AHCT June 2010

asian hotel& Catering times

Published since 1976 Vol 35 June 2010

hong Kong sAR hK$50 china RMb50singapore s$15 Malaysia RM30 Thailand bt300 Rest of Asia us$10

THAILAND ON THE BRINKWhat next for hospitality?

HANDY TECH TIPSHotel PDA apps

CREATING A NEW ICONRaffles Tianjin unveiled

Mischa Moselle

AsiAn Hotel & CAtering tiMes is publisHed MontHly by tHoMson press Hong Kong ltd (tpHK)

The opinions expressed in Asian Hotel & Catering Times do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or the publication. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted by the publisher, editors and staff, agents and contributors for omissions, typographical or printers errors, inaccuracies or changes howsoever caused. The editors reserve the right to edit any material submitted at their discretion. All materials published remain the property of TPHK. Reproduction without permission by any means is strictly prohibited. Correspondence should be addressed to The Editor, Asian Hotel & Catering Times, Room 1205-6, 12/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111 Fax: (852) 2851 1933. Fantasy Print, Unit B 8/F, Tin Fung Industial Mansion, 63 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong

All rights reserved (c) 2009Thomson Press Hong Kong Ltd

Welcome to the June issue of the only Asia hospitality magazine worth reading.

While hoteliers in Thailand are breathing a sigh of relief at the apparent end of the unrest that brought the capital Bangkok to a standstill for some six weeks, they are also a little weary at having to dust off the recovery plans yet again. Yet the elastic resilience of the Thai tourism industry is legendary and many hoteliers are optimistic that the country can pull it off once more. We note that for

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HONG KONGThomson Press Hong Kong Limited/Media Transasia LimitedRoom 1205-6, 12/F, Hollywood Centre,233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong KongTel: +(852) 2851 7068, 2815 9111 Fax: +(852) 2851 1933, 2581 9531Email: [email protected]: Mr Mischa Moselle

AUSTRALIAMass Media PublicitasLevel 9, 215-217 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Tel: + 61 2 9252 3476 Fax: +61 2 9251 3726 Email: [email protected]: Mr Charlton D’Silva

INDIAMedia Transasia (India) LtdK-35 Green Park, New Delhi-110016Tel: +91 (0) 11 26862687 / 6868775 Fax: +91 (0) 11 26867641Email: [email protected]: Mr. Xavier Collaco

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THAILANDMedia Transasia Thailand Ltd14/F, Ocean Tower II, 75/10 Soi Wattana,Sukhumvit Soi 21, Asoke Road, Klongtoey,Prakanong, Bangkok 10110, ThailandTel: +66 2 204 2370 Fax: +66 2 204 2391Email: [email protected]: Mr Gaurav Kumar

UNITED KINGDOMThe Powers Turner GroupGordon House, Greencoat PlaceLondon SW1P 1PH, United KingdomTel: +44 (0) 20 7592 8300 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7592 8301Contact: Mr Chris Morgan

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ITALYEdiconsult Internazionale s.r.l.Piazza Fontane Marose, 3-16123 GenovaTel: +39 010 583684 Fax: +39 010 566578Email: [email protected]: Mr Vittorio Negrone

JAPANEcho Japan CorporationGrande Maison Rm 303, 2-2 Kudan-kita 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073Tel: +81 3 3234 2064 Fax: +81 3 3263 5065Email: [email protected]: Mr Ted Asoshina

MALAYSIAPublicitas International Sdn Bhd.S 105, 2nd Floor, CentrepointLebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.Tel : 603 7729 6923Fax : 603 7729 7115 Email: [email protected]: Ms Shallie Cheng

some time now, however, Thai investment has been flowing in the opposite direction, into properties in the Middle East, India and the neighbouring countries of Southeast Asia.

Political upheavals aside, we must not forget that running a hotel is often a case of keeping an eye on the day-to-day operations and incorporating innovations that can improve the guest experience. Some leading hotels are already experimenting with the latest digital devices that not only improve worker efficiency but also wow guests – the

MANAGING EDITORMischa Moselle

[email protected]

DESIGN BYKoon Ming Tang

[email protected]

CONTRIBuTORSHelen DalleyPiers Evans

Mark GrahamZara HornerElle Kwan

Ruth Williams

ASSOCIATE PuBLISHERSharon Knowler

[email protected]

ADvERTISING SALES MANAGERClaire Sancelot

[email protected]

CIRCuLATION ExECuTIvEBecky Chau

[email protected]

CHAIRMANJS Uberoi

DIRECTORGaurav Kumar

endorseMents

iPad becomes an electronic concierge or the Blackberry a rapid way of passing instructions to staff.

Innovation can also come in the form of architecture and design. This month, we take a look at how Raffles has created an iconic new hotel in Tianjin that could not look more different than the original in Singapore yet retains that hotel’s hallmarks of sophistication and luxury.

E d i t o r ’ s M E s s a g E

June 2010 AHCT �

DESIGN18 Take a look at the Raffles Tianjin

FOOD22 Condiments – the perfect

accompaniment to any meal

DRINK30 Getting sweet with syrups and

purées

EQuIPMENT40 New additions to the buffet table

44 Hotel gym equipment steps up to the plate

MANAGEMENT10 Hoteliers in Thailand are warily

optimistic

TECHNOLOGY14 How hand-held devices are

revolutionising hotel operations

NEWS CuLINARY 26 Heinz reformulates; Chinese tea;

Miele and Escoffier

INDuSTRY6 Openings; International and regional

awards; QI results; Raffles sale

PRODuCT38 Denny’s bespoke range of knives and

Vidacasa’s super-cool dining ware

cover photography courtesy of raffles tianjin

18Towering over Tianjin

44

Exerting demand 10

Clouding the picture

EvENTS AND ExHIBITIONS48 Events Calendar

50 FHA, Asia’s largest food and hospitality trade event, reviewed

51 Find out what went on at Lebanon’s hottest trade show, Horeca

52 A sneak preview of Hotelex 2010

53 Restaurant + Bar previewed

APPOINTMENTS54 See who is moving where

� AHCT June 2010 June 2010 AHCT �

UpandComing...July• Recruitment• Market Report: China • POS• Guest room design• Cheese• Fruit juice• In-room amenities; Knives

August• Gambling• India• Data management• Kitchen design• Ice cream• Tea & Coffee• Ice machines

CONTENTSV o l u m e 3 5 J u n e 2 0 1 0

Alpha International 49 Andy Mannhart 43 Boncafe 36 & 37 DaVinci Gourmet 33 Duravit 13 FHC Shanghai 21 Global Chef 27 Global Search International 54 HICAP 17 HK International Tea Fair 25 Hotel Expo Macau 39 Life Fitness Asia Pacific Ltd OBC LRT 7 Manitowoc Foodservice 23 Monin 31 Ponthier 35 Restaurant & Bar 47 Routin 29 SICO IBC Tiger Company 41 VIDACASA IFC

Advert isers’ index

Jumeirah names new brand Inspired by recent occupancy levels of over 90 percent for its Dubai beachfront properties, luxury hospitality company Jumeirah Group is launching VENU, a contemporary hotel lifestyle brand, later this year.

Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group, said: “The high occupancy rates recorded at our hotels and the robust performance of our business hotels in London and New York gives us renewed confidence in confirming our plans to introduce a second brand later this year. VENU Hotels will fulfill a clear market need and we are looking forward attracting new guests and introducing a new hotel brand to the world.”

In addition to the 11 hotels and resorts currently operated by the group, Jumeirah has 32 management agreements in place to run hotels in key locations across the world. The company expects to open at least 10 new hotels within the next 18 months including Jumeirah Frankfurt, Jumeirah Messilah Beach in Kuwait, two hotels in the Maldives, Jumeirah Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, as well as properties in Al Ain, Dubai and Shanghai.

Fairmont opens properties in Asia and Middle EastFairmont Hotels & Resorts continues to expand its brand presence with a number of projects in development including hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Oman, Makkah and Jaipur.

The Peace Hotel, a Shanghai landmark for over a century, will reopen as the Fairmont Peace Hotel after restoration. Situated on the Bund, the 12-storey property enjoys a premier downtown location, facing the Pudong area over the Huangpu River.

Elsewhere in Asia, the company will also open the Fairmont Makati, Philippines, and the Fairmont Beijing, while in Saudi Arabia, the hotel group will open the Makkah Clock Royal Tower inside the Abraj Al Bait complex. The 76-storey, 577-metre hotel tower will be among the world’s tallest.

In India, the Fairmont is opening properties in Jaipur, a northwest Indian city that is gaining prominence as a MICE destination, and Hyderabad, dubbed the Silicon Valley of the East.

The company will also establish hotels on the coast of Oman, one in Muscat next to a Greg Norman-designed 18-hole championship golf course called The Wave, and another on the east coast, the Fairmont Mina Al Fajer, which will have its own marina.

One&Only gears up for Palm openingTo meet the promised 10.10.10 opening date, progress continues at an ever-increasing pace at One&Only’s resort at the Palm, Dubai.

Situated on the extreme peninsula of the Palm Jumeirah crescent, the location is considered the development’s only boutique beach resort, and offers water taxi transfer from one shore to another. A private marina provides direct access for guests with yachts or speedboats.

Blending Islamic and Andalusian architecture, this low-rise resort, comprising 90 guest rooms and four beach villas, will feature an over water restaurant, DJ bar and lounge. Given its secluded location, it’s sure to be a winner with those craving privacy.

Shangri-La continues expansion in ChinaShangri-La Hotels & Resorts is opening two new properties in eastern China in Nanjing and Yangzhou.

Located in the city’s Gulou District, the Nanjing property will offer views of the Xuan Wu Lake. To the northeast of Nanjing, the new Yangzhou hotel will be the first international luxury hotel in the city.

“Shangri-La has operated hotels in the Yangtze River Delta for over 25 years, and previously managed a hotel in Nanjing. We know the region and the city well and have decided to invest into its future with our own development. We look forward to bringing back Shangri-La hospitality to Nanjing and introducing our distinctive service to Yangzhou,” said Greg Dogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited.

In addition to the projects in Nanjing and Yangzhou, Shangri-La continues to invest in Shanghai. The group will open its second hotel in Shanghai, the Kerry Hotel Pudong, in December 2010 and its third in the city, the Jingan Shangri-La, Shanghai in 2012.

W adds glamour to TaipeiStarwood’s W brand will make its Taiwan debut later this year with the opening of a 405-key property in Taipei’s Xinyi district.

W Taipei is the brand’s seventh new property in the Asia Pacific region, following the openings of W Seoul, W Retreat & Spa Maldives and W Hong Kong. “We are excited to bring the W lifestyle to Taipei’s Xinyi district, another step in W’s global expansion into the world’s most exciting and vibrant destinations,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. “W Taipei will offer a contemporary take on design, fashion and music in the heart of one of the city’s most vibrant districts, bringing an innovative and distinctive experience to the hotel market in Taipei.”

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is currently the largest international hotel operator in Taiwan, with four hotels in current operation and five new projects in the pipeline, including the W.

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The Ritz-Carlton is strengthening its grip on China with the opening of its hotel in Shanghai’s Pudong district.

“We are delighted to have been able to establish such a strong leadership position in China’s luxury hotel market,” said Mark DeCocinis, Regional Vice President, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. “We made the decision more than 12 years ago when we opened our first hotel in the country, that China was strategically important to us and we have shown our commitment to and belief in China as a crucial business and leisure market. Last year we hosted some 600,000 Chinese guests across our hotels in the country.”

The 285-room hotel occupies the top 18 floors of the Shanghai IFC South Tower in Pudong. The design and style of the hotel is contemporary with hints of a modern interpretation of 1930’s Shanghai Art Deco, and the property boasts sweeping views over the Bund.

Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Group shows growth

Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), which includes Peninsula properties and the Peak Tower, is steadily recovering from the economic downturn, reporting RevPAR increases of 17 percent in Hong Kong and 13 percent in Asia.

The Peninsula Shanghai celebrated its grand opening in March, and most of the shops in the hotel’s arcade were ready in time for the Shanghai World Expo, which opened its doors to the public on May 1.

All of the group’s Hong Kong-based commercial properties performed satisfactorily and there was strong demand for retail spaces at the Peak Tower and the Repulse Bay Arcade.

In Vietnam, leasing demand for the office tower at The Landmark remained strong although intense competition led to a decrease in demand for the serviced apartments.

There was a healthy improvement in the financial performance of the Clubs & Services division compared to the first quarter of 2009, and revenue for the Peak Tram increased by 14 percent over 2009. Prior to the political unrest in Thailand that began in mid-March, the Thai Country Club had welcomed six percent more golfers over the same period in 2009.

The opening of the hotel coincides with the World Expo 2010, an event that has been positive for the city’s luxury hotels according to the property’s General Manager, Rainer Burkle.

“Business is good,” he told AHCT, adding that the Portman Ritz-Carlton had seen first quarter growth of some 30 percent over the RevPAR of RMB 608 (US$89) average of luxury and 5-star hotels in the city gained in 2009. The property had also seen occupancy at over 80 percent on some days in 2010.

Burkle attributed the growth to China’s improved economic growth, also citing improvements in Shanghai’s infrastructure due to a US$92 billion government investment.

The Pudong property is poised to take advantage of that growth, neighbouring the offices of banks such as HSBC and Deutsche Bank, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and manufacturers such as GE. The hotel will focus on attracting a mix of business and leisure travelers, but with an emphasis on business.

TheRitz-CarltonPudongShanghaiispartofamixedoffice-retaildevelopment

Raffles Singapore sold for US$275 million

ThecoloniallobbyoftherecentlysoldRaffleshotel,Singapore

Ritz-Carlton arrives in Pudong

Famed for its colonial architecture and Singapore Slings, the Raffles Hotel Singapore has been sold to Qatari Diar, a Qatar-based Sovereign wealth fund, for US$275 million.

The distinguished 103-suite property which also incorporates its own museum was part of the Fairmont Raffles group from 2005-2010, which also owns the Fairmont

and Swissôtel hotel brands in addition to Raffles hotels outside Singapore.

As well as taking over the historic hotel, which first opened its doors in 1887, Qatari Diar will inject US$467 million into Fairmont Raffles in exchange for a 40 percent stake in the luxury hotel chain. The new owners have not yet commented on what their plans are for the flagship Raffles hotel.


� AHCT June 2010


June 2010 AHCT �

The recognition factorA prestigious selection of the finest new hotels to open their doors in the last 12 months, the Condé Nast Traveler Hot List was recently released, with Asian hotels featuring prominently.

Of the 134 properties mentioned, 31 Asian hotels made the respected list. China and India received the most mentions, with six properties each deemed ‘hot’ by the luxury publishing group. While many of the places mentioned, such as Amanresorts’ Amanfayun in Hangzhou, or the Serai near Jaisalmer, sit at the top end of the pricing scale, several more affordable properties, such

as the Fairmont in Beijing, and AlilaDiwaGoa on Majorda Beach, also made the Condé Nast cut.

Thailand also featured prominently, with five properties making the list. Among those mentioned was the AndaraResort&Villas in Phuket, which is located on Millionaire’s Mile overlooking the Andaman Sea. The hotel received a special mention for its lavish beds, which were credited as being ‘Phuket’s plushest.’ The award also singled out JWMarriottKhaoLakResort&Spa,LanghamPlaceSamuiatLamaiBeach,Ritz-CarltonPhulayBayinKrabi and SonevaKiriatKohKood.

The region has fared equally well in other recent international awards, with the HiltonBeijingWangfujing, located in one of the capital’s most exclusive areas, receiving the 2010 International Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. The JingminCentralHotel in Xiamen, which offers a free 24-hour pick-up service as well as a 24-hour hotline in English, Japanese and Korean, also received the same

award, making it the first five-star hotel in Fujian province. Only 300 hotels in the world have received this coveted Hospitality award.

HiltonHotelsWorldwide also performed well in regional awards, and the Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa, situated on the pristine Yalong Bay, picked up the Hurun Star Performer Award from the ‘2010 Hurun Best of the Best Awards’, a China-based luxury business portal. The award is designed to recognise the achievements of a brand over the past year. Hurun also singled out the GrandHyattBeijing as Best Beijing Luxury Hotel, while the Shangri-LaPudong received the same

accolade in Shanghai. In the 2010 Best New Arrivals category, ThePeninsulaShanghai scooped Best Shanghai Luxury Hotel, while the MandarinOriental also triumphed, being voted the best Sanya Luxury Resort.

The MarcoPoloShenzhen, meanwhile, has been awarded five-star accreditation by the China Tourist Hotel Star Rating Committee. Located in the heart of the Futian business district, the upscale business hotel has three acclaimed dining outlets, including popular Chinese restaurant Carrianna, which serves Chiu Chow cuisine, and a Margarita Bar, which overlooks the outdoor pool.

TheHurun-recognisedMandarinOriental,Sanya

LuxuryattheAlilaDiwaGoa

‘Amazing Thailand’: warm smiles, blue skies, white sandy beaches and a towering stack of recovery plans. For Andrew Wood, General Manager of Chaophya Park Hotel & Resorts, this aspect of the Land of Smiles ceased to amaze many years ago.

“I’ve done this so many times. Over 20 years in Thailand, I can’t tell you how many recovery plans we’ve put out,” he says.

The Chaophya Park Hotel is now poised to tackle the fallout from the deadly aftermath of red-shirt protests with ‘very heavy’ F&B marketing, redesigned packages for feeder markets, and the launch of its own wedding fair.

But this time, he admits, the challenge looms larger than it did with Sars, bird flu, swine flu, the coup in 2006, the New Year’s Eve bombing, the Songkran riots, the disrupted Pattaya summit, the yellow-shirt airport blockade…

“We’ve never been down this road so long and so badly,” says Wood, although he adds that “recovery is absolutely an option”.

But how swiftly can Thailand bounce back this time? Indeed, could Thai tourism even find its elastic is finally losing its snap?

In the immediate aftermath of the ultimately successful – yet bloody and chaotic – operation to clear the protesters’ camp at Ratchaprasong in Bangkok, nobody was making confident forecasts.

Outlook balmy?For Richard Chapman, General Manager of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, a Luxury Collection hotel, a recovery plan will await feedback from the global network of the Starwood Hotels group.

“We have ideas but we really need to feel the temperature in the feeder markets. I’d like to believe that by the third quarter we should have an intelligent plan together,” he says.

Giving grounds for optimism, Thailand’s tourism sector was making excellent headway when the latest storm hit, achieving arrivals for 2009 of 14 million – a figure few thought achievable at the middle of last year.

For Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks management and consultancy company, the underlying investment context is fairly balmy, even now.

“Property players have tremendous amounts of cash and will be moving into hospitality,” he says.

“In the last couple of years we’ve seen a big shift in terms of investment. After the crash when Lehman Brothers disappeared, we’ve seen a pretty defined shift towards Thai developers, which is a significant climate change.”

In the second half of the year, he anticipates major hotel transactions involving Thai investors and prices ‘higher than market value’. Foreign buyers are also expected to return to the market later in the year, and some bargains may be waiting for them, he says. “New hotels are trying to service debt and some uncompleted projects cannot access the capital markets, so it will create opportunities to get in the game,’” adds Barnett.

Exporting brandsFor Kevin Beauvais, CEO of InVision Hospitality (the company’s brands are Soma Hotels and Resorts, Lantern Hotels and Resorts and Glow Hotels), the fallout this time – while deadliest for the MICE-reliant luxury segment – will fall lightly on other sectors.

“The mid tier market is something we have focused on for the last two years and will become even stronger in weak times as we have seen in America and Europe over the last 30 years,” he says.

Overall, though, his outlook for hotel managers is bleak – and even more so for their staff.

“You have to be nimble and move quickly as these situations move up and down,” he says.

“You cannot wait around to see what might happen. Assume the worst and make sales and staffing decisions that will ensure your business survives, while ensuring you deal with everyone with the

Despite the recent rash of grim publicity, Thai hoteliers see grounds for optimism in an encouraging investment backdrop

and their market’s habitual resilience, Piers Evans reports

Can Thailand bounce back?

ChaninDonavanik,CEOofDusitInternational

KevinBeauvais,CEOofInVisionHospitality

RichardChapman,GeneralManageroftheSheratonGrandeSukhumvit,aLuxuryCollectionhotel

BillBarnett,ManagingDirectorofC�Hotelworks

TouristssurveythewreckageoftheCentralWorldmall

photo Afp/Bay isMoyo

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Bangkokians by their sympathy for the red-shirts protesters – have been muted in their criticism of the government crackdown.

Unquestionably, few governments in the region would expect such an easy ride if they caused so many deaths while repressing demands for an election.

“If the recent protests in Bangkok had happened in Egypt, for example, they would have killed the market for two years,” says the sales director of a Thai hotel chain.

For an editor at an English-language newspaper in Bangkok, Thailand can still draw on “an international fund of goodwill – which it hasn’t actually earned”.

Yet the red-shirt crisis has added disturbing twists to a familiar tale. The volcanic social rift underlying the recent eruption remains active. Nor has any recent crisis presented such stark contrasts to Thai tourism’s cultivated tourism image as fire-gutted malls and corpse-strewn streets.

Chris Bailey, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts, suggests the opportunity hidden in this crisis is to rethink ‘Amazing Thailand’ and ‘Land of Smiles’ for something more in tune with today’s sophisticated travellers.

“We’ve had a number of issues over the last few years and each time we’ve come back with versions of the same message,” he says.

“It may be time to rethink communication. One thing that has come out in the international media is that maybe this isn’t the Land of Smiles. To just go out and pretend that nothing has happened may not be the best use of money.”

Reviving Thailand’s hotel industry will hinge on a co-ordinated initiative by the government and industry, says the Sheraton’s Chapman.

“It does require a well-organised and concerted effort, orchestrated by the government but strongly supported by private businesses as well as by the travel industry,” he says.

But he adds that fellow hoteliers in Bangkok still tend to see the recent crisis as “a blip, just bigger than the blips we have seen in the past”.

“But we will bounce back. We’re all prepared to support initiatives to bring back the destination,” he says.

With the habitual positivity of successful professionals, hoteliers are already giving highly tentative estimates of between three and nine months for Thailand’s hotels to return to normal.

Of course, in a Thai context, ‘normal’ will not rule out fresh additions to the stack of recovery plans in the not-too-distant future.

FiresacrosspartsofBangkok,astheRedShirtssurrender

(photography by Andrew J wood)

InVisionHospitalityisoneofmanyThaicompaniesinvestingoutofthehomecountry

Sheraton’srecoveryplanwillcomefromheadoffice,nottheBangkokproperty

utmost dignity and respect.”InVision has safeguarded its own future by expanding outside Thailand,

he adds. “A development strategy throughout the region, specifically in Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia give us a balance so we are not as susceptible as we used to be with only projects in Thailand,” says Beauvais.

Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International, can also look forward to greater insulation from Thailand’s domestic traumas as his group forges on with its expansion. “Thailand’s political unrest does not affect our continued overseas expansion,” he says, adding, “We are gearing up to open 15 hotels in the Middle East by 2015, five hotels in India by 2013, and more future properties in the world’s favourite destinations like Bali, China, Europe and others. In the next three years with this fast-track expansion plan, we will increase our portfolio by 50 percent.”

