Mr. LaTour

Condo Hotels

Foodies Take Flight to Fractional Resorts

By Tom LaTour, Principal, LaTour Signature Group

Most of us eat three meals a day, 365 days a year for a total of 1,095 dining experiences. Surely some of these should be memorable, and that's a key goal for managers at fractional interest resorts.

Restaurants and food service are without a doubt the most competitive aspects of the fiercely spirited luxury resort hotel industry.

Dining is one of the top three favorite activities and attractions cited by vacationers, and it has the greatest potential to make the most lasting impressions on your resort guests.

The Food Network - and the smorgasbord of food and cooking television programs that it has inspired - gets a significant share of the credit for shining a spotlight on the culinary arts and promoting a hearty appetite for quality meals and superior services.

Yet people's current fascination with cooking, chefs and cafes au currant also can be attributed to a more basic human ingredient: Consumers can totally relate to food.

Everyone eats, so they can have a personal interest and intimate connection to what's going on in the kitchen and being served on their table. It is this mix of intensely personal and highly emotional dining that truly elevates the culinary experience.

Top-notch hotels and resorts have started recognizing this growing trend and are now being pushed to raise the bar on culinary services still higher as a new generation of "foodies" want more on their vacation menus than just room service and all-you-can-eat brunch buffets.

There are a number of other eye-popping and mouthwatering ways that luxury fractional resorts can satiate the cravings of today's globe-trotting gourmands.

Experiential Cuisine

One way that fractional resorts are catching culinary attention is getting owner-guests more involved in their overall food operations. From offering interactive programs such as wine pairings, cheese-tasting seminars and cooking classes to taking guests along on shopping trips to local farmers markets, these are just a few of the prime choices on the activity menu at premier properties throughout North America.

There's one Mexican resort that provides private in-villa chefs that prepare made-to-order gourmet meals, while another promotes a "culinary center" that offers hands-on cooking along side the chef. Educational vacations are at the top of the experience list, so learning to cook regional recipes at the class in Mexico, and then taking that knowledge back home to share with your friends and neighbors, is a great accomplishment and has its own rewards.

Fresh and Innovative Food

While sometimes resorts gain fame for pulling off a show-stopping signature dish that practically sings and dances its way to the table, other times it is simply a matter of being the "Best of Class" - be that the best waffle, best burger or best sugar-infused basil-drizzled mojita.

And don't underestimate the impact of the little things that often can create the biggest memories. From the freshly baked muffins and breads in the morning to the tray-passed artisan chocolates after a scrumptious meal, it's these tiny touches that get rave reviews over and over again from satisfied guests.

Small-plates and pint-sized portions, along with bite-sized desserts, continue to be hot trends. In addition to saving calories, vacationers also are interested in food services that save time. That perfect season salad served on the beach, for example, allows for more time with friends and family not to mention snorkeling and swimming with dolphins.

And it's not all about the taste of the food or even the look of it for that matter, but also the health benefits of the meals being served at fractional resorts.

Out of choice or necessity, dining guests are asking more questions about what is in their food and where it is being grown.

High-profile food recalls, federal bans on food imports and escalating concerns about safety are causing many resorts to take a closer look at their staple ingredients and food vendors and suppliers.

At the same time, books like Barbara Kingsolver's bestseller "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," are helping to boost the local foods only movement, sending new chef and restaurant management converts to farmers markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, raw milk and pasture-raised chicken, pork and beef.

As organic and local items increase in popularity, some forward-thinking resorts are growing and producing their own foods. Taking the requisite herb and vegetable garden to the next level can also produce yet another learning experience and emotionally bonding opportunity for you and your guests.

Celebrity Chefs

Fractional resorts also are hot on the trail of big-name chefs to anchor their dining facilities. It is not uncommon for owner-managers to travel the world mining international waters for top talent and their coveted culinary secrets.

After all, if fractional resorts are to become the epitome of the epicurean set, then a celebrity chef can be just the recipe for making it the most in-demand brand.

Twenty years ago, it wasn't even that cool to be a chef (aka "cook"). Back then, there weren't exhibition windows for people to look into the kitchen and you rarely saw a toque- and apron-clad chef tableside shaking hands with dining patrons.

Yet today, chefs are rock stars and mega-celebrities in their own right. Many top chefs have evolved into multi-product brand names. Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud boast their own wine labels. Charlie Palmer is building a luxury hotel in Las Vegas and Tom Colicchio was named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive."

Of course only a small percentage of chefs will ever reach such status, but that doesn't mean well-trained and highly experienced Johns and Janes can't establish themselves as on property celebrities.

And the most elite fractional properties - with an owner-guest roster comprised of Wall Street CEOs and billionaire entrepreneurs -- can even be springboards to multi-dimensional culinary careers that involve not only restaurants and cookbooks but TV shows and retail products.

Celebrity chefs aren't the only ones reaping the benefits of food services' increasingly higher public profile. Greater respect for chefs' skills and expertise means a higher value is placed on the work and the dining experiences offered at resort restaurants.

A famous chef once taught me to "cast a wide net to catch many fish." For me, that's meant providing such great culinary value that guests will continuously seek you out.

Not all of the dozen or so restaurants I helped create for Kimpton Hotels were successful, but I learned that if you listen to the guests and watch them carefully, you can identify and fix any problems quickly and then go on to much success. And who knows, maybe even your own celebrity cooking show.

Tom LaTour is one of the founding partners of LaTour Signature Group, a joint-venture business with ResortCom Elite that provides superior management services to small, luxury fractional ownership properties throughout North America. As the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group, he is applying his more than 40 years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry to this booming new vacation real estate market. Mr. LaTour can be contacted at 415-568-2210 or tlatour@latoursignaturegroup.com Extended Bio...

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