In recent years, the hotel industry has witnessed a dynamic shift in its food and beverage offerings, reflecting broader changes in consumer preferences. Today’s hotel guests crave more than just a place to sleep; they seek experiences that create lasting memories and hoteliers, like TFE Hotels, are stepping up to the ‘plate’.
As Tish Nyar, Senior Director of Operations for ANZ, explains: “Over the past few years, TFE has partnered with some of the country’s finest F&B and design minds to develop standalone brands, and to reimagine how we deliver hospitality in those venues,” he said. “Essentially, we’re working to satisfy a growing appetite for memorable experiences and, as a result, establishing connections with our guests that go beyond a simple business transaction.”
For TFE Hotels, this has included creating immersive design-led venues that transport diners to other times and places; infusing local influences into interior and menu design; framing incredible views as part of the venue experience; and using flavour as the cornerstone of culinary experiences.
Immersive experiences
Australia’s beverage scene in hotels is changing rapidly, with mixologists using innovative techniques to raise the bar. To that end, HM ‘Hotel Bar of the Year’ winner, Dean and Nancy on 22 recently launched an extra celestial menu called “Above the Clouds”, which features 17 creative cocktails – including Dean & Nancy’s first edible cocktail, The Spaceman – designed to transport guests beyond the confines of Level 22 with just one sip.
Dean & Nancy also elevates the experience by balancing decadence and drama with precision and playful service to bring the magic of a 1950s-style ‘hotel’ bar experience alive. This is aided by George Livissianis’ black and gold palette and minimalist-mid-century design, which provides glamour without detracting from Sydney’s arresting skyline. A curved brass staircase from A by Adina’s lobby to the bar, glossy, gold-veined marble tables, baby grand piano and debonair bartenders add a touch of theatre.
Developed in partnership with the team behind internationally acclaimed cocktail bar, Maybe Sammy, Dean & Nancy’s 360-degree aspect, two-storey windows and location atop Sydney’s A by Adina Hotel – make guests feel like they’ve been transported to New York or Tokyo – whilst delivering one of the best drinking views in Sydney.
It’s a formula that’s been incredibly successful for TFE, with Dean & Nancy earning a place among the Top 10 Best International Hotel Bar nominees, the only Australian hotel bar to feature and its third consecutive nomination.
Harnessing local influences
At Olivine wine bar in Melbourne’s north, the interior architects (CHADA) and F&B team played to the venue’s strengths, to deliver one of the most unique bars in the country.
As part of the billion-dollar development in Melbourne’s north Coburg, Pentridge’s former heritage cells were carefully transformed into a string of intimate alcoves. Leading Australian design studio CHADA responded to the design brief for the venue with a bold approach to old-meets-new, delivering a fresh, elegant design within the confines of the former prison’s architecture. Fine brass mesh ceiling, soft lighting and luxurious leather seating eschews its former austerity.
“The conversion of Pentridge Prison into an entertainment quarter with two hotels and two venues in B-Division, was possibly one of the most difficult repurposing of a heritage complex ever undertaken in Australia,” says CHADA Creative Director, Juliet Ashworth. “It was a project like no other and the outcome is astonishing when you consider what we started with.”
Behind the bar, Keaton Puckett and her team of talented sommeliers showcase the absolute best of our local wine industry with every pour. Olivine’s Book of Wine features more than 500 impressive wine labels from boutique and established producers, but also a watercolour series of intricate maps and illustrations by Melbourne based figurative artist, Elizabeth Nicholls. Whilst the venue’s produce-driven menu is influenced by the bounty from seasonal harvests.
Venues with views
Recognising the showstopping views atop Vibe Hotel Melbourne had to be shared, Paul Kelly, the director and Founder of specialist hospitality design company Paul Kelly Design, worked with hotel owners, Sino Group, General Manager, Sai Amani and Venue Manager, Claire More, to transform the hotel’s former penthouse apartments into Fleet rooftop bar, a chic, 90-pax rooftop bar reminiscent of an intimate private suite.