Within the Thai market, the case for optimism rests on recuperative powers that Wile E Coyote could envy. The industry’s lightning-fast revival from the yellow-shirt airport blockade in 2008 is just the latest instance.

What’s more, the international media – despite outraging many

M a n a g E M E n t

12 AHCTJune 2010

Devices designed to fit in the palm of the hand are transforming the way hotels do business. Take the One Touch Concierge

developed by Runtriz, which acts as a personal concierge for guests. Requests made via the guest’s own 3G portable or a device borrowed from the hotel allow almost every service – from ordering room service or turn down, to booking theatre tickets – all in real time.

Recent launches, such as Apple’s iPod and iPad, are set to revolutionize the way concierge and front-desk staff interact with

guests. “Before there was always a desk between the guest and the concierge. Now, we are trying to fold away that barrier so it’s more about sitting down and having a chat over a cup of coffee,” says Louis Baleros, Head Concierge at Hong Kong’s InterContinental Hotel. His team began trialling Apple’s iPad tablet as a service addition in April. Part of a four-property experiment running alongside trials at three other InterContinental hotels (the New York Barclay, Buckhead Atlanta and London Park Lane) the cutting-edge tablets – still not available for sale in Hong Kong – are displayed behind the concierge desk, ready for use on demand. The devices have so far been used as directories, to aid sightseeing and tour requests, map locations and book restaurant reservations. Baleros says the stylish-looking tablets have been a big talking point. “Last week, I had one guest come by everyday and say ‘I want to use that.’” Not only is the visual aspect appealing, the interface is also easy for staff to use. Up to the launch, Baleros notes that his team had been using their own iPhones to help answer guest requests, but adds that the iPad is “cleverer.” Now Baleros is looking to the day when the tablets might be used to complete in-transit or in-room check-in.

For many, the options are endless. “Imagine door-to-door check-in,” says Raymond Cheung, Information Technology Manager at the InterContinental Hong Kong. “Everything is prepared ahead of time, staff can obtain guest arrival time and greet them, by name, in the lobby. With a handheld device, everything can be performed on the

spot – credit cards can be accepted, room service can be ordered,” he continues. Cheung doesn’t stop at the concierge desk, however. He visualizes a time when platforms like the iPad could be utilised at a restaurant table to build a multi-sensory experience for the guest. Menu options would be loaded alongside full-colour pictures and wine lists compiled to include tasting notes and ratings. “There can be lots of uses in the future. They could enhance the whole operations team.”

Free and easyLuis Segredo is the co-Founder of Miami-based M-Tech, a company that developed HotSos, an Internet-based system that communicates service orders to departments as varied as engineering, housekeeping, and bell staff all via handheld devices. Service requests are actioned in real time, freeing teams to work away from desks and communicate faster. HotSos is used with portable devices like Blackberry, Spectralink and iTouch, and can be up and running in around two weeks. For Segredo, wireless networks are a simple way to update service levels. “If you have good wireless coverage, you have a wonderful opportunity to make staff more efficient while providing more accurate, faster service to customers,” he says.

The plethora of hand-held wireless devices now available gives hotels increased opportunities to use staff efficiently and offer guests new services such as paperless check-in. Elle Kwan asks the experts to explore the possibilities

Cutting the cord

“With a handheld device, everything can be performed on the spot – credit cards can be accepted, room service can be ordered” Raymond Cheung

PennyChai,MarketingDirector,APAC,IntermecTechnologies

InterContinentalHotelHongKongChiefConciergeLouisBalerostrainingoneofhisteamonusefulConciergeiPadapplications

InterContinentalHotelHongKongChiefConciergeLouisBalerossharesavideotour

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M-Tech’sRexhousekeepingsoftware

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Rex or Room Expeditor is M-Tech’s housekeeping room assignment and prioritization tool and the software runs on iPhones or iPods.

At the Crown Plaza Coogee Beach in Sydney, housekeeping staff carry PDA devices as part of their kit. Each team has a cleaning schedule uploaded onto the device, but should an order change – perhaps a room has been exited early or requires immediate attention – the team member can be notified instantly and move straight to the room, improving turnaround times. Coogee Beach became the first hotel to adopt the Optii-Keeper, as the system is named, in 2008, and has seen planning and implementing housekeeping schedules slashed to a third of the time it took manually.

“This i s the f ir s t innovation in

Housekeeping since the telephone,” says Soenke Weiss, a former hotelier and revenue manager and Optii-Keeper’s founder. “In a simple way, it is removing a ceiling on current manual practice where efficiency is capped.”

In the future, Weiss is keen to capitalise the system’s functions so that room attendants might also be able to control refrigerator restocking or integrate rapid response alerts to maintenance crews. He’d also like to see devices being used to advance public area cleaning – a department which remains largely manual. “Imagine a gaming table in a Macau casino closes. An instant message could mean a staff member on-site to turn it around in minutes,” enthuses Weiss.

Yet despite racing technological advances in recent years, Weiss has found selling his systems challenging. While the web-based system requires no additional servers or hardware and can be implemented in days, initial outlay for multiple PDAs can bring sales to a halt. “The industry is risk-averse by nature and the take-up on demand is slow, but it’ll happen slowly,” he predicts.

Virtual serviceTerence Ronson, Managing Director of Pertlink, which offers IT solutions for the

hospitality industry, agrees that in some ways, wireless has been slow to take off, but that customer demand is changing the environment. Economics also holds sway, with wireless viewed as a cost-effective route to fast improvement. “In some cases, a hotel has just gone wireless and not installed any wired connections in the guest room – thereby saving some infrastructure costs,” says Ronson, who advises using a competent provider and good equipment to reduce security worries.

Experts agree that as guests make connectivity a minimum requirement, streamlining their interactions are easily made with wireless technology – an advancement that hotels are beginning to recognise. “Wireless technology has the ability to enhance a guest’s hotel experience in many ways,” says Penny Chai, Marketing Director, APAC, Intermec Technologies, which specialises in wireless asset tracking technology. Intermec’s barcode-reading devices help hotels track assets, such as car fleets, guest luggage and high-grade in-room equipment to portably collate information on usage and damaged or faulty equipment and services. Additional RFID Asset Tracking traces food products being used in a hotel, allowing a complete food product history.

Chai says she has already seem wireless communication move from a niche offering to a “mainstream business tool” in Asia, as the technology changes how traditional services have been offered. “These days a member of hotel staff can solicit for customers for a city tour, or value-add services like the hotel’s spa centre and print out receipts on-the-spot. Additionally, wireless technology ensures that guests can settle a payment with the hotel on the spot – whether it be a service at the hotel’s restaurant, café, lobby or pool – all helping improve a hotels’ revenue performance and increasing guest interaction and satisfaction.” She envisages hotels taking up more tracking resources in the future, “as asset tracking systems can help limit financial waste and deliver better levels of customer service.”

For Chai, there is no going back, and hotels will increasingly value what real time solutions can bring to customer service – the one constant requirement in a changing industry. And service will go far beyond putting a device into the guest’s hands. She says, “Wireless technology is going to be an integral part of the hotel industry throughout Asia – not only for customers, but for the hoteliers themselves.”

The Optii-Keeper is the first innovation in Housekeeping since

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1� AHCT June 2010

The two latest additions to the Raffles stable could hardly be more contrasting in style. The newly-opened Raffles Tianjin,

in one of China’s fastest-growing cities, is slick, modern and high rise, whereas Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris is an exercise in restoring a faded grande dame to its former glory.

The Singapore-based group made its name by restoring heritage properties, firstly with the original Raffles followed by other, similar, refurbishments in Asia. But in more recent years, the group has expanded to resorts and more conventional city hotels in further-flung parts of the world.

The very latest to open is the Raffles Tianjin located in the downtown of a city that is undergoing massive transformation, with the aim of turning it into a major centre for light industry. That, in turn, has sparked demand for high-end accommodation that caters to top-level executives from overseas and China itself.

“The brief was to be different from the rest of the city and position the hotel at the top of the market, with the largest rooms and most modern design,” says General Manager Gilbert Madhavan, who took up his post in the summer of last year to prepare for this year’s March opening.

“The rooms are the best, undoubtedly, and that sets us apart from everyone else. From each bathroom you can overlook the whole city; there is no back view. The key is always the rooms, they seem to have bowled people over, in some cases they say the rooms are larger than their homes!”

The Hong Kong company CCD/Cheng Chung Design was responsible for interpreting the Raffles brief to provide modern, striking décor and fittings and fixtures that subtly incorporated Chinese elements. A major challenge was provided by the physical location of the hotel – the lobby

on the upper public levels of the hotel. An open-plan design incorporates Japanese and Italian kitchens – customers can mix and match menus – in a set-up that recalls the Park Hyatt hotel in Beijing. “This is the crowning glory for F&B in terms of the ambience and the setting,” says the General Manager. “It is very new for Tianjin, you will not find anything of that quality in the city.”

A higher-still area contains the City Space bar and a cigar lounge, areas where the city’s nouveau riche can splash the cash on bottles of cognac, fine wine and Cuban stogies, or order the house special, a Tianjin Sling, which has vodka, apple juice, lemon juice, Curaçao and the local rocket-fuel grain liquor known as baijou. The main Chinese restaurant has already attracted free-spending locals who order the US$130-per head menu and complement the meal with bottles of Lafitte and Latour.

The hotel, which has an introductory rate of US$200 per night and a longer term rack rate of US$450, is squarely targeted at business travellers, half from China itself and the majority of the rest from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Europe. Tourism is also expected to generate revenue, especially now that Tianjin is a mere 30-

The company’s new Tianjin property is emblematic of its growth strategy, reports Mark Graham

Raffles rises high in China

is on the ground floor, with the rooms, 400-seater ballroom and dining outlets located on the 36th to 50th floor of the Tianjin Centre skyscraper.

Soaking up the views“We wanted something that gives you something modern with a sense of location when you come into the hotel, so we went for a striking chandelier,” says Madhavan. “This effect works, as lots of guests notice it. They are not expecting to see tassles hanging down from a chandelier. The lobby must always make a statement, as it gives people their first impression.”

The rooms, which feature separate living and bedroom areas, follow the well-established pattern of infusing modern design with Asian-inspired twists such as silk and dark wood. The pièce de résistance is the bathroom – generous sized, free-standing tubs offer unobstructed views across the city and beyond.

Similarly spectacular views can be found

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Theimpressivelobbywithitsstrikingchandeliers

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Reaping the rewardsWhen Gilbert Madhavan was recruiting staff for the opening of the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor Siem Reap some would-be-employees did not own a spare set of clothes, let alone understand the concept of five-star service.

Executives of the hotel, the first international-level property to open at the Cambodian heritage site of Angkor Wat, back in 1997, undertook the enormous task of training staff from scratch. Almost all employees had lost family members during the brutal reign of the Khmer Rouge, which had left the nation battered and bruised.

But the young Cambodians were keen to learn and that first batch of staff hired by Madhavan more than 13 years ago are now in senior positions, in some cases running their own hotels. The town itself has also changed dramatically, with more than 20 international-level hotels and luxury resorts.

“The hotel has some emotional attachment for me,” says Madhavan. “At that time some people didn’t have shoes, and now some of my staffers from that period have risen up the ranks. That is very satisfying. Some of them couldn’t read or write and now they have made progress.”

Madhavan, who has subsequently worked at Raffles properties in Australia and the Caribbean, remains particularly pleased with an executive decision the group made to restore gardens around the grande dame hotel – and open them to the Siem Reap public.

