HOLLYWOOD, FL—It’s not often a hospitality consultant gets the shot to redevelop his own F&B concepts from more than 10 years ago, but if the opportunity did arise, the temptation to build upon the framework of a younger mind could be deemed irresistible.
“I love this property,” said Howard Wein, founder of Howard Wein Hospitality, recalling his long-standing history and emotional attachment to The Diplomat Beach Resort. “I know it inside and out. I probably spend more time at The Diplomat than any other place other than my home.”
In his role as corporate director of F&B at Westin Hotels & Resorts in 2002, he oversaw the development and execution of F&B concepts at the 36-story property, which at the time cost $187 million to build overall, fell under Starwood’s banner, and went by a different (but similar) name—the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa.
Thayer Lodging Group, a Brookfield Company—now known as Brookfield Hotel Properties—acquired the property in September 2014 and rebranded it under Curio Collection by Hilton in October 2014. In addition to its purchase, the Annapolis, MD-based hotel asset management and investment company committed $100 million for renovations, which included upgrades to the property’s lobby, nearly 1,000 guestrooms and F&B offerings.
“When Thayer and Brookfield approached me to spearhead the redevelopment of all of the F&B and entertainment, I was excited to have the chance to do something for another round and refresh it,” Wein said.
Shai Zelering, managing director of asset management for Brookfield Hotel Properties said the firm chose Wein for his expertise in running venues as standalone concepts and familiarity with the property on a professional level. “On a personal level, Howard knew many of the original associates that were there from the opening,” Zelering said. “Lastly, we needed someone who is not only creative, but can collaborate with Hilton and understand the investment objectives.”
Wein and his team assessed the property’s F&B concepts after being selected to helm the rollout of the property’s offerings. What they found—little to no change from 2002. Additionally, for such a large property, F&B offerings in general were limited.
“Before we just started shooting, we really looked from 30,000 ft.,” Wein said, explaining his approach. “We came up with a few different core values that we were going to base our strategic planning around.” Among them: engage the outdoors, highlight beverage and include a wide range of food offerings, both in culinary style and price point. “With this many rooms and with so much of the local community with limited options, we really wanted to be able to capture so much more of the hotel guests’ revenue as well as from the local community,” he said, noting the area’s lack of nightlife.
Ed Walls, the property’s GM, told Hotel Business that his team anticipates an increase in people dining at the resort’s new concepts. “We have lots of events coming up, and we are putting together some exciting dining packages for people staying at the hotel,” he noted. “The new concepts make us so much more competitive… We have dining options at various price points with different cuisines, so people will never have to leave the hotel.”
Taking local marketing a bit further, the property has been targeting its surrounding location. “We are also using social media and heavily interacting with the locals to make sure everyone around the hotel is aware,” he said. “Furthermore, we are using the new dining options as a selling point for large groups.”
The Diplomat Restaurant Group now has more than 10 culinary options, including chef-driven restaurants; branded eateries; The Canteen, a grab-and-go market; and Candy & Cones, a sweets shop featuring a modern penny candy wall. Three concepts have already opened: Bristol’s Burgers, Portico Beer & Wine Garden, and Diplomat Prime, a concept Wein designed in 2002, when it was known as Hollywood Prime.
“I got to remake [the steakhouse]as part of this process, and refresh and modernize it from a culinary, beverage and design perspective—so that’s a really cool aspect about revisiting my history here,” said Wein, who also redid the boutique steakhouse’s menu.
Howard Wein stands in front of The Alvah Stone, a restaurant he opened in MA.
What matters most to Howard Wein Hospitality when developing F&B offerings for properties is the underlying quality of both the “F” and the “B.” “It doesn’t matter if it’s a $4 taco or a $60 dry-aged steak,” he said. “One of the ways we believe is the way to do that is to use products that are as close to you and grown as sustainably as possible.”
“The F&B concepts at The Diplomat carry a tremendous level of weight,” Zelering said. “It is the centerpiece of our resort repositioning. While the chefs have been able to drive the restaurant design process, it is Howard’s input and knowledge of the property that ensures maximum flexibility within these restaurants to meet both the transient and group needs.”
Other venues expected to open in early 2017 include Monkitail, offering Japanese fare by celebrity chef and restaurateur Michael Schulson (Schulson Collective); Point Royal, a Coastal American restaurant and bar by celebrity chef, restaurateur and television star Geoffrey Zakarian; Counter Point, a place where guests can enjoy specialty espresso drinks, cold-brew coffee and fresh juice; Playa, a poolside, beachfront Nuevo Latino concept, featuring food designed by chefs Sue Torres and Darren Carbone; and The Hotel Bar, which is being pitched as the property’s center hub, highlighting classic cocktails from famous hotel bars around the world, crafted by bartender Willy Shine.
“I’m a big believer of where beverage is taking everything right now,” Wein said. “I just believe that beverage-focused and bar-focused concepts are really going to be the future for some time.”
Mixologists—or, as Wein prefers to call them, “really great bartenders”—are the new celebrities. “In a similar way, 20-some-odd years ago no one could name a chef—maybe other than Wolfgang Puck—and slowly, these chefs started to have all of these different opportunities to headline restaurants, especially in hotels,” he explained. Bar owners and bartenders are beginning to receive the same recognition, a result of what’s being done behind the bar.
“They’re just at the beginning of getting that notoriety, and it’s going to continue,” Wein concluded. HB