Kelly’s fun yet sophisticated fit out, with design touches from the 1980s, comes complete with custom made furniture and a Travertine long bar. A wraparound outdoor terrace is decked out with green and white striped upholstery to add a garden party frisson, while the retractable roof and glass panelling not only caters to all weather conditions but frames stunning city views to perfection.
“The proportions of the space were grand, so we set about opening it up so guests could really enjoy the Melbourne skyline,” Paul says. “In fact, the guest journey – from the lobby zone on the ground floor, to the wallpaper, the representation of the timber veneer, the calm walls and the port hole door – is all about unveiling that dramatic view.”
Importantly, every seat at Fleet has a view of the river. And, at night, the space comes alive as the city lights switch on, trains snake their way along the tracks to Flinders Street station and the Crown Casino fireballs light up the Yarra.
“We wanted to make Fleet a special experience and worth the find,” Kelly said of the popular rooftop space.
Culinary journeys
The globalisation of palates has led to an increased demand for diverse and authentic flavours. Quincy Melbourne,with its South-East Asian roots and laneway address, is well placed to take guests on a culinary journey.
According to Executive Chef, Adam Woodfield, Quincy is more like “an entertainment venue with rooms attached” where hotel guests’ needs will be met before demand, owing to the team’s focus on ‘anticipatory hospitality’.
Namely, the joy of establishing meaningful connections – long before check-in – to understand likes/dislikes and guide curation of bespoke surprises, covering everything from the on-demand cocktail service to tiffin service.
Recognised among Australia’s most celebrated advocates and masters of authentic Southeast Asian cuisine – notching up accolades for venues of the ilk of Sydney’s Jimmy Liks, Melbourne’s Chin Chin and Hamilton Island’s Coca Chu – Adam says Quincy’s tagline, “Be Yourself” gave him license to ‘do just that’ in the hotel precinct’s standalone Salted Egg venue.
Put simply, his mission is to open hearts and minds to the power and provenance of the ‘life-changing’ dishes he first fell in love with two decades ago. The kind you’d normally expect to trek far and wide through places like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to discover. As Adam has, year after year. In the process, mindfully honing his skills to pay homage to each region’s culinary individuality through a fine balancing act of heat and spice, and all-important interplay between sweet, sour, and salty elements. Lively, lip-smacking dishes, steeped in culture and tradition.
To ensure Salted Egg’s dining experience constantly evolves and continues to represent traditional techniques and flavour, Woodfield works closely with his team of chefs who hail from Vietnam, Thailand or anywhere in Southeast Asia.
The future of hotel dining
According to Global Marketing Officer, Katia Giurtalis, TFE’s commitment to delivering authentic food and beverage experiences is reflected throughout their global network.
“One has just to look at Adina Munich’s flagship restaurant, Fitzroy, which is named after a northside suburb that’s home to some of Melbourne’s best restaurants and bars,” she said. “The menu is thoughtful and authentic – and you won’t find any ‘Aussie archetypes there, but rather a menu that reflects the best of multicultural Australia. It’s the best kind of storytelling!”
According to Giurtalis, technology is also playing a crucial role in transforming hotel food and beverage services at TFE and around the world. Dining on demand, seamless grocery delivery (for the apartment hotel brands) and mobile payment solutions are helping to streamline TFE’s dining offerings and meet the needs of our guests.
“As hotels continue to adapt to changing consumer demands, the food and beverage industry will remain a focal point for innovation as hoteliers continue to set new standards. What we do know is that the future of hotel dining promises to be exciting, diverse, and deeply aligned with the preferences and values of modern travellers,” she said.
And the highlight? All of these world-class experiences are seamlessly integrated within the hotel, meaning you won’t have to travel far to indulge.
This story was published in the August edition of HM Magazine.