He says: “We were given the rights to the garden and were told we should build a wall around the garden because people would destroy it. We thought about it and decided that would be a bit insensitive. We said this garden belongs to the people as much as it belongs to the hotel, so we will restore it and open it to everyone. The people really appreciated the garden and treasured it and nobody stole or destroyed a plant or a shrub from that garden. People came to have their wedding photos taken there…”

TheRoyalGardenattheRafflesGrandHoteld’AngkorSiemReap

GilbertMadhavanisproudofthestaffherecruitedinSiemReap

will be ongoing – as it was with the physical aspect of the property.

Says Madhavan: “Quality control is always still an issue, you have to keep very close tabs on that. What we did is that we had one person whose job was to check on the quality control, that was his sole job, especially back of the house, which has to be just as good. For almost a year his job was to check that all was right.

“Before coming toTianjin I worked in a resort hotel, so there are many changes. Structurally it is different but fundamentally you have to look after your guests’ needs in the same way. One innovation we have introduced is the virtual concierge service, where guests can arrange a meeting or tickets, or a particular restaurant, either using SMS or a Blackberry. We will have a staff member dedicated to looking after requests. We will be the pilot hotel.”

The Paris property will be a pilot scheme of a different kind – the first time the Raffles group has ventured into grand European luxury hotel territory. Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris, due to open in the summer, will have an art theme and its own 100-seat cinema.

In charge of design is the ubiquitous Philippe Starck, and heading up the kitchens is Executive Chef Laurent André, known to people in this part of the world through his spell as executive chef at the InterContinental Hotel, Hong Kong.

The Raffles portfolio now spreads across different continents, and includes a wide range of properties located on beaches, in cities and at historical sites. Adds Madhavan: “ When we started out, we began with a historical building and then our next couple were all historical. That has stuck in people’s minds. It is a challenge to become an international brand, we need to grow, and that means resorts and modern hotels.”

minute train ride from the capital city Beijing via the new superfast bullet-train service.

The hotel has benefitted from hotel-industry people with Tianjin roots hotfooting it back to their home city from different parts of China. Madhavan was pleasantly surprised that he was able to recruit 30 employees with 5-star experience who were keen to come back to work in the flagship property.

Parisian dameEmployees are offered free English-language lessons or, if they are already fluent, the chance to learn Japanese or a European language. Quality control of service standards

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While certain countries and cuisines are synonymous with spice and chilli heat, the desire to add some extra kick to food seems almost universal. It could be the peppercorn in a Scandinavian pickled herring, mustard

from Britain’s East Anglia or even the quatre épices spice mix of the French kitchen, but chefs worldwide seem to have an urge to add something exotic or uplifting to their ingredients. Diners seem to share that urge and according to The Professional Chef, published by the Culinary Institute of America, “Condiments are used to introduce sharp, piquant, sweet or hot flavours into food.” The book advises that a well-stocked professional kitchen should include a full range of vinegars, mustards, relishes, pickles, olives, jams and other condiments.

Feeling the heatWhile the desire to add that extra chilli, fruity, salty extra to a dish seems global, it is a curiosity that most of the condiments which offer that punch hail from warmer latitudes, be that the Louisiana home of Tabasco, the North African origin of harissa or the southern village near Pattaya, Thailand that is the home of Sriracha hot sauce.

Just because hot sauces come from hot countries does not, of course, restrict their use to those countries. Executive Chef Shigeru Akashi of the Mandarin Orchard Singapore points out that while South Korea is not a hot country, you will find chilli in almost every single dish.”

The chef elaborates that, “Chilli came to Korea in around the 16th or 17th century and was used primarily for its medicinal properties. To this day, Koreans store great faith in chilli’s benefits to health on top of the spice’s popularity as a culinary ingredient.”

From a drizzle of Tabasco over a freshly-shucked oyster to a mango chutney served on the side of a hot Indian curry, condiments play an important role in enlivening a meal, reports Mischa Moselle

Culinary complements

Mexico,homeofthechillipepperandaflavoursomeratherthanhotcuisine

MandarinOrchardSingaporeExecutiveChefShigeruAkashi

photography courtesy of sMl restaurant in Hong Kong

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The home of the chilli in all its many varieties is Mexico. Add in the Tabasco pepper and the Thai pepper to those that grow there and there are 18 commonly used types across the world, with varying degrees of heat, sweetness and smokiness. A further 9 or ten are commonly dried, adding intensity to the flavour. While not shy on the heat front, Mexican chilli sauces are better known for being flavourful rather than merely hot. The trick for the Mexican chef is to bring out the flavours of the different chillies used, be they habanero, jalapeno, poblano or Serrano.

Sri Owen, renowned author of Indonesian Regional Food & Cookery, says that flavour is more important to the Indonesian chef than mere heat. Since the introduction of the chilli to the region from the Americas, it has become part of the daily diet, usually in the form of a sambal. “The standard everyday meal for millions of country people in Indonesia consists of boiled white rice, a little dried fish, and some chilli peppers,” she writes.

Chef Shigeru explains that chilli is commonly used as a preservative in hot countries, and also masks the smell of non-fresh food, a role previously played by spices such as ginger and pepper. But naturally many people love the taste, too. “The hot and tingling sensation that chilli brings to the palate is indeed moreish – chillies are addictive without a doubt.”

In addition to being addictive, chillies are also super hot. Indeed, the receptors on the tongue that respond to capsaicin – the active component in chillies – are exactly the same nerves that respond to fire, so splashing chilli on the tongue is the exact equivalent of sticking a lit match in the mouth.

This is however not the only effect. In his book Thai Food, the Michelin-starred chef and ambassador for Thai food David Thompson writes, “Chillies have a

surprising characteristic: they sensitise the palate to texture, despite their initial impact.”

In Chinese food the chilli punch often comes combined with the saltiness of soy sauce.

As chillies usually need to be combined with other ingredients to bring out their flavour, global food manufacturer Unilever has found that some chefs and diners feel many spicy dishes are too oily for today’s health-aware diner. Chefs have told them that some condiments are not only too oily but also contain no umami and are difficult to control in terms of the dosage of heat delivered. The recently-launched Knorr brand Chilli Liquid Seasoning claims to have a spice/umami balance and be 99 percent fat free, cutting down on the oily factor, and the company believes the liquid format supplies, ‘a fast and deep flavour penetration.’

Common to almost all hot condiments are not just the obvious two ingredients of chillies and salt but also garlic. The Middle East

and North Africa, according to the most famous cookery writer on the region are areas where, “Almost everything that can add flavor or aroma is used in cooking.” A typical Moroccan harissa recipe, courtesy of Claudia Roden’s A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, suggests, among other ingredients, using a whole head of garlic to 250 grams of fresh or dried red chilli peppers. Tunisian Tabil throws caraway seeds into the mix while Yemeni Zhug also incorporates black pepper and cardamom.

Roden comments that the latter is so strong that, “a single drop picked up on the tip of my little finger set my throat alight.”

Indonesian sambals may also contain shrimp paste, particularly pungent if fermented, or mixed with soy.

Tabasco kicksFor many years Tabasco came in one version only. When the company decided to innovate and add new flavours to the range, adding garlic was an obvious choice.

Cooks of Creole and Cajun cuisine are not shy with Tabasco sauce. In the formal setting of iconic New Orleans restaurant Brennan’s the hot sauce – made by fermenting Tabasco chillies in salt for three years, straining and mixing

with vinegar – is used in dishes and drinks as various as Escargots Bordelaise, Oysters Rockefeller, Garlic Butter and a Bull Shot or a Bloody Bull. In fact, almost any restaurant or diner in the Big Easy will have a bottle of the sauce on the table.

Tabasco is also listed by Chef Shigeru, who calls it, “undoubtedly everyone’s favourite” to go with oysters. The chef also offers diners the Chinese condiment Chilli XO sauce and a local Singaporean chilli sauce.

His own favourite condiment is jako yuzu oroshi, grated radish with dried anchovy and yuzu citrus skin.

One of the many influences on Creole cooking was

the food of African slaves, a trade that also brought Africans to the Caribbean – home to many hot sauces.

Over in India, chutney is the condiment of choice and is served as an accompaniment to curried foods, with popular varieties including mango, tomato and red or green chilli. Available in sweet and hot varieties, both of which contain chilli and spices, the spices most commonly found in chutneys are coriander, cumin and fenugreek. Some of the more unusual takes on this spicy condiment include using papaya, pumpkin and cauliflower and even bitter gourd as the base of the recipe. The difference between chutney and relish? The former tends to have a chunkier consistency while relishes are more crunchy.

No doubt a brief article like this can only scratch the surface of the sheer number of condiments available from around the world, but as the Thais say “Brung rot dtam jai chorp – Season according to your heart’s desire.”

Japanesedishescanbeenlivenedwithcondimentssuchasjakoyuzuoroshi

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Infused with passionHigh-end Jing tea is to be available in Hong Kong exclusively at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental from the start of this month.

It may seem strange that the Englishman Edward Eisler who founded the company should be selling tea in Hong Kong, but the young entrepreneur has a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and travels thousands of miles every year visiting tea plantations.

Eisler recently explained a few of the nuances of tea to an audience of Hong Kong media.

Whilst brewing up several varieties of tea, including green and an aged Puerh from the 1980s, Eisler explained that it is the second-most consumed beverage in the world after water. While Britain may have the highest per capita consumption of tea at two kilograms a year, Eisler described the tea drunk as ‘builder’s tea’ rather than high quality tea. Hong Kong and China have the oldest and most developed tea cultures – Indian tea culture really only started in the 1830s, when British colonialists brought Chinese tea to the country to grow.

The six main categories of tea are green, white, yellow, black (sometimes called red), Oolong and puerh.

China grows all six varieties while India is home to black and white teas, Taiwan Oolong and Japan green.

Eisler is predicting a steep rise in the price, in the short term due to poor crops last year and in the long term due to a global rise in consumption.

The tea menu at Amber, the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental includes green Dragon Well from near Hangzhou and the West Lake but chosen from plantations that do not overproduce and a vintage cooked Puerh.

Sweet victoryThe Asian Pastry Cup, held in April at trade show FHA and co-sponsored by Valrhona, was an elimination round of the World Pastry Cup.

The teams competing at FHA were under pressure, as their prize was the opportunity to compete in Lyons, France in 2011 against top pastry chefs from across the globe.

Of the competing teams, four came out on top. Singapore’s team took gold, while Taiwan took silver. Both China and Malaysia were awarded bronze medals.

Singapore also took a Media Prize, and the award for best chocolate showpiece. Taiwan was honoured for the best sugar showpiece, China for the best chocolate cake and Malaysia for the best plated dessert.

Indonesia, a team that has done well in previous contests was honoured twice – for team spirit and as recipients of the Singapore Pastry Alliance Prize.

New Heinz, New Coke?Heinz, the dominant global brand in tomato ketchup is risking the wrath of consumers in the United States with the rollout of a new recipe ketchup that cuts the sodium content by 15 percent.

The new recipe, to be available in the United States only, is the first alteration to the formula in 40 years. In order to balance the flavour, changes were made to the secret spices as well as reducing the salt.

According to press reports, aficionados of the condiment are fearful that the new ketchup will resemble the New Coke – a 1980s reformulation of the soft drink that was an expensive marketing and PR disaster for Coca Cola.

Although according to Heinz, “Over 650 million bottles of Heinz Tomato Ketchup are sold around the world in more than 140 countries, with annual sales of more than US$1.5 billion,” the pressure to change the formula is not coming from consumers but the company’s perception of “the changing needs of our consumers and our commitment to health and wellness.”

In April Heinz signed up to the National Salt Reduction Initiative, a plan led by New York’s Mayor Bloomberg that asks companies to reduce the salt content of their products.

