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The Dow Hotel Company Adds to Portfolio Eighth Basil’s Kitchen Branded Restaurant at Embassy Suites Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Dépèche transmise le 14 février 2011 par Business Wire

The Dow Hotel Company Adds to Portfolio Eighth Basil’s Kitchen Branded Restaurant at Embassy Suites Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Officials of The Dow Hotel Company, LLC (DHC), a hotel ownership investment and management company with in-depth restaurant expertise, today announced that it has acquired the lease on Basil’s Kitchen restaurant located in the Embassy Suites Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), in Seattle. DHC said it will invest nearly a half-million dollars to upgrade the 158-seat facility.

“Everywhere we have introduced Basil’s Kitchen, we have enjoyed an immediate increase in revenues and high guest satisfaction scores”

The facility is the eighth Basil’s Restaurant and its first free standing restaurant in a hotel. Concurrently, the company said that it is exploring the possibility of growing the Basil’s Kitchen restaurant concept nationwide and doubling in size by 2012.

“This is the next logical step in the evolution of the highly successful Basil’s Kitchen concept,” said Murray Dow, CEO, DHC. “We created the concept in 1999 and now have eight restaurants opened under the brand. We have reached the size and have the systems and standards in place to begin operating the brand outside of our hotels, and believe that the growth of the concept offers some attractive opportunities.”

DHC took over management of the restaurant, converting it to the Basil’s Kitchen concept in mid-January 2010, while working out a long-term lease agreement at the start of 2011. During its first year under the Basil’s Kitchen concept and DHC’s management, the restaurant’s covers increased 38 percent, revenues rose 26 percent and profits improved 74 percent.

Basil’s Kitchen, named for Dow’s mentor in the hotel industry, Basil Miaullis, features Mediterranean-style cuisine with fresh, local ingredients. The concept can be configured as Basil’s Kitchen, which features a more traditional restaurant menu, or Basil’s Bistro, which features small plate offerings, geared to a younger traveler. Signature items include Scallops Mornay, Steak Vesuvio and Capellini Bianchini, as well as fresh local ingredients.

“Everywhere we have introduced Basil’s Kitchen, we have enjoyed an immediate increase in revenues and high guest satisfaction scores,” Dow said. “While the concept is upscale casual, we effectively compete with more upscale brands because of the quality of the food, menu selection, price-value and overall guest experience.”

“What makes this concept work so well for hotels is that it was designed by hoteliers with restaurant backgrounds who strongly believe that restaurant operations in a hotel should be profitable and add to the hotel’s overall ambience,” he said. “We understand the nature and needs of hotel and local guests, as well as the importance and operating challenges of catering and room-service.

“We also have targeted the marketing of Basil’s Kitchen to the local community, something not typically associated with hotel restaurants in branded hotels,” he pointed out.

“Across our eight restaurants, 34 percent of our business comes from the local residents. We believe the local appeal of the restaurant in numerous cities across the country indicates that we have tapped into the consumer’s taste and ambience preferences. Attracting locals to a hotel restaurant is difficult unless you have the right concept. We think Basil’s Kitchen has the recipe for sustained growth.”

Two other restaurant concepts created and owned by DHC include BC Bistro and SunSpot. “Sustained growth brings a whole new dimension to our division,” Dow commented. “We believe there is substantial potential for growth.”

About The Dow Hotel Company

Seattle-based The Dow Hotel Company is a hotel owner/investor and operator of first-class, full-service hotels with properties throughout the United States. The company’s portfolio of owned and managed properties consists of institutional-grade hotels, under such brands as Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Sheraton, and Crowne Plaza. The company aggressively seeks to acquire, co-invest with joint venture partners and/or manage mid- to large-size, first-class, full-service hotels, especially those with extensive food and beverage capabilities.

The company currently operates 14 food and beverage facilities, ranging from casual dining to upscale, bars/lounges and in-lobby Starbuck and Tully’s coffee outlets. In addition to Basil’s Kitchen, the division’s restaurant concepts include SunSpot, BC Bistro, and Basil’s Bistro. Additional information about The Dow Hotel Company may be found at www.dowhotelco.com.