Driving More Dining Profit

The iconic Beverly Hilton celebrates its 50th birthday

By Mary Scoviak, Contributing Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 4/1/2007

The iconic Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills,California celebrated its 50th birthday with an "extreme make-over" that not only modernized its look but its marketability. Food and beverage (F&B) offered substantive upside for the 570-room hotel.

Looking for a way to meet guest demand for more of a leisure experience within an urban setting and drive the average spend, EDG Engstrom Design Group blurred the city/resort boundary by taking the concept of a poolside restaurant upmarket. The new CIRCA 55 lures diners with a decorative motion-filled screen doorway. Once inside, the mid-century, retro-chic design surrounds guests in a sophisticated desert oasis. 

Design that unifies the interior with the exterior increases flexibility during peak and off-peak times. Equally important, it gives the hotel a broader menu of dining options. The designers used soft earth and melon tones and light wood furnishings to draw guests from the dining room and lounge to the poolside. "It affords guests the kind of comfort that invites them to linger," says Denny Fitzpatrick, general manager. 

To open up additional revenue streams, the design team built multi-function appeal into the private dining spaces. Elements such as a custom made oak table in the Shirley Temple Room and the clean, contemporary look of the mid-sized Conrad Room make these spaces as saleable for private dining as for meetings. One of the most important extras: a separate entrance that ensures both an elegant entry and discretion. A purpose-built Chef's Room provides a compelling sales tool both for the F&B and sales departments. The space's versatile setup can morph from a sophisticated dinner setting for food and wine connoisseurs to a buffet-style backdrop for groups to a personalized venue for presentations. This is more than an extension of the kitchen. The custom terrazzo flooring and design flavor inspired by the original 1955 restaurant add a saleable charm to what might have been a wasted space. 

The state-of-the-art Aqua Star Spa/Pool and Fitness Center by PreCor fit the round out the business/leisure marketing model. To optimize yield power, the design team leveraged the poolside area into a spa restaurant. Guests place their order upon arrival and enjoy poolside service after their treatment ends. Space that might otherwise have been allocated for a café is now a relaxation lounge which serves exotic fruits and infused waters and teas.