While some critics have argued that the role of a condiment is to give extra salt flavour to a dish, the company was commended by the Health Department. The company also countered critics by pointing out that it had conducted extensive consumer testing to ensure there was no “distinguishable difference between the current and new recipes”.

Although there may be a link between ketchup and the Indonesian Chinese sweet soy sauce kecap manis, the specific Heinz recipe is the product of decades of development by Henry J Heinz, who took a umami, salty, bitter base of ripe tomatoes and added vinegar for sourness and sugar for sweetness to make the perfectly balanced condiment.

A taste of Italian traditionThe Luxe Manor, a self-styled boutique hotel of 159-keys in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui and home of the noted Italian restaurant Aspasia, has been showcasing northern Italian cooking.

New Executive Chef Stefano Piscedda has worked with Michelin-starred chefs in Tuscany, Barolo and London, including Sauro Brunicardi (La Mora), Massimo Camia (Locanda Nel Borgo Antico), Giorgio Locatelli (Locanda Locatelli) and Gordon Ramsay (Maze). Chef Stefano was first exposed to Asian food while working in London and his interest in it has brought him to Hong Kong.

He will however be cooking northern Italian and Sardinian favourites and using some techniques perhaps little known outside his home country. The chef has created both a new a la carte menu and a seasonal showcase called La Vetrina that will change with availability of ingredients.

Chef Stefano will be using Luserna stone grilling – cooking on a hot rock extracted from the Piedmontese Alps. His signature dish here is the sizzling Luserna stone grilled Australia M8 Wagyu sirloin. The chef has also brought the copper pan technique to the restaurant, preparing pasta dishes tableside, for example spaghetti with San Remo red prawns, chilli, garlic and parsley.

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Stars shine in BeijingThe Hilton Beijing Wangfujing hosted a culinary extravaganza in early May that brought together six world-renowned chefs, holding a clutch of Michelin stars between them.

The event has been dubbed “7 courses, 6 maestros, 5 stars, one night only” and this was the second year the hotel hosted the evening.

The hotel’s Executive Chef Yu Xiang Gu worked with each chef to create a course paired with wine.

The acclaimed American Academy of Hospitality Sciences headed by its President and CEO, Joseph Cinque presented the six Michelin-starred chefs and celebrity chefs along with Hilton Beijing Wangfujing’s Executive Chef Yu Xiang Gu the prestigious “2010 International Five Star Diamond Award” in recognition for their culinary par excellence.

Disciples Escoffier to launch bookThe Disciples Escoffier Hong Kong is joining hands with German appliance manufacturer Miele to launch a book highlighting the culinary talents of eight of Hong Kong’s top chefs.

The occasion is the 111th anniversary of Miele, an event the company is marking with 111 events and the release of some limited edition products.

Masters 111 will feature photographs of food by French chefs Philippe Duc and Vincent Thierry of Spoon and Caprice respectively; the Spanish chef David Izquierdo of Uno Mas; the Italian Fabrizio Napolitano of Goccia; Nordic chef Jaakko Sorsa of Finds; Christopher Marks of Italian restaurant Bistecca and newly-opened southern United States barbecue restaurant Blue Smoke; Honour for

Singapore chefSingapore’s At-Sunrice Academy hosted its fifth annual GlobalChef Awards in late April and among those honoured was Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Chef Wolfgang Ranner.

The chef trained in Austria, taking a three-year apprenticeship with a culinary institute that included compulsory work experience. Graduating from a culinary arts college is one of the criteria for the award, which also include:• technical competency• comprehensive knowledge of western and

eastern cuisines• global culinary experience• being a mentor and inspiration to younger

chefs• fluency in at least two languages

Chef Wolfgang worked in Austria and Turkey before coming to Asia and spending time in China, Thailand and Singapore. The chef, who has also been awarded the HAPA Executive Chef of The Year, said that he feels, “Very fortunate to be given special recognition for doing the work I enjoy the most.”

Bangkok hotel adds Halal optionThe Chaophaya Park Hotel Bangkok recently launched Al Tara Halal & Vegetarian Restaurant, possibly the only fine dining venue in the city to offer Halal food.

The restaurant also offers pan Asian cuisine from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India and the Middle East.

Not only are all ingredients certified Halal, but Chef Manit Laemit and his team are all Muslim.

The full menuKarlheinzHauserTrilogy of Lobster, Asparagus and Tomato with Lime Vinaigrette and Basil Espuma 2008 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Alto Adige, Italy

EricHaraMarinated Scottish Langoustine with Sea Urchin, Cauliflower Gelee with Puree of Squid Ink and Olive2005 Taylors Jaraman Chardonnay Adelaide Hills & Clare Valley, Australia.

MichaelHoffmann Codfish with Ashes of Cabbage and Watermelon 2008 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Marlborough, New Zealand

ThechefsreceivetheiraccoladesfromtheAmericanAcademyofHospitalitySciences

AndreaTrancheroSpinoBelli with Free Range Chicken Ragout, Foie Gras and Thyme Flavoured Apple2007 Santa Carolina Barrica Selection Carmenere Rapel Valley, Chile

MichelRothAustralian Lamb Tenderloin in Herb Crust served with Courgette Cannelloni and Mediterranean Artichokes2005 Michel Rolland Clos De Los Siete Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza, Argentina

ClaireHeitzlerBitter-sweet Manjari Chocolate Crisp with Clean Raspberries2008 Weltachs Eiswen Pfalz, Germany

Master classLangham Place hotel is now offering dim sum classes under the tutelage of two-Michelin-starred Executive Chef Tsang Chiu King.

Guests will have an hour with the chef to learn techniques and tips for making perfect dim sum. Participants get to eat their own creations plus some professionally made dishes at the hotel’s Ming Court restaurant.

Taste of TaiwanThe Spice Market at the Prince Hotel is continuing its Taiwan promotion through the end of this month.

Cooked in local Taiwanese style, the menu offers starter choices that include pan-fried oyster pancake and double-boiled chicken soup in Taiwanese style. Mains come in the form of sweet potato congee with nine condiments or Taiwanese braised pork rice amongst others, while the sweets show a Japanese influence with dishes such as Mein Mein iced dessert or taro balls in white fungus jelly.

Each diner receives a complimentary portion of braised abalone and the chance to win a round-trip ticket and two nights accommodation in Taiwan.

Toptutor:ExecutiveChefTsangChiuKing

Taiwanesespecialitydouble-boiledchicken

Oyvind Naesheim of contemporary Japanese restaurant Nobu and the pioneer Alvin Leung of BO Innovation.

The collaboration should benefit young chefs in two ways. Money raised from sales will go to the Miele and Escoffier Young Chefs training foundation and Miele is also going to open a state-of-the-art culinary institute that will provide facilities for chefs on the Youth Hope Training Program.

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InterContinentalHotelHongKong

ChefWolfgangishonouredbytheAt-SunriceAcademy

Fruity little numbersWhether it’s a dash of crème brulée flavouring a Martini or prickly pear puree paired with tequila, consumer tastes are becoming increasingly sophisticated when it comes to cocktails, reports Mischa Moselle

Striving to satisfy the consumer desire to sample something different, the food and beverage industry is continually developing new syrups and purees for bartenders to use in cocktails and mocktails. “People want new cocktails, new flavours and new colours - they always ask for something

that no other place has,” is the opinion of Sales Manager Emilie Martinez from frozen and chilled purée manufacturers Ponthier.

Indeed, a cursory glance at the menu of almost any establishment serving cocktails illustrates the lengths mixologists will go towards gratifying demanding taste buds. Signature cocktails at Ayuthaiya in Hong Kong, for example, include the Tom Yum Tini with chili-infused vodka, cointreau, lemongrass and lime, and the Dragon Fruit Martini, a fruity mix of fresh strawberries, dragon fruit and lychee with vodka and sparkling wine. Over in Singapore, forget the Sling – why not order a Mintberry Gin Fizz, a cool combination of gin, fresh berries, lemon juice, gomme, berry liqueur and soda from Bar Camp instead? Beijing’s D Lounge likewise floors customers with an unusual take on the Grapefruit Gimlet as in addition to gin, and pressed lime, it spices things up with ginger and apple purée, and, for a tangy aftertaste, some Korean grapefruit marmalade.

This yearning for the as-yet-unknown shouldn’t surprise anyone working in F&B, says Vivian Tenefrancia, of the Italian Trading Company, distributor of Routin 1883 syrups in mainland China and Taiwan. “Like food menu items, there is a need for new beverage creations for bars and restaurants alike. Due to the versatility of syrups that can be used for both beverage and food menu items, expanding the range of flavours is necessary to meet this need,” she explains.

Seeking out new culinary kicks is a definite trend in Asia according to Edwin Peter, Marketing Executive at Monin Asia in Kuala Lumpur,

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To find out more visit

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JeffreyDutton,DaVinciPeach, mandarin, blue curaçaoRecommended extras: raspberry, strawberry, peach, pomegranate.(Coffee shop: caramel, vanilla, hazelnut)

FrancoisPhilippot,GiffardGrenadine, orgeat, sugar cane as a minimum.

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Coconut, grenadine, green mint, and maybe strawberry or passion fruit.

EdwinPeter,MoninThe basic fruits, citrus, berries, minty, creamy and diary items.

EmilieMartinez,PonthierRaspberry is first, then strawberry, passion fruit, mango, lime (for mojitos), peach (for Bellinis) and coconut (for pina colada).

On the shelf Exploring new flavoursMixing and matching new flavours is not limited to the world of purees and syrups. Jeannie Cho Lee MW recently held a tasting for trade and media highlighting wines from around Asia with bottles from China, Asia, Japan and India. The MW is a big fan of Japanese wines and praises them for being true to their varietals. According to Cho Lee, a Japanese Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, will express the classic green and black pepper characteristics. Talking more generally about the Asian wine industry, Cho Lee said that Indian and Thai reds are ‘difficult’ but Thai whites are “going places” and Indian whites are approaching a “decent level”. However, one Indian red that has been singled out for praise was made by French winemaker Michel Rolland. This is indicative of a trend towards French wine consultants visiting the country and advising on vinification.

Swiss chocolatier Francesca is continuing its series of chocolate and drink matching seminars, recently hosting an event matching chocolate to Champagne. The Champagne in question is a new brand called Audrey Dupois, a family-run business that used to make Champagne for private consumption and has only started releasing wine commercially since 2000. The Champagne is aged for six years – three years on yeast lees and three in the bottle.

According to Jonathan Mather, Director of Sales and Marketing at Rubicon Brands, an Asian distributor of Audrey Dupois, the key to successful matching is using high quality ingredients. Poor quality chocolate is too cheap and poor quality Champagne can have a flavour of unripe green apples or lemon from malic acid. A better quality Champagne has more lactic acid that can cut through the richness of chocolate.

a company with roughly one hundred years experience in the market. “Asians today have much more refined taste requests compared to before. Consumers no longer want to taste the same old flavours; they want something that is new and exciting in their drinks and food.”

However, the constant longing for something original when it comes to blended drinks may not be that new, as in 2007 the American author David Wondrich pinned down the origins of the cocktail to his countryman, “Professor” Jerry Thomas, who published the first bar manual in1862.

According to a story in the monthly magazine Atlantic, Wondrich seems to have

changed his mind since the publication of Imbibe! and is now saying that the first sophisticated mixed drinks were the creation of an 18th century British ‘celebrity mixologist’ called James Ashley. Some of Ashley’s creations have been revived at London restaurant Hix by contemporary mixologist Nick Strangeway and what may be surprising to the modern reader is the large amount of fruit involved. The Lamb’s Wool, for example,

involves heated beer and fruit purée while the Shrub contains citrus-infused rum and scalded milk served over ice. Citrus makes a further appearance in Robert Burn’s Hunting Flask, a warmed whisky infused with currants and ginger. Wondrich explores the topic further in a book due out later this year to be called Punch: The Delights and Dangers of the Flowing Bowl.

