-house delivery. A guidebook covers the brand vision for the specific concept and the “story” about the offering and how it fits with the overall promise of the hotel’s brand, emphasizing guest touchpoints.

Also included in the box are design hallmarks and floor plan/layout (where applicable); tabletop pieces; labor guides, job descriptions and any relevant staff uniform requirements; equipment specifications; menu and ingredients; standard operating procedures; recommended suppliers, and tools for controlling and monitoring the effectiveness of the concept.

“The box is essentially a toolkit allowing hotels to implement the concept with a minimum of hands-on instruction from the corporate F&B team,” Mike says. “Ultimately, we would like to be able to provide a Concept-In-A-Box to a new hotel or one undergoing a PIP or renovation, to jumpstart their food and beverage business and further reinforce the concept as a Holiday Inn brand offering.”

A Better Burger The Burger Bar concept capitalizes on the current restaurant trend of featuring a higher-quality hamburger on the menu, coupled with the growing popularity of “fast casual” restaurants where customers may order centrally and have the option of sitting at a bar as well as tables to dine.

“The Burger Bar is positioned squarely between a fast food concept and the traditional, sit-down casual restaurant,” Mike explains.

“It’s a good fit with where the Holiday Inn brand is headed in terms of future lobby/front desk and F&B design approaches.”

The choice of burgers as the initial focus was based on what Holiday Inn customers order, he adds. On average, approximately 45 percent of the items ordered off the dinner menu at Holiday Inn hotels are burgers. “We also looked at what branded restaurants were offering and created our own recipe and original burger menu from scratch, which we’re pairing with a healthy selection of craft beers on draft.”

One unique marketing element for the upcoming test will be a “Burger Bus,” aimed at Holiday Inn hotels situated near multiple select service hotels without restaurants. A specially designated hotel van would pick up guests at other hotels and bring them to the Holiday Inn property for dinner at the Burger Bar. “Our first test hotel is an airport property, so we will get to see how well the Burger Bus feature works,” Mike says. “We’re excited about the Burger Bar. The ‘better burger’ segment is not crowded yet—there is still room for new players, and no other hotel chain has a branded burger concept.”

Pizza Now! A somewhat simpler concept than the Burger Bar, Pizza Now! is designed as a delivery program for providing top-quality, freshly baked pizza to guests across the variety of Holiday Inn property configurations and markets, Mike says.

Creating A Library The Burger Bar and Pizza Now! concepts will be tested and refined in multiple hotels this year with an eye toward making them available to all Holiday Inn hotels in the U.S. in 2015, Mike says. “Depending on the results of the test of the first two concepts, we may explore other ‘Concept-In-A-Box’ ideas for Holiday Inn and possibly Crowne Plaza hotels. We would like to build up a library of multiple concepts that could be made available as appropriate and as needed to hotels in various market situations.”

The primary branding element will be the stylized delivery versus the pizza itself, though there will be precise specifications for the product offered. Pizzas will be delivered in a branded Pizza Now! box by hotel staff wearing logo’d Pizza Now! shirts and caps, where uniform standards allow. In some more open hotel configurations, the delivery will be made via a unique Pizza Now! bicycle, and imagery of this brand icon will feature prominently in collateral materials and promotional displays.

For the pizza itself, hotels will have two preparation options.

They may choose to install a specified deck pizza oven and use live dough, or purchase ready-made, pan-baked crust to be cooked in a convection or conveyor oven. Mike notes that “the emphasis will be on promoting the concept as a brand, though it will be flexible enough to fit easily within existing hotel restaurant footprints and themes, as well as menus.”

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The USBG mission is to empower bartenders in their careers, foster collaboration among bartenders and connect with the communities we serve.

Brittany Chardin Vice President, South Region, United States Bartenders’ Guild

USBG:

&

Growth

Leadership C

onsumers today tend to be more informed and savvy about their libations than even five years ago, thanks to the Internet and the sustained resurgence of interest in classic cocktails.

That fact is upping both customer and employer expectations of bartenders, many of whom are turning to the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) for support to improve their knowledge and skills.

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The USBG has been meeting this increased demand by revamping its organizational structure, expanding its educational offerings and focusing on leadership both at the national and local chapter levels. One major change in 2013 was expanding the fourmember national board to include five Regional Vice Presidents to enhance communication and coverage.

