Sofitel
For every guest, whether foodie or not, food plays a big part in their vacation satisfaction. That’s why having gastronomy as one of the three pillars of the Sofitel brand makes sense. Good food equals pleased guests, which equals repeat customers. The chefs who work for the various Sofitel properties focus on menus that “build bridges between local cuisine and French food heritage,” according to the brand’s website. In fact, Hotel Sofitel Legend the Grand Amsterdam’s restaurant is called Bridges, as a tribute to the city’s bridges and ties between the world’s cuisines.
The Sofitel So Mauritius, a five-star luxury hotel on the island’s south coast, offers guests a variety of gourmet experiences. For starters, the onsite Le Flamboyant oceanfront restaurant—with its soaring thatched roof and deep blue water channels—focuses on seafood dishes with a French flair using local herbs and spices. The beachside La Plage, meanwhile, offers a family-friendly ambiance with fresh seafood on the menu; at night, the atmosphere changes a bit focusing on the drumbeat of sega dancers and musicians, as guest feast on barbecue by candlelight. For those guests interested in adding a little romantic spice to their escape, suggest the Emotional Tables program, an intimate dinner for two where guests can choose their theme—Indian, nature or lagoon. Depending on the theme chosen, the location and experience varies: The SO Indian experience, for example, serves up cocktails and shisha on an Indian canopy bed; SO Nature serves guests local cuisine amid lush green surroundings and immerses them in the island’s traditions; and SO Lagoon delivers sea-inspired cuisine beachside as guests’ toes dip in the sand. sofitel.com
Destination Hotels
Destination Hotels properties define themselves as a gateway to new adventures and surroundings. Let these options be a portal for you when choosing a culinary offering for clients.
One thing that’s common for the brand when it comes to gastronomic experiences is foraging. At Suncadia, a Destination Hotel, for example, a local gardener and forager guides guests through Hay Creek Garden while sharing secrets of the native fare. The property, located in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle, has put its own mark on the farm-to-table experience with the Backyard-to-Table Summer Foraging Dinner at the Nelson Farm. The menu highlights the area’s summer produce picked right from the hotel’s backyard garden, which guests help handpick themselves. This multi-course dinner is inspired by the flavors of the summer season ranging from eight-ball summer squash to white strawberries, and wild foraged mushrooms.
At La Cantera Hill Country Resort, a Destination Hotel, located in San Antonio, guests can also try out a foraging experience with a local forager, followed by dinner. In fact, the resort can create full dinners using only foraged items from the vast property. The resort forages its own honey as well, and uses the honey to make various health and beauty items with the leftover wax. destinationhotels.com