The love of fruit in drinks, then, is hardly novel, but it is growing in Asia – and where one might think the demand would be for local fruits that’s not necessarily the case. Jeffrey Dutton, Asia Pacific Director of Marketing Foodservice at Kerry Foods, owners of Da Vinci Gourmet brand syrups and flavourings tells AHCT that while the company has just launched a new Asian Citrus flavour with a gingery kick “that is particularly pleasing to the Asian palate”, it has also launched pomegranate and peach flavours in its new Fruit Innovations range. According to Dutton, the type of fruit is

“People still want to be out and seen to be

consuming a drink but are

concerned about what they

are putting in their bodies” Jeffrey Dutton

AclassicflavourfromDaVinci

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Classicflavourraspberry

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not as important as the quality – the product must have real fruit flavour and not taste “like candy”.

There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on that last issue, however, as Routin 1883 has recently introduced a bubble gum flavour along with iced mint, pink grapefruit, green tea, and even an energy concentrate flavour. Ponthier have also been busy adding new flavours, including prickly pear, watermelon and ruby peach.

Over at Monin, Peter says there is a growing interest in Asian flavours but it is in Europe, where “these fruits are considered exotic in nature and have huge potential in the market.”

Some recent products from the company include coconut, crème brulée and French vanilla.

In addition to the demand for new products coming from drinkers as noted by Martinez, Dutton notes that there is a pull in the market from bartenders wanting to innovate as much as there is a push from companies hoping to increase market share.

Dutton adds that mocktail consumption is also on the rise because of concerns about alcohol. “People still want to be out and seen

to be consuming a drink but are concerned about what they are putting in their bodies.” A15ml serving of syrup is the equivalent of only one teaspoon of sugar.

When to opt for a syrup and use purée is another issue confronting the bartender. Some industry voices see this as a technical issue – Ponthier’s Martinez believes the two products complement each other. “Syrups give

strong tastes and colours, whereas purées give natural taste, texture and colour.”

Tenefrancia is more specific in her assessment. “Purées are mainly used for frozen drinks such as Pina Colada and Daiquiris, and syrups are usually used in long drinks and after dinner drinks, although they are also added to drinks such as flavoured Martinis and Mojitos.”

Monin’s Peter believes bar staff should be innovative rather than sticking to hard and fast cocktail-making rules. “The use of each product will depend on how creative the bartender is, and the profile of his/her clients. Martinis are drinks that have to be clear and intensely flavoured with a long after-taste, so this would be a good case for using syrups as they have a much softer, clear appearance.”

“A margarita on the other hand needs to be colourful, icy blended and full of flavour, so this would be a good reason to go for purees. Purees give better texture to frozen drinks, and have a much higher fruit content, which not only tastes good but also adds to the colour of the drink,” he says.

With a plethora of products and recipes now crowding the drinks market, and consumers testing bar staff with increasingly bizarre demands, James Bond’s simple request to have his cocktail shaken, not stirred feels increasingly modest. Now, who’s for a Bubblegum Martini?

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Keep your coolTo keep easily perishable foods such as seafood, salads, cold cuts and desserts super fresh, you need a consistently cold temperature of around 4°C (39.2°F). Vidacasa’s range of dining ware ensures that even when food has left the fridge, it remains fresh up to the moment it’s eaten. Powered by a ThermoBattery™ that releases cool power and absorbs heat, it keeps food chilled for up to ten hours, and as no electricity is required, it’s good for the planet, too. The dining ware is available in round (suitable for bulky food), oval (most efficient), square (most flexible) and rectangular (twice as large as square) shapes, and one base tray is adaptable to several plate designs. Time to wave goodbye to grappling with wet ice…

For more information: www.vidacasa.com

Knives outLeading UK chefswear and front of house supplier Denny’s has branched out into kitchenware by launching its bespoke range of Damascus stainless steel knives.

Crafted using 37 layers of the finest Japanese steel folded and layered for perfect sharpness and durability, the stylish range features the latest innovations in handle and blade technology combined with traditional sword making skills.

Denny’s knife design and manufacturing service is aimed at premium bars, hotels and

restaurants looking to refurbish or complement existing dining room decor. As the company’s Managing Director Nick Jubert explains, “Our creative team can take a knife design, tailor it to individual requirements and incorporate an etched logo to create something totally unique.”

Leading restaurateur Mark Hix worked with Denny’s to create a steak knife for his British restaurants HIX and Hix Oyster and Chop House in London. He explains, “I was looking for a bespoke steak knife that would be a good weight, fitting in with much of the vintage silverware that we have collected in the restaurants.

“We were happy to work with Denny’s, as they combine traditions of quality and style with the latest technological innovations. I was searching for a good quality non-serrated blade that can be re-sharpened easily and doesn’t tear the meat. We were impressed with the quality of the blade and the smoothness of the cut. The knife is well weighted and has a comfortable grip.”

For more information: www.dennys.co.uk

P r o d u c t n E w s

AHCT June 2010��

In Hong Kong, The Excelsior hotel’s top floor restaurant, ToTT’s, features semi-buffet lunches where guests choose a main course from the set menu, and help themselves to salad, sashimi, sushi, oysters and desserts from buffet stations. International and free flow Champagne brunches are served on weekends when each dish is presented in its own serving station, making for around eight separate buffet stations. “Menus are rotated on a weekly basis and our chef and culinary team are always thinking of new presentations and layouts to delight our guests,” explains Wendy Lee, Director of Communications at the hotel.

Executive Chef at The Excelsior Mario Corti, who oversees Café on the 1st restaurant, the biggest F&B operation in the hotel, agrees section space is the first consideration when ordering sufficient buffet equipment, as well as kitchen storage, working space and stewarding operations. At Café on the 1st an international breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided and on weekends there are afternoon tea and late supper buffets. “To cater for these there are six live stations that serve hot dishes, such as carvery, Chinese noodles, Cantonese barbecue, and dessert. In addition, there are four cold sections that offer sushi, sashimi, salad and cold cuts.”

Buffets have always been a preferred dining option in Asia but are becoming even more popular, Chef Mario notes. “Competition is fierce, so it’s important to offer a good variety and high quality food that makes one really stand up to your competitors. For example, we used to have two chocolate fountains but I’ve turned one into a cheese fountain with choices of condiments. This presents guests with a new and interesting dining experience.”

Buffets can represent hotel dining at its best, as chefs have the opportunity to be at their most creative while diners can indulge in a host of international cuisines without contemplating menus. Popular with everyone from

businessmen to families, buffets should present a considerable variety of freshly cooked dishes in one sitting in an ambient setting which is not too stuffy, or too casual. Everyone’s a winner… so long as the numbers add up.

Doing the mathsCalculating the right amount of equipment for buffet style dining is not an easy equation. Considering hot stations and cold stations, live stations, food fountains, and covers all comes on top of decisions concerning what authentic local cuisine to provide, themed options as well as chef ’s signature dishes and beverages.

“There is no exact formula, although planning is required and there is a procedure,” feels Min Lim Sze, Sico Asia Marketing Communications Manager, adding, “First, understand the area [to be used]. Do a space analysis – plot out the stations needed showing various configurations with full descriptions, and artist impressions.” Once the plan is in place, Sze says, “Highlight the power requirements for each station as some cooking stations may require more than just one plug and choose the [right] finish to blend in with the overall restaurant concept.”

Calculating how much buffet equipment is required in every size, and concept of restaurant has become a fine art, Zara Horner discovers

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In such a competitive market, price, presentation and service are key to the success of a buffet as well as menu options. As a result, advances in buffet utensil manufacture are being made all the time. “Sometimes the most simple of designs can create the most effective results,” Nick Polidoros, Director of IHS Global Alliance, explains. The company’s range of contemporary buffet equipment is also hailed as less labour intensive, offering simplicity in set-up and reducing staff bills.

Counting the new Armani hotel in Dubai and Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago among their clients, Polidoros says getting the chef involved from the start is a must when ordering equipment for buffets. “The chef ’s knowledge and input will have a great advantage to combining all the elements, from the type of cuisine to the presentation and space. It’s important not to overcrowd and create efficient space and flow around the buffet. This can be achieved by setting up the buffet as an island rather than against the wall. Enhancing the presentation of food through elevation is also an effective way to maximize space. Interaction is increasingly becoming key to a vibrant and entertaining atmosphere, which is created via live cooking. Mobile sushi and ice cream stations also create appeal.”

Constant replenishment of food and correct ‘merchandising’ of food is imperative, Polidoros continues, as is food safety. “Heating from above and below maintains food at correct and balanced serving temperatures.”

One of the company’s latest designs is the Cross Cube, which includes all the essentials for serving a buffet for up to 200 people. “With 18 complete tables and 20 elevation stands all stored on two transport modules, storage is approximately four square meters with set-up time less than 10 minutes,” enthuses Polidoros.

Filling spaceFrom chafing dishes to chocolate fountains, Hyperlux has noted more and more clients ordering buffet equipment. “Buffets are becoming more popular than fine dining,” says Hyperlux Sales and Marketing Director, Louisa Tse. While guests can have a great choice of food at reasonable prices, Tse says there is no magic formula when it comes to ordering the right amount of buffet equipment. Generally though,

“For 200 covers, there will be at least 15 hot stations. For cold stations, traditionally there will be five to eight pieces required but modern settings have no formula and the equipment setting depends mainly on the design and theme of the restaurant.”

German company Frilich echoes Tse’s opinion. “The more variation of food offered, the more service equipment you’ll need,” Marketing Manager Claudia Goemmer says. Creating a ‘buffet landscape’ as Goemmer terms it can be achieved using presentation dishes, plates and glassware of different sizes and at different heights in materials that should directly “complement the interior design of the restaurant.” Frilich products incorporate stainless steel, glass, wood and even gold plate.

When asked if there is a formula for ordering the right amount of buffet equipment, Angelo Monguzzi can’t provide an exact figure, but what the Director of Sales at Tiger Company can say for sure is that the popularity of buffets is on the rise, even in Europe where à la carte dining has been the traditional preference. “Restaurants can now offer more variety, reduce personnel, and offer a more friendly eating environment, all without sacrificing style and elegance,” says Monguzzi. While the amount of equipment needed depends on the type of food being served, he adds, a rule of thumb is: “For chafing

dishes a proportion of around seven per 100 is viable, meaning seven chafers with one kind of food can serve about 100 people.”

Monguzzi says that as an equipment manufacturer, Tiger relies totally on what F&B managers say they require. “We just follow their needs and try to create products to enhance the food presentation. I think F&B managers want to move away from conventional ways of thinking to offer exclusive and original buffet presentations. This is making our life more difficult, as we are constantly receiving requests for new concepts and ideas.”

According to Sico Asia’s Sze today’s buffet equipment should be, “Mobile, [with] various designs – semi-customized – to cater to various requirements. Only with at least four to five mobile stations put together will the impact be really felt.” Sico Asia has recently introduced LED lights – remote controlled or built into the stations, and touch screen induction plates. “We offer the chance of bringing the kitchen out into wherever the hotel wants it – ballroom, foyer, poolside even the lobby, providing near total flexibility. Our mobile buffet live-cooking stations are specifically designed to suit the hotel décor with lighting enhancements to attract attention and revitalize the area where these stations are being used. Another point to note is that skirting and table cloths are not needed so the hotel saves on laundry, making them more eco friendly.”

