An interview with Embassy Suites Hotel

When assessing which area of any hospitality operation can be improved, guest satisfaction, customer feedback and service usage are primary motivators and indicators. This year the Embassy Suites Hotels are investing $2.5 million in new state-of-the-art equipment and signage in their breakfast departments.

When Embassy Suites started offering breakfast they were the only hotel company doing it on a chain basis.  Now, there are 4,000 hotels offering some kind of breakfast. By implementing several new initiatives across the brand the group are harnessing their strengths in management and awareness of guest needs. The breakfast enhancement highlights the brand's commitment to its customers and to its four defining core pillars: the cooked-to-order breakfast, complimentary manager's reception, two-room suites and an atrium.

The results of redesign are heightened floor layout, artistic customized signs to aide guests, trained staff teams and new equipment to improve efficiency. The breakfast was beta tested in two hotels – Embassy Suites Hotel - Anaheim South and Embassy Suites Hotel – Memphis and the real proof has been in the positive guest feedback.

Re-designing at the Embassy SuitesThere has been considerable thought behind re-designing their complimentary, cooked-to-order breakfast program. The initial changes are heightened design and layout of the breakfast area, as well as the addition of new breakfast offerings.

What has prompted such an investment in this particular area?

"Ninety-nine percent of our guests – both leisure and business travellers – partake of our complimentary breakfast during their stay – that's 2.6 million guests each month," said Jim Holthouser, senior vice president, brand management, Embassy Suites Hotels. "As a brand that truly is a category of one, we are focusing on one of the cornerstones of our brand – complimentary, cooked-to-order breakfast. Each Embassy Suites Hotel atrium lobby is especially designed to serve breakfast, and it is a true differentiator for the brand. That's why we are investing the money back into our hotels to further enhance the breakfast experience."

Breakfast Food Trends

Embassy Suites has some hotels that serve 2000 breakfasts per morning, their chefs crack more than 135,000 eggs every day and more than 9,000 omelets are served to guests daily at nearly 190 hotels. The omelet is by far the most requested breakfast dish. With its popularity comes a new brand standard of offering cooked-to-order omelets with at least 10 omelet ingredients to choose from at all hotels. The ingredients include: cheddar cheese, ham, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, spinach and bell peppers. "It's all about choice and customisation," Kris Beck, director of food and beverage.

Equipment

Hotels struggle to find the right equipment to accommodate the masses. To meet the demand for omelets within the kitchen team, a new custom-made omelet ring, designed by American Metal Craft is being introduced. It is 7 inches in diameter, and once made the omelet looks like it is made in a pan. It is cost effective and the chef can cook more omelets on a griddle. The need is to increase efficiency by allowing breakfast chefs to cook more omelets simultaneously.

How do the chefs find the new omelet ring?

"The new customized omelet ring is working well and makes a beautiful omelet!  Our dream is to get every property making pan omelets but for the meantime, the ring has served us well by producing more omelets in a shorter period of time.  After all, omelets are our signature breakfast item so the faster we can make them, the better.  In hopes to make our "omleteers" happier, we will be working with American Metal Craft making minor adjustments to the design and durability of the omelet ring."

What about Training Staff?"

The implementation of improved breakfast equipment and service style is also about the training of more than 30,000 team members on Embassy-unique ways to be hospitable, coupling an exceptional experience with a superior breakfast for guests," said Kris Beck, director of food and beverage, Embassy Suites Hotels. "Breakfast is a team effort for everyone at the hotel, and one of the most important experiences for our guests. Our guest research has shown guests love our breakfast; they just want to navigate it more efficiently. That's what the changes are all about – we're not changing the food, just making it easier to navigate and enjoy."

Improve Dinning Room Traffic Flow

A key element of the breakfast enhancement is improving the floor presentation and layout to ease traffic flow and ensure guests can navigate their way more easily and efficiently through the breakfast area. The breakfast is self-service, but consumers take charge of their own breakfast experience. The layout of the breakfast area was improved by creating "stations," or distinct areas, in which each food group is positioned.

How have your guests responded to the new floor design and layout in the restaurants?

« The new floor design enhances traffic flow and efficiency for our guests conveniently creating little or no waiting time at each serving station.  Additionally, consolidating the serving stations make the space more modern and refined.  Guests have responded very well to the new graphics and color schemes on the signage, noting it makes it easier to find their favorite breakfast item. » 

Artistic Customization

The stations are labelled with easily recognizable breakfast objects to direct guests to food items. Some of the iconic imagery featured include: a muffin for the pastry station; a cup and saucer for the beverage station, a pear for the fruit station and a frying plan with eggs for the omelet and cooked-to-order station. Embassy Suites Hotels commissioned, a Memphis-based artist, to paint the breakfast icons. The paintings are impressionist-style and convey the unique personality of Embassy Suites Hotels. They are used across the entire hotel brand.

What does the staff think of the new and improved efficiency?

"The staff is positive about the efficiency of our new design, especially the signage.  They've identified the separation and distinction between serving stations as being crucial in the quick and efficient set up and break down of breakfast.  The new signage shows guests and staff exactly what is what." 

Further Developments

Last week Embassy announced Business Balance™, a brand-wide fitness and nutrition initiative slated to launch in January 2007.   Through this new program, Embassy Suites will partner with fitness expert, Rick Bradley and cookbook author, Paulette Mitchell to help guests enhance their business trips through nutrition and exercise.

Embassy Suites Hotels are a member of the Hilton Family of Hotels and opened its first hotel in 1984. It was the first all-suite upscale hotel brand to enter the industry and today has nearly 190 hotels.

SpotLight is the weekly column exclusively written for 4Hoteliers.com by Sarah Muxlow, it is highlighting the challenges and issues which the global hospitality is facing today.

Sarah is writing for hotel and restaurant owners, hotel chain managers, producers/growers/sellers of food & beverage, restaurant associations, governing bodies and hotel schools. She is looking at the problems they face...competition, trends of branding, staff shortages, unskilled staff, turning out students who are looking for good in-house management training schemes with hotel chains, what makes a good quality training course at a hotel school and more... 

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