Hotel giant Accor has launched an in-house hospitality group called Table For, with plans to unveil its first restaurant Flaminia by high-profile chefs Giovanni Pilu and Marilyn Annecchini.
In addition, a new cocktail bar at Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour will open this summer, and an all-Italian dining room in the Sydney CBD is in the works.
Table For brings together internal experts across culinary, operations, design and guest experience, as well as select collaborators including creative agency Example and high-profile industry leaders Stefano Catino and Vince Lombardo of the Maybe Group.
“We are redefining what it means to dine in a hotel, and treating our restaurants and bars as standalone heroes that locals and travellers actively seek out,” said Adrian Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Accor Pacific.
“Through Table For, we’re reimagining existing venues, developing entirely new concepts, and delivering experiences that guests and locals will seek out, enjoy and remember.”
Here, travel Bulletin chats with head of Table For, Ben Creek, about his plans for the new collective and the evolving hotel dining landscape.
Can you explain what thinking was behind the launch of Table For?
Hotel dining in Australia and New Zealand deserves to compete on the world stage, we have such a rich and diverse hospitality industry, with incredible restaurants, bars and cafes brimming with talent in the standalone high streets across our cities.
We saw an opportunity to bring this energy and craft into the hotel space and create special venues that inspire the communities they serve. Hotels have now become places for the local community to meet, work, play even if you are not staying there. Table for is a new group, bringing together some of the brightest minds in hospitality to lead the programming of our bars and restaurants.
How would you describe Flaminia and its offering?
Flaminia is a restaurant by Giovanni Pilu and Marilyn Annecchini, that celebrates the connection between Italy and Australia. The Pilu family travelled from Italy to Circular Quay on the Ship called Flaminia and when Giovanni, Marilyn and I were speaking about opening a restaurant together, Pullman Quay Grand was the first hotel that came to mind, as it overlooks the quay where the Flaminia docked in Sydney Harbour – it just felt like it was meant to be.
The restaurant will feature dishes from the diverse ports of Italy, championing the freshest of Australian ingredients and great Italian and Australian wines.
Can you give me a sneak peek into the new concepts on the horizon?
We have two new venues coming later this year, and have more in the pipeline for next year. Working with Vincenzo Lombardo and Stefano Catino from the Maybe Group, we will be bringing an exciting new cocktail bar to Circular Quay, located within Pullman Quay Grand, diving into the nostalgia of 1960s hotel bars from Mexico. We also have an all-Italian dining room about to land in Sydney’s CBD – more on this to come very soon.
Table For isn’t going to service just Accor-managed properties. What are the plans there and what do they involve?
With such a skilled team working together in Table For, we can see an opportunity for hotel owners to tap into these skills, from Culinary Director Rosy Scatigna and Shun Eto, Winemaker and Sommelier, to the creative team at Example, we can see how Table For could add value to wider projects further down the line.
Table For is setting out to redefine what it means to dine in a hotel. What do you think most consumer perceptions are of that kind of experience and how does the new initiative plan to change that?
We see hotel dining as about to have its moment in the sun. Aussies are starting to see that you can pop into a hotel for a quick drink after work, with pricing being comparable to high street venues, while really taking advantage of the great locations of properties.
I think that the COVID-19 pandemic has also helped break down the barriers, as well-known chefs are starting to work more with hotels, since trading conditions are proving challenging and hotels can provide a space for chefs to be creative and provide great hospitality.
Culinary experiences are high up on the priority list for travellers, but that’s not always been the case. What do you think has driven that change and how have travellers’ expectations evolved over time?
Travel centered around culinary experiences has certainly become more popular. I think people want to seek out authentic experiences and when they travel, food and drink is that strong connector to local cultures.
Social media has also played a part in travellers becoming increasingly interested in local cuisines and the desire of wanting to find those hidden gems in the neighbourhoods they choose to explore.
For us at Table For, we want to bring the best talent from across the industry, from chefs and restaurateurs to bakers and specialty coffee roasters, into the hotel space, so guests have that local community experience whilst they travel.
How would you describe the competitive landscape of hotel bars and dining, particularly in Australia?
I think the industry as a whole is evolving and the quality of food and drink in hotels is also really becoming quite exciting. For us, it’s important we strive to be best in class, no matter what hotel brand you are staying with and that’s the case in both CBD hotels as well as regional properties throughout Australia. There really has never been a more exciting time for hotel dining.