This evolution of trend and preference, specifically the desire to address environmental concerns, has set new industry standards, IHS’ Polidoros says adding, “We’ve been challenged to create buffet systems that encompass all essential aspects of durability, ease of use, green star rating, flexibility and style. Choosing not to skirt tables is a strong demand that offers alternative leg designs and table tops that beautifully complement interiors without sacrificing style. The buffet is one of the most important service tools to the food and beverage department, yet typical presentation these days is exhausted.”

“Restaurants can now offer more variety without sacrificing style and elegance” Angelo Monguzzi

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Just as the internet has spawned thousands of food, restaurant, hotel and travel review sites and blogs, for those travellers who want to stay fit while on the road there is a small but growing community of hotel gym review sites using social media and the internet to share their experiences and recommendations

of fitness facilities in detail.One of the latest sites is hotelgymreview.com. Founder Matthias

Morel says the site is intended for any individual that wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road, not just athletes in training. The site does ask users to review the general guest experience but places the emphasis on fitness facilities, and related amenities such as the availability of healthy meals at the hotel, places nearby where guests can work out or whether the neighbourhood is good for running or walking.

Reviewers first rank the general experience of the hotel before moving to what matters to them most — the gym. The cardio and resistance training equipment is ranked on a scale of five stars from poor/mediocre to excellent.

Mauro Nava of Technogym Asia welcomes the growth of this kind of website and says it is yet more confirmation that wellness is becoming one of the major consumer trends worldwide, and interest in wellness and keeping fit continues even when on the road.

“People are not only looking for gyms in hotels, but they expect the same quality they are used to in their professional health club,” says Nava.

He says Technogym’s combination of innovative design and high quality equipment that is easy to use, along with a comprehensive range of added value services, has enabled the Italian company to become one of world’s leading equipment brands. “With over 50,000 installations in the world and 20 million fans regularly training on its solutions … it is by far the most recognised gym brand in the world,”

says Nava who is Technogym’s Asia Pacific Key Account Manager, Hospitality & Chains.

“When designing a hotel gym it’s very important to first define the priorities in terms of activities users will perform, then develop the right solution and select the most suitable equipment for the specific user target. In the case of a business hotel the priority is usually cardiovascular training, extremely popular for a detox session after long-haul flights or to keep in shape after a long day sitting in a board room,” he adds.

Nava points to Technogym’s Excite+ line which offers the most complete cardiovascular range in the world – 10 different equipment categories from the RUN Now treadmill to its latest models Vario and Crossover.

“The cardio area is the part of the gym where people spend most of their time, and that’s why entertainment systems play a fundamental role. At Technogym we have just launched VISIOweb, the first integrated equipment display offering internet, TV and iPod connection to help people dedicate more time to their health while Twittering, contacting friends on facebook, watching their favourite movie or keeping up-to-date with the stock markets and all the latest news.”

In addition to having a wide selection of cardio equipment, strength training equipment is essential. Nava suggests Technogym’s Selection range. He also asks hoteliers to consider a personal training area fitted with Kinesis. “Designed by the world-famous architect Antonio Citterio and FLEXability, the Technogym couches make stretching easy and relaxing,” he adds.

Mixing equipmentLife Fitness also incorporates entertainment systems into its cardiovascular equipment, but as you’d expect from the company

As the range of exercise regimes mushrooms, hotel gyms need to ensure they can provide everything guests require. Ruth Williams works out how to

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that invented the first computerized stationary bicycle, mechanics and technology are key strengths.

“The best equipment for hotel gyms is always going to be based on safety, quality, aesthetics, performance and durability. Life Fitness stands for equipment which has been developed through costly R&D, multiple design phases and with the heritage in top performance and stringent safety measures, says Kiki Stensgaard, Director of Sales, Hong Kong and China, Life Fitness.

“The most popular equipment in hotels is still cardiovascular equipment, in particular Life Fitness treadmills, which are easy to use, and offer language choices and entertainment combined with the best mechanics and safety in the industry,” he adds.

Life Fitness also provides cross-trainers, stair climbers, summit trainers and of course stationary bikes. “Dual Adjustable Pulleys

have also become a must for international hotel gyms, as these offer hundreds of exercise options, with the advantage of functional training movements, sports, work, rehabilitation specific through the design of interdependent movements and user defined movements,” notes Stensgaard.

Mix of brandsMe Fitness in Hong Kong and Macau markets selected brands to the hospitality and commercial and residential club industry. Current brands include three of the best-known American names: Precor, which supplies elliptical fitness crosstrainers, treadmills, stationary bikes, climbers and stretch trainers and a full range of strength equipment; Hoist, best-known for its innovative strength equipment; and Keiser, which supplies a unique pneumatic resistance equipment and the leading “spin” bike in the industry the Keiser M3.

Phil Campbell, Managing Director, Me Fitness Limited says his company selects brands for their aesthetic looks and function. “Our brands can be seen in both hospitality and commercial club facilities as they appeal to both markets for their bio-mechanical performance, brand appeal, reputation and workout experience,” he says

“What is important when selecting a brand is that it’s one that can cater for both the Western and Asian body type, and that the equipment is gender friendly… that it is not intimidating and the ladies are encouraged to use it.”

Campbell acknowledges the growing interest in fitness is an opportunity for hotels to open their gyms commercially be it through charging for their facilities by creating memberships that allow pool use. “Pools are a must-have for hotels and a major incentive for people to join. From this you get spin offs into personal training, as well as spas and treatment facilities and services.”

Boutique gymAsked to recommend fitness equipment for a small hotel or a hotel with very limited space Campbell, says Swire’s The Upper House provides a good example of a boutique style facility. In keeping with the hotel’s intelligent contemporary design, Me Fitness provided Precor Cardio equipment and the Keiser pneumatic air system, which operates under constant pressure, is easy to use and silent – so no irritating clanging of plates disturbing other guests in a small space. The company also supplied dumbbells to supplement workouts. “It’s small, functional and provides a great workout to various levels of intensity,” says Campbell.

Also addressing the need to save space, in 2009 Life Fitness launched its Optima line, which offers single and multi-exercise machines, as well as benches and racks. Inspired by the latest styles in interior design, the machines feature low profile, fully shrouded towers that create a consistent ‘designer’ look across a facility.

Designed with simplicity in mind, easy-to-use adjustments and movements enable exercisers to intuitively use the machines for self-guided workouts. Also for those new to exercise, every piece in the Optima line features pictorial placards with colour coordinated adjustments for easy set-up. The machines’ weight-stacks also provide drop down increments for fine-tuning weight adjustments.

Technogym’s Nava suggests that given the growing consumer market, when planning a new hotel, wellness may not be the area to reduce space. “The real issue is how to create the right solution for the specific hotel customer target in terms of atmosphere, design, training programs, staff skills,” he says.

That said, he says Technogym has equipped many European boutique hotels in old palaces or historical city centres. “In these cases space is a key issue, so that’s why we developed some complete training solutions fitting in small 10 square metre spaces using for example our foldable Spazio Forma treadmill or our Unica design multistation, as well as the Kinesis Personal that allows users to perform more than 200 exercises in just one square metre!”

Now there’s no excuse not to hit the gym.

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Oct 28-30 Wine & Gourmet Asia 2010 Hall D, CotaiExpo at The Venetian Macao Macau SAR, China

Nov 11-13 FHC China 2010 Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China

Nov 24-26 Hotel Expo 2010 The 6th International Hotel Equipment, Supplies and Food & Beverage Expo The Cotai Strip Convention and Exhibition Center at the Venetian Macao

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Wine & Gourmet Asia is a trade, networking and culinary platform showcasing the very best of Asia Pacific’s fine wine, gourmet and hospitality industries. The event is for the region’s hospitality industry leaders as well as all gourmands and wine enthusiasts.

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HOSFAIR Guangzhou 2010 will showcase a myriad of kitchenware and catering equipment, food, beverage and equipment, tableware, hotel furniture, fabrics and uniforms, interior and lobby supplies, recreational facilities, hotel intelligence, cleaning and laundry equipment, and will also provide splendid live activities.

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Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong is the fastest growing exhibition for the hospitality sector in Asia Pacific. Currently in the ninth year, it has a growing reputation as the biggest and best niche gourmet Hospitality event in the region. Its focus on bringing excellent products and services will inspire and create ideas to help you develop your foodservice and hospitality business.

Diversified Events Hong Kong LtdTelephone: +852 3105 3970Fax: +852 3105 3974E-mail: [email protected] www.asianseafoodexpo.com

Meet face-to-face with seafood buyers from Hong Kong and throughout Asia Pacific with direct purchasing responsibility for live, fresh, frozen and packaged products. The Asian Seafood Exposition is the newest product in Diversified Business Communication’s global seafood portfolio that includes the world’s largest seafood fairs: the European Seafood Exposition and the International Boston Seafood Show.

FHC China is the most international trade show for food, wine and hospitality equipment in China. FHC China features Wine and Spirits China 2010, Meat China 2010 and Tea and Coffee 2010 specialist areas, with Olive Oil China, Ultimate Barista Challenge China, Ice Cream University, Wine Seminars, China Sommelier Wine Challenge, FHC international cooking competition and more.

Lily ZhuChina International ExhibitionsRoom A2402-03, Singular Mansion, No.318-322 Xian Xia Road, Shanghai(200336), ChinaDID:(86-21)6209 5209 Fax:(86-21)6209 5210Email: [email protected]

After the success of the past five editions, The sixth Hotel Expo will be held in The Venetian Macao again. Gathering thousands of hospitality industry decision makers and procurement groups from not only Macau, but also Hong Kong, China and other major Asian countries. Hotel Expo is the largest exhibition in the hotel, catering and hospitality sectors of Macau.

Coastal International Exhibition Co., Ltd.Room 2106, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong KongTel: +852 2827 6766Fax: +852 2827 [email protected]

Jun 10-13 ITE Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hall 1) Wanchai Hong Kong

Jun 10-13 ITE MICE Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hall 1) Wanchai Hong Kong

Jun 14-16 International Hotel Investment Forum Asia Pacific 2010 The Venetian Macao- Resort-Hotel Macau SAR, China

Jun 17 Hotel Management Asia Hotel Technology Conference The Venetian Macao-Resort- Hotel Macau SAR, China

Jun 17-18 Hospitality Architecture + Design Exhibition & Conference (HA+D Expo) The Venetian Macao- Resort-Hotel Macau SAR, China

Jun 30-Jul 2 8th International Hospitality Equipment & Supplies Fair (HOSFAIR Guangzhou 2010)

Sep 7-9 Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai Hong Kong

Sep 7-9 Asian Seafood Exposition Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai Hong Kong

DaTE EVEnT DETailS ORGanizER

Questex Asia Ltd501 Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +852 9860 0169Email: [email protected]

The HA+D Expo is dedicated to actively connecting hotel owners and operators with architects, designers, manufacturers and suppliers through a quality trade show and conference that focuses on products and services for hospitality project designers and developers. View concept rooms and hotel suites and be the first to see the latest product launches for mid- to high-end Hospitality projects.

The 24th international travel expo. TKS Exhibition Services LtdRoom 601, Stanhope House, 734 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +852 3155 0600Fax: +852 3520 1500www.itehk.com

The 5th MICE, business and incentive travel expo. TKS Exhibition Services LtdRoom 601, Stanhope House, 734 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +852 3155 0600Fax: +852 3520 1500www.itehkmice.com

The International Hotel Investment Forum Asia Pacific 2010 offers conference sessions, which are designed to reflect a new, innovative and “refreshingly direct” emphasis on generating returns from hotel investments in Asia. It includes interviews with leading hotel owners and operators, with panel discussions on the latest developments, trends and best practices in the hotel industry and the hotel investment arena.


