Talking F&B with Del RossThe Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Services for the Americas chats about his love of seafood, the joys of Cajun cuisine and how providing great F&B experiences can impact future sales.

The leading U.S. importer of such iconic beer brands as Corona Extra, Modelo Especial and Tsingtao is expanding its reach through a recent acquisition by its parent, Constellation Brands.

Crown Imports LLC

The Official Magazine of the World Class Beverage ProgramSUMMER 2013

In ThIs Issue

Best of a Sunny SeasonStanding a little past the mid-point of this year, it’s exciting to see the creativity and growth that IHG hotels

are continuing to bring to the food and beverage arena. Summer in North America almost always proves to

be a particularly prolific, upbeat time, with access for our restaurants and bars to abundant fresh produce

and our leisure guests in a vacation state of mind. As the second half of the sunny season begins and we roll

toward the fall, let’s keep up the summer celebration by maintaining our “best-foot-forward” commitment to

delivering Great Hotels Guests Love—at cheetah speed!Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray Vice President, Food & Beverage, Americas InterContinental Hotels Group

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Talking F&B with Del Ross

World Class Beverage Program Supplier Profile: Crown Imports LLC

Holiday Inn San Antonio:Renewal on the Riverwalk

IHG Bartender Academy:Serious About the Craft

Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn Promotions: Savoring the Classics

Beverage Briefs

Creating the Right VIBE

Building on the IHG global foundation of commitment to the environment and sustainability, the World Class Beverage Program’s Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey/Save the Bees promotion took top honors in the Best

Special Event category for Hotels, Casinos and Cruise Lines at the 2013 VIBE Vista Awards.

The awards presentation was a highlight of the annual VIBE (Very Important Beverage Executives) conference in Las Vegas in March. The Vista Awards recognize chains for excellence in their corporate beverage programs, emphasizing professionalism, creativity and bottom line achievement.

IHG teamed with World Class Beverage Program partners Jack Daniel’s and The Coca-Cola Company to create the Save The Bees program for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts for Summer 2012. The promotion was one in a series of events designed to raise awareness of the plight of the world’s honeybee population, which is in peril because of a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder. Other components of the overall initiative include creation of a Save The Bees website and a program of creating rooftop gardens and apiaries, tended by hotel employees trained in the art of beekeeping, at a number of InterContinental Hotels throughout North America.

The winning promotion was based on six creative summer cocktails, each featuring Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Liqueur or Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky and carrying honey-themed

names such as Swinging at Bees and O-Honey. Merchandising materials included a life-sized statue of Jack Daniel himself wearing a beekeeper helmet, and printed materials such as honeycomb-shaped coasters and menu inserts carrying a QR code linked to the Save the Bees website.

Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Americas, accepted the award on behalf of IHG. “We are honored to be recognized with a VIBE Award for this promotion,” he noted.

“IHG and InterContinental Hotels are passionate about increasing industry and consumer awareness of and knowledge about the decline of the world’s honeybees. We are proud that our efforts are beginning to make a difference, and achievements such as winning this award certainly help further the cause.” 3

Any FooDSERVICE ExPERIEnCE In yoUR BACkgRoUnD?“Yes. I worked my way through Georgetown University as a waiter in a restaurant that was part of a Marriott-operated hotel on campus. Earlier, I had part-time jobs as a server at TGI Friday’s and the local hamburger hamlet when I was in high school in Atlanta.

“But my career in the hospitality industry didn’t begin until I joined IHG in 2001, when I came onboard to help build the company’s e-commerce business. Before that, I worked in a number of different areas, from education—I taught economics and English in Slovakia—to banking to starting and running a couple of successful dot-com companies.”

WhAT DoES A gREAT DInIng ExPERIEnCE Look LIkE? “Flawless service and delicious food are the essence of dining perfection for me. Those are far more important than the decor and other physical aspects of the restaurant.”

WhAT’S yoUR FAVoRITE FooD? “My mother’s family is Cajun, from southern Louisiana near Baton Rouge. We like to say, ‘If you can outrun it, you can eat it!’ But seriously, we eat really well. I’m an omnivore—I enjoy all kinds of cuisines and lots of variety—but my favorite is seafood. You almost can’t serve me a dish with seafood in it that I won’t like.”

Though his marketing responsibilities take him all over north America, when it comes to food and beverage, Del Ross likes to lean on his southern roots. In a recent interview, the Vice President of Marketing & strategic services for the Americas talked about his F&B preferences, including his recipe for outstanding gumbo and his passion for Pacific Coast pinot noir.