“The USBG mission is to empower bartenders in their careers, foster collaboration among bartenders and connect with the communities we serve,” says Brittany Chardin, who holds the Regional VP post for the South and was the founder of the Atlanta USBG chapter three years ago. “The changes our organization is making will allow us to fulfill on that mission more effectively than ever.”

The newly enlarged Board participated in an intensive, threeday “how to be an effective board” training and consulting session with the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN) in Atlanta last fall, Brittany says. “The GCN team guided us in thinking strategically about the USBG, educated us concerning critical administrative processes and procedures and helped us focus on important issues like succession planning and smooth transition of leadership.”

Bringing onboard full-time staff has also been a priority, Brittany adds, to accommodate tremendous growth. “Our membership has tripled in the past three years to more than 3,000, and next year we expect to add 20 local chapters to our current total of 41,” she says. “This has created a challenge for our all-volunteer management team. So, we have hired our first executive director, Aaron Gregory Smith, and other fantastic full-time staff members.”

The strong membership growth is facilitating broadening of the USBG’s educational and leadership development programming. The organization’s popular and successful mixology competitions will continue, as will its foundational, three-tiered master accreditation program. But the enhanced education focus will also include such offerings as an international bartender exchange and expanding the USBG’s well-received national leadership conference to regional conferences, designed to provide a greater number of members the opportunity to network and learn from each other.

The organization will also look to build both national and local education-related partnerships, such as its developing relationship with IHG, which offers a complimentary one-year membership in the USBG to any bartender at an IHG hotel in the U.S. who completes the Bartender Certification course within the IHG Bartender Academy.

“For a hotel company to invest in the education of its bartenders at the level that IHG has is a significant recognition of the nobility of the profession,” Brittany says. “We plan to continue looking for ways to develop and add value to such partnerships, to enhance our communication efforts and to strengthen the growing bond among our members nationwide.

This time next year people won’t even recognize the USBG. We will be playing at an entirely new level.”

On the

Bartending

Horizon

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s a beverage consultant to IHG and other clients, as well as a member of the national Board of Directors of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild, Brittany Chardin has a view of the beverage alcohol and bartending industry unmatched by many. Here she provides her take on top trends to watch for in 2014 and beyond: • Simple drinks and super service: “Simplified, tasty, well-made cocktails, with only three or four ingredients, are what today’s bar patron is looking for. Over the past few years, bartenders tended to put more emphasis on what was in the glass or the technique for making a drink than providing a great experience to the customer.

That’s coming back around now, and we’re seeing renewed emphasis on hospitality and the basics. The industry has realized the priorities are service first, then the drinks, not the other way around.”

• Less formal, more fun: “Bar customers want good drinks and a great time. They prefer a less formal atmosphere and want things to do—like interactive menus, for example—while they enjoy their beverages.

That’s a lot more fun than watching a bartender make a drink with 12 ingredients they never heard of. It’s important to think interactively in terms of bar offerings and activities to keep guests engaged between the outstanding cocktails.”

• Easier on the alcohol: “There’s growing interest in a new category of cocktails: suppressors, or drinks with a lower overall alcohol content. These drinks have all the appropriate cachet, including quality ingredients and garnishes, but they aren’t 80 proof. The main spirit is exchanged for something lower proof but high in flavor, such as vermouth or fortified wines, like sherry.”

• Fresh and crafty: “Meeting high standards for fresh ingredients and attention to details like using superior quality ice continue to be a must for every bar that considers itself a serious contender. Also, craft beers and spirits continue to be on the rise, but it’s important to weed out what’s not better quality. A beer may be local, which is great, but is it good?”

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S F E I R B E G A R E V E B A Green Achievement

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hile it may not always be easy to be green, the InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts brand has proven that it can be done. In September, the brand became the first hotel chain to have all of its corporatemanaged restaurants in the United States and Canada earn Certified Green Restaurant status, having met the rigorous environmental certification standards of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA).

The designation came almost exactly two years after the first of the brand’s restaurants, the InterContinental Boston hotel’s Miel Brasserie Provençale, received the certification.

The hotel’s positive feedback about the certification process prompted the InterContinental brand to take on requiring all of the restaurants in its company-managed hotels to become GRA certified. The initiative was part of the brand’s participation in the IHG Green Engage® program, the online sustainability platform that more than 2,500 IHG hotels worldwide use to chart their progress toward energy, waste and water efficiency.

Collectively, 25 Certified Green Restaurants at 13 InterContinental properties implemented 1,333 environmental steps, earning them 3,175 GreenPoints™ in the GRA’s environmental categories of energy, water, waste, food, packaging, chemicals, building materials and disposables.