The Hotel Management Asia - Hotel Technology conference brings together CIO’s, CTO’s, General Managers and Operations Managers of hotel properties to discuss how existing and emerging technologies can support new revenue sources, improve operational efficiencies and enhance customer service standards.


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E v E n t s

�� AHCT June 2010

E v E n t s

Beirut has often been called the Paris of the Middle East but the fashion on display at this year’s Horeca trade show was as much haute cuisine as haute couture.

One highlight of the event was a fashion parade showcasing dresses designed by local students and made by chefs – entirely from chocolate. The winner was chef Hanna Khalil of Le Meilleur, in collaboration with a student from the Esmod fashion school.

The four-day trade show, now in its 17th edition, attracted 20,000 visitors, making it not only a tourist attraction in its own right but also providing a significant boost to the Lebanese economy. Visitors saw products from 350 exhibitors, including official pavilions from Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Argentina, Poland and India as well as participants from Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and of course host country Lebanon.

Jordan was also represented by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Maha Khatib, who attended the show’s gala dinner at Le Royal Dbayah with other dignitaries including Lebanon’s Minister of Tourism Fadi Abboud and Ghassan Aidi, President of the International Hotel and Restaurant Restoration Association.

The evening paid tribute to women in the hospitality industry, especially those who had devoted their careers to management. A number of personalities were awarded the ‘Women Achievers in the Hospitality Industry’ title.

The show also hosted the 11th Salon Culinaire contest in which over 200 Lebanese and international chefs competed in fields as varied as Best Mezze, Best Pastry, Best Sandwich, Best Sushi and Best Young Chef. Live performances also drew the crowds and gold medals were awarded to Donaldo Sipat for Live Sushi, Nathalie Doumit in the Live Junior Chefs Competition and Carmen Azar for Woman Chef of the Year.

International panels of judges rated both Lebanese bartenders and olive oil, while the show finished with the media becoming judges at a blind tasting of white wines.

Food meets fashion at Lebanon’s Horeca

Food & Hotel Asia, the region’s largest food and hospitality event, hit the jackpot this April, with its biggest ever show both in terms of size and attendees.

The show attracted 52,000 people to the Singapore Expo over 20-23 April with 42 percent of visitors from overseas, an increase of five percent on 2008 when the last exhibition was held.

The number of group pavilions at the fair also grew from 33 in 2008 to 46, with new country pavilions from Argentina, China, South Africa, Poland, the Philippines and Venezuela. To accommodate so many new exhibitors, the show increased floor space to more than 82,000 square metres compared to 72,000 in 2008.

Despite the feared effects of the Icelandic volcanic ash situation and the problem of getting flights out of Europe, all 2,545 exhibitor booths were operating. In the small number of cases where exhibitors were unable to fly out for the show, staff from high commissions and distributors stepped in to man the booths.

At the prestigious show, over 500 chefs from 22 countries got the chance to showcase their creativity via a series of culinary events.

Held every four years, the FCC National Team Challenge featured eight culinary teams from Australia, The Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland, with Singapore emerging as the winner of the coveted Lion Trophy.

“It is a great honour winning the battle for the Lion Award. We were aware that we would be up against world-class teams from other countries, and the pressure would be great. I am very thankful to my team for their commitment, drive and effort,” said Leons Tan, Team Manager, Singapore National Culinary Team.

In the Dream Team and Gourmet Team Challenges, Singapore were also victorious, with Temasek Culinary Academy and the Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts securing wins.

Singapore also took gold in the Asian Pastry Cup, with silver going to Taiwan and bronze to Malaysia and China. These four teams will now go on to compete at the World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France. For more information on this event, turn to page 26.

In the Asia Barista championship Taiwan’s Chang Hung Huang took top honours, beating Thailand (Benyapa Naowan) and Japan (Takayuki Ishitani) into second and third place respectively. In the ASEAN Hotel and Restaurant Association’s Cocktail Competition, meanwhile, Singapore’s Zheng Pan was crowned victor, with Khung Kun Yao first runner up and Bernard Joseph and Panya Inkhongngam both second runners-up.

Overall, exhibitors and country pavilions thoroughly enjoyed the show and were particularly impressed at the quality of buyers.

Massimiliano Sponzilli, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Commission, said: “The attendance and quality of the meetings here have been very good. Everybody is happy with the show and the first-time exhibitors have made good contacts.”

South Korea’s Song Mi Jeong, Deputy Manager, Korea Agro-Trade Centre which was the organiser of one of South Korea’s pavilions, said: “Many of the exhibitors were surprised that there were so many buyers, and some have already secured buyers and distributors.”

Held in tandem with Food & Hotel Asia 2010, Wine & Spirits Asia 2010 also enjoyed success this year. Exhibitors such as Yabby Wines from Australia said they encountered up to 40 groups a day, while India’s Deejay distilleries found potential distributors in Malaysia and Singapore.

In addition to its esteemed competitions and growing range of exhibitors, Food & Hotel Asia 2010 also featured a range of conferences, including a tea sommelier masterclass from Twinings, an Austrian wine tasting and a forum on the changing consumer and industry trends in Muslim-Minority countries.

The biggest-ever Food & Hotel Asia

Coming next Food & Hotel Asia17-20 April 2012Singapore ExpoSingaporewww.foodnhotelasia.com

E x h i b i t i o n s

AHCTJune 2010�0


June 2010 AHCT �1

There are more expos than that one in Shanghai this year.

The 19th Shanghai International Hospitality Equipment and Supply Expo, more briefly known as Hotelex Shanghai 2010, attracted 43,288 visitors in April. This figure was a five

percent increase on the previous year’s attendance. According to figures from organisers Shanghai UBM Sinexpo, some 10 percent of visitors were from the international community.

The show hosted 855 exhibitors from 35 countries and had large pavilions from Italy and Ethiopia, which the organizers say shows, “the overseas’ deep interest in the China market.”

Ambitious plans are already in place for 2011, with a projected expansion of floor space to 160,000 square metres and goals of attracting 2,200 suppliers and 100,000 visitors.

In order to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Hotelex Shanghai 2011 will create a one-stop purchasing platform for hotels, restaurants, and bars and provide total solutions together with building, cleaning and lighting shows.

In 2010, the expo not only showcased latest products and services in catering, appliances, furniture and IT systems, but also hosted a series of events.

Visitors could choose between the China Barista Championship, Forum on China Hotel Project Rebuilding, the Hotelex Bartender Show, British Tea Time, Cooking Class, Wine Tasting Show and a Uniform Show.

Shanghai showcase

Coming next

Hotelex Shanghai 2011March 29-April 1, 2011Shanghai New International Expo CenterShanghaiChina

www.hotelex.cn

Tutored wine tastings, spirit and cocktail demonstrations and Chef Master Classes are just three of the reasons you could sign up for Hong Kong’s Restaurant & Bar show (R&BHK), an event that is celebrated for presenting excellent networking opportunities to the region’s fine dining

and bar industry, say the organisers. Being the first fine dining and bar exhibition in Asia Pacific, R&BHK prides

itself on its ability to connect exhibitors with chefs, F&B managers, wine buyers, and bar and nightclub owners not only from Hong Kong but also the rest of Asia, particularly Macau and Shenzhen which don’t have entirely similar events.

Now in its ninth year, the show will be held from September 7-9 in 2010 – just in time to catch buyers for the industry’s busiest period of Christmas and New Year. As the show is co-located with the Asian Seafood Exposition and also hosting several dedicated new exhibitions, organisers say it’s expected to double in size, and the event has received its highest-ever onsite booking.

One such dedicated exhibition is Gourmet Japan. With over 1,300 Japanese outlets, Hong Kong is the biggest concentrated F&B market outside Japan, and this dedicated platform will address the needs of Japanese restaurant and bar operators in Hong Kong via exhibition products including alcoholic drinks such as umeshu and shochu, plus rice, Japanese tea, soy products and snacks.

Certain dedicated exhibitions will also be making a comeback in 2010, like Coffee Culture, where buyers can meet suppliers and attend educational seminars. Other beverage highlights of R&BHK 2010 include the Hong Kong International Beer Awards and World of Wine, where experts are on hand to enhance your wine knowledge. The Cocktail & Spirit Theatre & Show Bar provides a similar opportunity, giving attendees the chance to gain a greater understanding into mixology. This corner of the exhibition is also a great place to meet for a drink with potential clients or colleagues.

Back in the kitchen, the chef Master Class programme provides chefs with the opportunity to prepare their signature dishes in front of fellow professionals, and last year’s event showcased the cooking skills of several top chefs in the region, including Stefano Piscedda (Cinecittà), Alvin Yeung (Bo Innovation), Jaako Sorsa (Finds) and Siriluck Lekkwan (Thai Grill & Restaurant, the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong).

Last year’s exhibition also garnered many positive comments from attendees, with Christophe Vrignaud, Head of Operations F&B, Agnes b HK Limited, saying, “R&BHK is THE rendezvous for the Hong Kong community that none of us would want to miss.” John Kwong Managing Director – Elite Fresh Foods was similarly enthusiastic about the show. “The difference with R&BHK compared to other events is that we see a far more concentrated audience. At other events we waste time speaking to people who are not buyers but with the Restaurant & Bar event we are always meeting the right people.”

Meet the right people at the Restaurant &

Bar show

Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2010September 7-9, 2010Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition CentreHong Kongwww.restaurantandbarhk.com


AHCTJune 2010�2


June 2010 AHCT ��

MarkNeukomm

PimpataiTechachukiat

GlenDamianRoberts

The InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong has announced the promotion of John Drummond to Resident Manager. The Scot has a 20-year career in hotels, mostly as an Executive Chef or developing F&B concepts. Drummond first joined the hotel in 2004 after stints in the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa Manama has announced the appointment of Mark Neukomm as General Manager. The Swiss hotelier has worked in Japan and China and for Hilton as well as the Ritz-Carlton company, which he joined in 2000. Neukomm started his career as a chef ’s apprentice in 1980.

Andara Phuket Resort & Villas has announced the appointment of Pimpatai Techachukiat as Director of Sales & Marketing. Pimpatai has over 20 years experience in hospitality, including Director of Sales roles at The Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok.

NyomanWinatha

Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore has announced the appointment of Executive Chef Glen Damian Roberts to its culinary team. The Australian has been cooking professionally since 1985 and has worked at leading hotels in Britain, the Middle East and Southeast Asia including Sheraton Grand Laguna Phuket and the Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Meritus Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of John Sartain as General Manager of Mandarin Orchard Singapore. With 25-years experience in hospitality, the Briton has worked with major hotel groups in Asia and Europe including Hilton Hotels and Jarvis Hotels.

Meritus Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Kurt Otto Wehinger as General Manager of Marina Mandarin Singapore. The Austrian hotelier has held key posts with leading hotel chains worldwide and career highlights include being General Manager of the Grand Millennium hotel in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games.

Courtyard Resorts has announced the appointment of Wilaiwan Pakkulnant as Training Manager at properties in Surin, Kamala and Patong, Thailand. Wilaiwan will oversee all staff training and human resource functions and joins the company from Trisara resort in Phuket.

InterContinental Bali Resort has announced the appointment of Nyoman Winatha as Director of Conference & Events. A local talent, Winatha is a Hospitality graduate and has risen through the ranks at InterContinental Bali Resort over the last 17 years to achieve his position in senior management.

The PuLi Hotel and Spa has announced the appointment of Christopher Young as Director of F&B. The Australian has over 20 years experience in the area, including work at leading hotels and Melbourne’s Jacques Reymond fine dining restaurant. Young also managed three fine dining outlets during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and previously ran his own successful restaurant, Pomme.

JohnSartain

KurtOttoWehinger

WilaiwanPakkulnant

JohnDrummond

ChristopherYoung

a P P o i n t M E n t s


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AHCT June 2010

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