Del Ross

TalkingF&B WiTH

ConnectionA SouthernKeeping

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hoW ABoUT yoUR FAVoRITE BEVERAgE? “My favorite alcoholic beverage depends on the category. I love a good, craft-brewed IPA (India Pale Ale). For wine, I’m obsessed with Oregon pinot noirs, particularly the 2009 vintage from the Willamette Valley. I also like a good single malt American whisky.

“Classic Southern iced tea tops my list for non-alcoholic beverages, or even better, an Arnold Palmer—iced tea with lemonade.”

FAVoRITE RESTAURAnT? “The most memorable dining experience I’ve ever had was at Le Bec Fin, a famous, elegant restaurant in Philadelphia that closed just a few weeks ago. My family took me there to celebrate my graduation from business school at Wharton. The meal was fabulous—the service was impeccable and every dish was absolutely delicious, prepared uniquely but exactly to each person’s liking. It was an important occasion for me, and the restaurant made the evening spectacular.

“As for local favorites—I’m not the best connoisseur of current Atlanta restaurants. I have four kids, ages 4 to 14, so when our family goes out to eat, it’s usually to value-priced establishments.”

Any RECEnT STAnDoUT MEALS AT An Ihg PRoPERTy? “I’ve had many great meals at IHG restaurants. Recently I had dinner at Art Smith’s Southern Art at the InterContinental Buckhead. I loved the ham-and-charcuterie bar that showcases the selection of different meats and the roasted vegetables that accompany many of the dishes. Plus, I’m a sucker for any entree served with grits, and Art does that exceptionally well.”

Any F&B “PET PEEVES?” “Whenever I dine in a restaurant, I invariably ask the server what he or she would recommend. It’s annoying when the reply is, ‘It’s all good.’ Ok, but what’s great on your menu? An even worse answer is, ‘I don’t know...I don’t eat here.’ I expect the wait staff to know something about everything on the menu, and suggest what they consider to be excellent. And I almost always order what’s recommended.”

Do yoU Cook yoURSELF AT hoME, AnD IF So, WhAT ARE yoUR SPECIALTIES?

“Yes, I do cook—I make outstanding gumbo, with chicken, sausage, okra, etc. It’s my best dish, and we like to serve it when we have friends over for dinner, since it’s something that people don’t ordinarily eat at home in Atlanta. I make the roux in advance, so that it doesn’t take so long to prepare.”

WhAT RoLE DoES FooD AnD BEVERAgE PLAy In Ihg’S SALES & MARkETIng EFFoRTS?

“Food and beverage can make or break guests’ satisfaction with their stay and their overall experience with our IHG brands. That in turn impacts the ability of our sales and marketing activities to attract them for future business. For example, if an individual is traveling on business and chooses to entertain a client in one of our restaurants, the quality of the dining experience is critical to our being able to convince the person to use that IHG brand again. F&B may not generally be why guests choose us in the first place, but it can certainly be a key reason they return.”

MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and charcuterie board selection from Southern Art at InterContinental Buckhead

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Blending Standard and Regional Favorites The modernization project concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March, studded with local celebrities and dignitaries. The hotel interior’s new clean, contemporary lines, open design and chic colors and materials have been extremely well-received by the local media and community as well as guests, Tony notes.

“The dining scene on the Riverwalk is quite competitive, so our restaurant business has continued to be primarily in-house guests,” he says. “But we’ve been drawing a good bit more incremental local business in the bar post-renovation.”

The menu in Windows on the River is a hybrid of selected standard items for the Holiday Inn brand and regional specialties such as the restaurant’s top-selling shrimp and asada (grilled beef) tacos.

In the bar, ongoing emphasis on fresh ingredients produces a standout mojito and is the secret behind the success of the house signature drink, the Mar-Rockin’-Rita.

“If you’ve got it, flaunt it,” the old saying goes. That certainly was the goal for the $13 million, top-to-bottom renovation recently completed at the Holiday Inn San Antonio Riverwalk.

Incorporating all the guest rooms and most of the public areas, modernization of the 26-year-old property aimed to take full advantage of its prime location on San Antonio’s world-famous Riverwalk—the No. 1 tourist destination in Texas and one of the top 20 in the United States.

Front and center are the hotel’s restaurant and bar, now collectively known as Windows on the River. “The restaurant had three different levels before. Now there are just two, offering spectacular views of the Riverwalk from every seat,” says Regional Director of Operations and General Manager Tony Johnson, who joined the property at the start of renovations in October. “With the new, more open concept, the restaurant and bar flow into each other, so we decided to use the same name for both.”

Leveraging the ViewHoliday Inn San Antonio Riverwalk:

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Attaining Coffee Perfection

A former lobby cafe has been redefined as the ultimate grab-and-go, doing a brisk business 24/7 with its offerings of fresh-made sandwiches, fruit, parfaits, danish and assorted pastries, and gourmet teas, waters and juices. The centerpiece of the revamped outlet is the Coffee Experience, which features state-of-the-art, Bunn equipment designed to produce the perfect, self-serve cup of coffee, from beans to first sip. The Coffee Experience is a pilot concept being tested at the Riverwalk property.

