Regional vice president of Rosewood Hotels in KSA and managing director of Al Faisaliah and Khozama Hotels, Alex Pichel.
The Al Faisaliah Hotel by Rosewood Hotels and Resorts is collaborating with interior design giant Super Potato for the revamp of a number of its F&B outlets including its all-day dining restaurant, La Brasserie.
Speaking exclusively to Caterer at this year’s Arabian Travel Market, regional vice president of Rosewood Hotels in KSA and managing director of Al Faisaliah and Khozama Hotels, Alex Pichel, said the decision to appoint Japanese design company Super Potato was aimed at attracting more external guests to its F&B outlets by transforming them into ‘destination restaurants’.
Speaking about the current all-day diner, which features international cuisine, Pichel confirmed it will remain an all-day venue but with a new design twist: “ Our parent company Al Khozama Management wanted to ensure the entire complex remains a destination hotel. They wanted to ensure our F&B outlets are ready for the competition that is coming.”
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In line with this, it is likely Super Potato will also take on the project of the French fine-dining restaurant, Cristal.
Il Terrazzo, Al Faisaliah Hotel’s Brazilan diner will also be refurbished but Pichel said that a local design company would be appointed to undertake this project and turn it into a tapas-style restaurant.
Iconic restaurant The Globe, which tops Al Faisaliah Tower, is also set to undergo a revamp, but as yet a decision has not been made whether Super Potato will lead this project.
Pichel said as the standalone restaurant market gets stronger in Riyadh, hotel restaurants must be prepared to compete.
“The city is so vibrant and there are so many standalone properties coming up, you need to be on the move. You will not win if you stand still in this industry, particularly in Riyadh.
“We’re finding the Globe — while it is destination dining, as it should be — people are seeing it as somewhere to go only during a birthday celebration or an anniversary celebration.
"We need to move away from this and transform it into the sort of restaurant that is not just for special occasions,” said Pichel.
He continued to say entertainment would be a major consideration within the newly revamped outlets.
“We need to have something different. Yes it is important to have a top-quality product and great service but we also need entertainment. Super Potato is famous for its show kitchen and its all-day dining type concepts, which is why we thought it is the superb company to build our restaurants,” said Pichel.
Super Potato was established as an interior design firm in 1973 and has worked on a string of high profile projects including the Grand Hyatt Singapore, The Ritz-Carlton Pudong, The Westin Guragon in New Delhi and Zuma London.
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