Marriott International took the step that many hotel companies have been considering with their F&B offering — switching up gears to ensure their concepts could compete with those in the high street, thronged by Generation Y and millennials.
With that in mind, the hotel operator launched international campaign Project Canvas in 2015, which made its way to the Middle East after its launch in the US. A spokesperson said: “The name was selected because it conjures the idea of artists creating their masterpieces by starting with a blank canvas. The idea behind Canvas was to identify culinary artisans/ craftsmen who have a vision that they want to bring to life in our physical canvases.”
Once Project Canvas went live, a competitive selection took place among aspiring candidates — the winner would get US $50,000 each to execute their business plan. And Marriott International senior director of operations Middle East & Africa Markus Roeder reveals that while 10 global Project Canvas projects were approved, two grants were made available in the Middle East.
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At the end of the selection process in April 2015, two UAE entrepreneurs — Tomas Vindasius and Darren Velvick — were given the prize money to invest in creating their own F&B concepts. They were also assigned two locations — the former in JW Marriott Marquis Dubai and the latter in Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites.
Vindasius opened three concepts within Nawwara Lifestyle Choices (originally Nawwara, serving Arabic cuisine): Square, a nightclub; Garden, a Peruvian restaurant; Park, an outdoor lounge. Velvick, with his business partner Jane Nedanoski, opened The Croft, serving traditional British food in a casual dining setting.
Vindasius says his aim was always to create something new, rather than operating a concept from another country. “Project Canvas was the perfect opportunity for me to do that,” he states. Three presentations later, he bagged the chance. Describing his venue, Vindasius says: “I wanted to create a platform for passionate F&B professionals to showcase their skills. One venue is Square which is an underground nightclub. The second is Garden which is an authentic Peruvian restaurant, and Park is a very casual outdoor lounge.”
Investigating the idea behind this initiative, Roeder says big hotel chains have been thinking about the future of F&B for at least a couple of years. “We understood that Generation Y is very important for the future of the success of hotels, and this demographic sees F&B differently. In order to understand that, we hired an agency from New York and looked at Generation Y. In 2020, 50% of our business travel spend will come from this demographic, and 20% has reached peak income with 80% to come.”
Roeder also reveals that instead of going for the “big bets”, Marriott decided to try launching projects with passionate entrepreneurs.
Saying that, finding local entrepreneurs in Dubai was not as easy as in London or New York. “We received 10-12 applications, where they had to pitch, create a business plan, and present the vision and concept,” says Roeder.
“We liked Tomas and Darren the most — they were very visionary, they had a very compact concept, and some good numbers to support them,” adds Roeder. Vindasius and Velvick had to present their business plans to a jury ranging from senior management at Marriott International, to general managers and F&B directors within hotels.
Velvick reveals said he carried out extensive market research when working on his presentation, which included a business plan, details on the concept, along with mood boards. The initial plan, he says, included a grill which needed to be scrapped when they went on-site due to technical specifications. “We said we need to realign our business concept, which Marriott was happy for us to look at – they fully understood.”
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