“The machine is calibrated to meet the specialty coffee gold standard every time, delivering beverages at precisely the correct temperature, with water at the optimal level of hard-to-soft mineral content,” Tony explains. “The revenue numbers to date for the Coffee Experience are exceeding our projections.”

Matching Service to Product The hotel’s renovations are also beginning to benefit its function business, though most of that space was not refurbished. “We’re in transition with our meetings, banquet and catering activities,” Tony says. “Our goal is to reposition the property to take a greater percentage of higher-rated events. The new, open design in the restaurant, coupled with the view, have created an outstanding, versatile new pre-function space we are using for weddings and other social events.”

The opportunity to offer guests a fresh, beautiful physical product is having a measurable impact on the hotel staff and the F&B team in particular, according to Tony. “You can really feel the pride on the part of our people. There’s a sense of wanting to bring the service levels up to match the product. We sell ourselves now as the newest, most modern and best hotel on the Riverwalk.”

Guest service scores have climbed at least 10 percent since completion of the renovation, he notes, due in large part to an intensive Stay Real training program.

“The training has taken us right back to the basics—a focus on taking care of the customer, which is especially important in food and beverage,” Tony says. “The emphasis is on maintaining a heightened sense of accountability, pride and open dialog. We’re out to create an experience in which everything must be right, with no excuses, so that we can consistently deliver a Great Hotel Guests Love.”

All seats in the remodeled Windows on the River Restaurant overlook the Riverwalk.

Firecracker Shrimp Tacos are a guest and local patron favorite.

Windows on the River Bar and Lounge provides the perfect place to unwind after a long day of business or sightseeing on the Riverwalk.

The lobby grab-and-go cafe features the gourmet “Coffee Experience,” a self-serve concept designed to deliver the perfect brew.

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Crown Imports LLC:

expandingan ImportingPowerhouse

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Quick–think “beach” and “beer” and what brand comes to mind? For most American consumers of adult

beverages, it’s Corona. The distinctive brew from Mexico was introduced into the united states in 1981 and, with its smooth flavor and laid-back, “summer-and-sun” brand vibe, became the fastest-growing imported beer in u.s. history.

Today Corona Extra is the No. 1 imported beer in the U.S., and its sister brand, Corona Light, is the No. 1 imported light beer, both of which are core products in the World Class Beverage Program.

Now Crown Imports LLC, the company that brings these and other popular imported brands to U.S. beer-lovers, has undergone a key ownership shift that stands to create opportunities for introducing brand extensions, as well as new products and innovations, to the American market.

From Joint Venture to Beer Division Created in 2007 as a 50-50 joint venture between Grupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V., Mexico’s leading brewer, and Constellation Brands, Inc., one of the leading international beverage alcohol producers and importers, Crown Imports has rapidly grown to become the largest imported beer company in the United States, with a 49 percent volume share of imported beers, and the third-largest overall marketer and producer of beer for the U.S. market.

Along with Corona Extra and Corona Light, the company’s solid portfolio includes, among others: Modelo Especial, the No. 3 imported beer in the U.S. and also a core product in the World Class Beverage Program; Pacifico, the No. 13 imported beer, and Tsingtao, the No. 1 imported Chinese beer.

In a transaction that closed in early June, Anheuser-Busch InBev, which already had a 50 percent stake in Grupo Modelo, acquired the remaining half of that company. As part of the merger agreement, Constellation Brands bought Grupo Modelo’s U.S. beer business from Anheuser-Busch InBev, including full ownership of Crown Imports.

The deal gives Crown Imports and Constellation the exclusive perpetual brand license in the U.S. to import, market and sell the Corona and Modelo brands, and the freedom to develop brand extensions and other new initiatives for the U.S. market. A state-of-the-art brewery in the border town of Nava in northeastern Mexico was also part of Constellation’s acquisition.

“It’s an exciting time for our company,” says Lori Welsh, National Accounts Manager, On-Premise East, for Crown Imports. “Crown Imports has not operated a large brewery before, but our parent, Constellation, has created a brewery operations group and is investing $500 to $600 million over the next three years to double that facility’s current capacity. The new licensing

agreement will allow us to develop new brands, products and packaging for the U.S. market and to introduce draft offerings not previously available from Mexico, such as a draft version of Corona.”

