Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Hotel Show Experience
I am baaaaaaaaaack!! Exhausted and exhilarated, it’s yours truly, Ellsworth returning from the Hotel Show. This weekend I’ve been swamped with business cards,
hors d’oeuvres, and everything hotels. The Hotel Show weekend was quiet a busy time for the HEC board: it donation time, mini-function flow, dinner with the advisors, and of course the CHS Reception at Bryant Park Grille.
We arrived to the city, fairly early on a Saturday afternoon. While some hotelies ventured out on organized hotel tours, some board members took the afternoon to visit the Chocolate Show. Yum! Ms. Israelson, Ms.Wong and Ms. Killam were mixing business with pleasure, browsing and tasting the endless chocolate offerings for ideas. Ms. Killam was excited about her discovery of single origin chocolate, which is organically done and would tie in nicely with this year’s HEC theme of “Sustainability through Innovation”. Saturday night, some of the board and CHS members gathered at BLVD on Bowery for some mocktails and hotelie mingling.
Sunday morning, I had to be up early and in my fresh-pressed suit for the HEC board mini-function flow. Held in the Millenium Hotel, mini-function flow was an opportunity for the board and HEC advisors to share and collaborate on the beginning sketches of HEC. Hearing from each department, I got the sense that the advisors were happy with the work of the board. After giving his famous “soup speech”, Denis Sweeney was pleased with the creative menu design and Richie Petrina suggested looking into using some organic wine for HEC. After mini-function flow, some boardies headed to the Hotel Show at the Javits Center.
The Hotel Show is something that every hotelie should experience at least once. Frankly, I was a little intimidated at first, afraid that I would get lost between the rows of booths and excited hoteliers at the show. From Turkish bathrobes to Hotel magazine, the Hotel Show featured every in and out of the industry. I was a proud representative at the Hotel School booth, greeting alums and answering questions about HEC and the school for interested passerbys. Each board member took the time to walk around and discuss donations or possible connections for their departments. The HOGS team received a warm reception from our long-time friends at Oneida, Bic, Harney and Sons teas. Mr. Manalili and Ms. Beveridge toured MKG production, which produces parties for the likes of P-Diddy, Janet Jackson for some bar set-up and design ideas. And Ms. Roukalova spoke with representatives from Hotels, Hotel Design, and Lodging Magazine about potential press possibilities. Finally, the future Mrs. Chang was wonderful at staffing the Hotel School booth all-weekend long and promoting HEC.
After a long day at the Hotel Show, the board headed for the advisor dinner at “La Mela” on Mulberry Street. Accompanied with live Italian music, I feasted on antipasto plates, cheese-filled pasta dishes, and scrumptious chicken and shrimp platters. Phew, still I made room for tiramisu and ice-cream. Thank you, Abigail Charpentier for a lovely, lovely dinner.
Finally, on Monday the board once again spent time at the Hotel Show until the CHS Reception. Even though it was raining, the Hotel School alumni community was in good spirits at the reception. Enjoying some wild mushroom stuffed ravioli and figs with blue cheese; I mingled with many familiar faces and of course, personally invited them all to join us for HEC. After a whirlwind evening, I boarded the bus at the Millenium heading back to school. All of us came back with many great ideas from the Hotel Show and re-charged from our trip. Now, it is back to prelim time and getting things in order for Thanksgiving break.
Can’t wait for Turkey Day
Ellsworth
8:01 PM |
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