Marriott International’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts has helped change how the industry views its penchant for risk, which appears to be carrying over into F&B operations, as well. With F&B over one-third of Marriott’s global revenue (nearly US$16 billion) and employing almost 40% of all Marriott associates, it’s both a huge risk and reward to push the envelope in terms of creativity.
In Matthew Von Ertfelda, senior vice president of F&B, global operations, Marriott has an adventurer who ran 155 miles in six days across the Amazon region, the Sahara and Antarctica, and who used his physical strength and mental toughness to become a finalist on TV show “Survivor: The Amazon.” But, you may ask, what does that have to do with the risk and reward of managing an F&B program?
“When I am eating momo dumplings off the street in Bhutan or piranha in Brazil, there is no distillation – only real flavors and preparations,” says Von Ertfelda, who has contributed to the transformation of the Marriott Hotels brand and reinvention of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Marriott as the company’s first innovation lab hotel (M Beta). “Eating in off-the-grid places strips the drinking and dining experience down to what’s most real – the food and drink, the people, the place and ultimately the moment that is created as a result of it all. As people work to understand and create authenticity in the developed world, I am able to go out and experience it in less developed, emerging places. I feel it’s always the most real and memorable that way, and I keep that feeling top of mind with everything we do at Marriott.”
Von Ertfelda says one of the most challenging but beneficial things he’s learned as an athlete is to intentionally invite unknowns – be it concepts, design, business models or marketing approaches. “Athletic competitions of any sort include uncertainties, but understanding that, as well as knowing what you can control, will put you steps ahead of everyone else. These experiences, personally and professionally, broaden our perspective and soften our boundaries, but they also harden our resolve and make us stronger and better leaders,” he says.
Another emerging aspect of F&B, storytelling, has never been more important, Von Ertfelda says. “This is the way we add layers to any restaurant concept, dish or drink within our properties,” he says. “The storytelling vehicles are so rich today. It’s physical and digital, it’s the food and drink, the artisans behind it, provenance… The experiential layers seem to be endless. We see how crowded the F&B space is today, and with trends changing every minute and spaces becoming more dynamic, we not only need the F&B to be exceptional, but the narrative around it has to be compelling, emotional, believable. Personally, I am looking for experiences that stack on top of great food and drink, experiences that produce stories that I can add to my own personal stories.”
What’s most exciting in F&B? “This notion of more with less. The required resourcefulness, creativity and adaptability that restaurant operators and independents are forced to grapple with as they have to respond to trends that are fast-changing at the global, regional and local hotel levels, but have challenging labor models… How we as operators and foodies bootstrap and recognize the constraints and how we respond to them. I love seeing a lot of the edgy, indie, street side restaurant and bar concepts within hotels. I love the continued trend towards ethnic, local, honest, very real food and real restaurant and bar experiences, and how those can be executed authentically and creatively on the independent side as well as on the hotel side.”
Von Ertfelda says relevance and return are critical. “It’s really about delivering locally relevant restaurant and bar experiences that matter, that people care about, that people talk about,” he adds. “It’s founded on three pillars: going local, hiring craftsmen and driving profitable revenue, top-line growth. This is a strategy that has been cast across all of our full-service hotels, from a restaurant and bar discipline perspective. That is really changing and coloring how we design restaurant and bar spaces to be more dynamic, to be more concept-driven, more independent in character and style, and experience, and ambience, that are staffed with local artisans as well as emerging craftsmen.”
He is excited about the interplay between design – both kitchens and restaurant/bars – and how they are merchandised: Think floor-to-ceiling chalkboards celebrating local farmers and purveyors, featuring well-known and local micro-brews, and micro-distilled spirits. “Create these really exciting, dynamic environments that, for all intents and purposes, are part of the public space but still independent,” he says.
Bigger picture, Von Ertfelda believes the most successful hotel companies understand how a brand and its restaurant and bar experiences cater to both local residents and hotel guests.
“The most successful companies and travel companies are going to be those that understand how to bring food and beverage forward, bring restaurants and bars forward confidently and boldly,” he says. “The people that get it right can really win. They win in terms of revenues and profitability. They also win in terms of reputation. That’s what benefits the brands. That’s what benefits the broader hotel company.”
