Hotels and Lodging
With the addition, F&M enhanced its everyday assortment of decorative bulbs, which before it had largely featured only on promotion.Revco, F&M, SupeRx in Cincinnati, and Bartell are among drug chains that have added specialty bulbs in expanded assortments.Photo: Near Montlucon, La Roche-O-Thon(a Chateau Accueil listing) rises above an ancient forest; its stone buildings date from the 15th and 16th centuriesPeter Kleiser was born in Neustadt, Germany, in 1938. His father was an engineer, and his mother ran a 36-room, family-owned bed-and-breakfast business. For the last 31 years Hilton has been his family.Bartell will put more emphasis on promoting, and on decorative bulbs including Philip's Directors light and its pastel lights, which Lofgren expects will have particular appeal with women shoppers.For Kleiser, the challenge is sometimes daunting, especially considering that fully half of Hilton's food and beverage revenue stems from banquets.Nowadays the stakes are higher than ever before. Kleiser estimates that it costs $100 per square foot just to provide the concrete floor for a kitchen. Then it costs another $140 per square foot to equip it.For instance, in-room mini-bars are not glamorous, but Kleiser relishes the thought that they return 44-percent margins and leave sales at lobby bars unaffected.Beverage Executives. Personal: Married, 22 years. One son, 18.Kleiser's fondest memories may be his brushes with movie stars and world leaders, including Pope John Paul II and Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev. With a discernible glint in his eye, Kleiser allows a rare boast, saying, "I took care of every president -- from Kennedy to Reagan -- at one time or another."(Albertsons last year moved to GE, bumping Philips, another sign of the aggressive account-churning that has beset this category).A group called The French Experiencehandles rentals for four chateaus and offers tours with stays in Brittany chateaus. Write to 171 Madison Ave., Suite 1505, New York 10016; (212) 683-2445.He came to the United States in 1959 to work as a waiter at Luchow's, long a landmark in New York for its German food. Four days after he arrived, his sponsor died, leaving him adrift in a strange country without friends. But soon he moved to another restaurant, The Steuben House, where he started as a cook and within weeks was running the place.beverage, Hawaiian Region, HiltonBut whatever happens, Kleiser says he feels secure. "Whoever buys Hilton would be buying more than the buildings," he says. "They'd also be buying the people."Room costs at all Relais et Chateauxrange from about $50 to $250, double occupancy. Lunches and dinners range from about $30 to $40, fixed price--or up to $90 a la carte. (The dining rooms are open to all.)Now, as an IFMA Silver Plate winner, Kleiser finds himself the object of the spotlight. "It's a tremendous feeling to be recognized and nominated by some of your colleagues and even your competitors."And, in part because of Kleiser, Hilton has carved a niche for itself in the esteem of foodservice professionals. "We never were the cookie-cutter hotel company," he says. "We never had one standard restaurant or coffee shop."While the early part of Kleiser's career at Hilton was marked by rapid growth, both for himself and the chain, the last decade has brought rapid changes in the marketplace.Hook-SupeRx's SupeRx division is launching a new GE planogram adding seven SKUs for a total of 65 light bulb types.Reichenau, Germany. Brooklyn College,Forum of Corporate Hotel Food andThese French experiences are not difficultto arrange. One international organization provides luxurious lodging and haute cuisine in chateau-hotels in France, some at prices fit for a marquis. For more budget-minded travelers, other associations offer guest rooms in privately owned and lived-in chateaus (not hotels).To stay in a chateau, to stroll a topiariedgarden, to sit down to dinner under an exquisite
chandelier . . .."Food and beverage goes beyond just food and just beverage," Kleiser says with the trace of an accent from a boyhood spent in the Black Forest of Germany. "It's an environment -- the timing, the serving style, the sound systems, even the temperature of the room."Chain merchandisers are betting that as home owners "nest" - stay at home and fix up their surroundings - they will propel decorative/specialty bulb sales. Sales of chandelier bulbs, for example, have grown faster than the overall market, industry sources say.beverage, Hawaiian and WesternFor a map and brochures, write or callthe French Tourist Office, 1 Hallidie Plaza, Suite 250, San Francisco 94102, (415) 986-4174; or 9401 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 840, Beverly Hills 90212, (213) 271-6665.PETER KLEISERAnd it is moving abroad, so far with five properties under the Conrad brand name, in London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Monte Carlo and St. Maarten. A new Conrad hotel in Cancun is due to open in July. A 1966 deal sold Hilton International and the foreign rights to the Hilton name to what was then Trans World Airlines.Other basic specialty bulbs are reflector bulbs, which provide directional or spot lighting and can be set in recessed fixtures, and in track lighting fixtures. Globe lights, often used in bathroom fixtures, are also growing in popularity.Chateau Accueil and Chateaux en Vacancesoffer guest rooms in privately owned and lived-in chateaus. The owners can usually give you information about local architecture, history, cultural events, and regional gastronomy--and can help you organize a dinner party or go fishing or hunting.Association; Culinary Institute of"We've seen in the last 10 to 12 years a tremendous evolution of the American consumer," Kleiser notes. "They are educated about food, whether it's Chinese, Italian, Mexican -- you name it. With this awareness, though, all of a sudden the American clientele is more demanding."Today Hilton rings up more $1 billion in food and beverage sales a year, including $310 million in alcoholic beverages. The chain is a dominant force in the U.S. market, with more than 260 properties.Hotels Corp. 1971: Assistant vice president of food andHotels Corp. 1972: Assistant vice president of food andBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The warm light of a setting California sun is flooding into the office as Peter Kleiser talks about the rigors of the hotel food and beverage business.Chateau Accueil has lodging in 42 chateaus(no minimum stay); Chateaux en Vacances offers 36 (two-day minimum). Rooms cost about $30 to $80 per person, breakfast included; in almost all cases, you can have dinner with the hosts.Pratt Institute, New York. Job History: Before 1959: Apprenticed at several hotelsWith that philosophy, the 52-year-old Kleiser has ridden to the top of the corporate ladder at one of the biggest hotel chains in the world and to the pinnacle of the foodservice industry.For a Relais et Chateaux catalog, see atravel agent or send $10 to David Mitchell and Co., 200 Madison Ave., New York 10016. When your plans are firm, call (800) 372-1323 to find out room costs and to reserve.Germany; Hotel Training School,"It was the smartest thing I ever did," he notes.Chateau Accueil, Chateaux en Vacances, Chez Vous: traditional hospitality for paying guestsChez Vous represents 86 bed-and-breakfastsin France, including a few chateaus and many owner-occupied homes. Most rooms cost $60 to $80 for two. There's a three-night minimum. For an illustrated 96-page catalog, send $10 to Chez Vous, 220 Redwood Highway, Ste. 129, Mill Valley, Calif. 94941; (415) 331-2535.New York. Executive chef, Washington,Revco, for example, recently launched a new planogram with General Electric that adds 14 new bulb types including decorative, reflectors and globes. Some stores are expanding a typical 8-foot section to 12 feet.Kleiser's success can be attributed mostly to his business sense. While trained as a chef, Kleiser is, most of all, a businessman.Seattle's Bartell Drugs next month will switch from GE to Philips, and expand bulbs into an added four feet, now occupied by lighting accessories such as extension cords. The accessory items will go to the housewares section, said buyer Paul Lofgren.Lives in Encino, Calif.
Lives in Encino, Calif.
Author: Rick Telberg