Each outlet individually earned at least 100 GreenPoints.

Additionally, each Certified Green Restaurant has eliminated use of polystyrene foam (aka, StyroFoam™) and has implemented a full-scale recycling program.

“We are delighted to be the first hotel company in the world to have all of our managed restaurants under one brand meeting the 2 and 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant standard,” says Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray, Vice President, Food and Beverage, Americas. “Congratulations and thanks to the many people who worked hard to help the brand achieve this important accomplishment in such a short period of time.”

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“Our managed InterContinental Hotels & Resorts have set a great precedent, and we are proud of them,” echoes Paul Snyder, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility– Environmental Sustainability and Public Affairs for IHG. “We are excited to see the hotels using our IHG Green Engage program to work with the Green Restaurant Association in reaching this significant goal. It’s a wonderful example of IHG’s commitment to environmental sustainability.”

The InterContinental Hotel brand’s leadership with this initiative will have an impact across the industry, according to the GRA. “InterContinental Hotels & Resorts have demonstrated that hotel restaurants really can divert 95 percent of their waste from landfills, conserve energy and water, and use more sustainable food,” says Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “The brand is truly pioneering these efforts for the hospitality industry by prioritizing sustainable dining on such a large scale. We are thrilled with the hotel group’s outstanding green achievements.”

The brand’s hotel restaurants continue to work to improve their GRA star status. Most recently, the Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco was upgraded from a 2 to a 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant®.

Diners can visit DineGreen.com to locate InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Certified Green Restaurants, along with details on the specific steps each restaurant took to become more environmentally sustainable.

Making The Cover The IHG Food & Beverage team’s successful, single-spirit signature bar concepts are featured as the cover story in the November-December issue of Hotel F&B magazine. The wellknown trade publication targets hotel, resort and casino food and beverage operators.

The article relates the inception of the concept 13 years ago with the XO Bar (cognac) at the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta and goes on to describe the various current and planned spiritthemed bars at InterContinental Hotels across the Americas.

Interviews with members of the IHG F&B team discuss the effectiveness of the signature concepts in giving the InterContinental bars personality, “soul” and connection to local patrons. Both RumBa at the InterContinental Boston and Southern Art & Bourbon Bar now at the InterContinental Buckhead are profiled, and the story also touches on the important role of the World Class Beverage Program in the concept series’ success.

One sidebar article addresses the importance of staff training in delivering each specific spirit “story” and tuning in to guests’ preferences, and describes the IHG Bartender Academy; a second touches on the varying “vibes” from concept to concept and the importance of tying in to the local market.

The cover photo includes Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Americas; InterContinental Boston’s Executive Assistant F&B Manager Tony Mosca; RumBa Bartender Moira Toomey; InterContinental Boston Executive Chef Didier Montarou; InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Director of Brand Management Debbie Grant, and IHG Corporate Beverage Manager Bob Midyette.

To read the full article, go to http://digital.hotelfandb.com/i/204951

Silver Spoon Winner Jean-Pierre “JP” Etcheberrigaray, Vice President, Food and Beverage, Americas, was selected as the November 2013 Silver Spoon Award recipient by influential Food Arts magazine.

The publication pays tribute to JP as a hospitality industry visionary who has used innovative ideas for bars and restaurants to create culinary destinations. “Under his aegis, chain hotel dining has gone from trough to triumph, from fodder to fun, from good-enough to better-than-expected-byfar,” the article states. “Who else would have imagined that sushi and Tequila would make a winning combination?”, a reference to the Sushi-Teq bar at the InterContinental Boston.

JP discusses his Basque heritage and work ethic in the article, his belief that a meal in a hotel (or anywhere) should be a communal adventure, and his commitment to helping guests break free of the bonds of conventional dining.

Food Arts is a part of the publishing network that also produces Wine Spectator. The complete article is available at http://foodarts.com/people/silver-spoon/28959/jeanpierreetcheberrigaray.

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The Official Magazine of the World Class Beverage Program Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray | Vice President, F&B Americas Bob Midyette | Corporate Manager - Beverage, F&B Americas Laura (Hammer) Luley | Office Manager/Communications, F&B Americas Bill McClure | iMi Agency Ann Wilson | Writer & Editor Silvermoss | Creative Direction & Layout World Class Beverage Program Contact/Support: 770.604.5206 | bob.midyette@ihg.com 770.604.8283 | laura.hammer@ihg.com

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