Leveraging a Successful Legacy Though Crown Imports is a fairly young company, its roots reach well back into the 20th century. Grupo Modelo began brewing and bottling Corona Extra in Mexico in 1926. The importing legacy had its beginnings with Barton Beers, Inc., a Chicago-based company founded in 1945 that became a major producer and distributor of spirits and a leading importer of foreign beers, including Corona. Barton Beers was acquired by Constellation in 1993.

As Crown Imports views the future in its new incarnation as Constellation’s wholly owned beer division, further strengthening of its three cornerstone brands will continue to be a focus, Lori notes.

“We’ve developed new creative campaigns for all the Crown brands, including new Corona Extra ‘Find Your Beach’ TV ads. That campaign was launched a year ago, promoting the idea that anywhere you are—from a ski lodge to the Caribbean to your own patio—you can find your beach with a Corona Extra beer. The ‘vacation in a bottle’ concept aligns perfectly with the Corona Extra brand positioning and has been very successful for us. We’re introducing new creative for Corona Light and Modelo Especial as well.”

growth in the Import CategoryCrown Imports also plans to further capitalize on trends driving the recent strong growth in both the imported and craft beer categories, Lori adds. “As the economy continues to improve, consumers are trading back up in their beer choices. We’ve also experienced considerable growth in on-premise business with our brands, such as for banquets in hotels.

“We have a great working relationship with IHG and its hotels,” she adds. “The company is pro-active, always reaching out to us with innovative ideas. We both appreciate and enjoy working with them.”

We have a great working relationship with IHG and its hotels. The company is pro-active, always reaching out to us with innovative ideas.

Lori Welsh, National Accounts Manager, On-Premise East, Crown Imports

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For questions and more information about the IHG Bartender Academy courses, email +AMER Bartender Academy (amerbartenderacademy@ihg.com). Hotels interested in opting in to the IHG World Class Beverage Program should contact Laura Hammer at laura.hammer@ihg.com or 770.604.8283

T he IHG Bartender Academy has debuted two foundational courses to launch its curriculum for bartenders across all IHG full-service brands in the U.S. Both are offered free of charge to employees of hotels that are members of the World

Class Beverage Program; a small fee will be charged for associates of non-member properties. The courses are available through the MyLearning section of the IHG Merlin website.

The new offerings are:

• Bartender Certification: This is the IHG Bartender Academy’s core program, the first of its three-part primary curriculum, which also will include Advanced Bartender Certification and Mixologist Certification, on tap to be rolled out in 2014. The Bartender Certification program offers a comprehensive review of bartending basics. Highlights include:

– An online instruction component that takes about nine hours to complete. The content comprises six modules, designed to be taken over the course of several days. These include an introduction, a unit on guest interaction and a product knowledge session each on beer, wine, spirits and soft beverage.

The bartender applicant must complete all six modules and score at least 80 percent on the comprehensive final exam (100 questions) to move on to the second part of the certification process.

– The hotel applicant’s manager conducts the next part of the program, the Live Skills Check. This consists of an assessment of each applicant’s ability level in 42 separate competencies, within five areas—guest interaction, knowledge of products and processes, personal skills, effectiveness and teamwork.

– Upon successfully completing both the online training and the Live Skills Check, the bartender applicant becomes an IHG Bartender Academy Certified Bartender and receives a diploma and one-year pre-paid membership in the United States Bartenders’ Guild (a $100 value). Hotels earn one Food & Beverage Training Credit (a maximum of one per year) when one of their employees completes the certification process.

• The Essential Skills of Bartending: This online course was created as an introductory offering covering the fundamentals in less detail than the Bartender Certification course. The content is specifically directed toward entry-level bartenders, those returning to the craft who want to brush up on the basics and F&B Managers or chefs who have never bartended but want an understanding of the fundamentals. This course takes approximately two hours to complete and can serve as a precursor to the Bartender Certification course.

“The IHG Bartender Academy focuses on bringing excellence to the guest experience in our hotels’ bars and lounges,” says Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray, Vice President of Food & Beverage, Americas. “These first two fundamental courses are the perfect introduction to our philosophy and commitment to best-in-class beverage service. The information, training and best practices they deliver are the key elements that make for great bartending.”

serious AboutThe Craft

Savoring The Classics

IHG Bartender Academy Offerings Aim at Those

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Back By Popular Demand Nothing says summer like a rack of ribs and an ice-cold beer. At participating Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels in the U.S., guests will have the opportunity to dive into this perennially popular hot weather combo from August through October. The brand has teamed with industry leader Anheuser-Busch to feature its top-selling Budweiser® and Bud Light® brands along with each property’s unique ribs interpretation. The promotional kit includes mouth-watering posters as well as menu inserts, which can also be placed in-room for maximum exposure. F&B teams are encouraged to develop an in-house incentive contest for servers and bartenders to promote and sell the pairing.

Staff training materials contain fun facts about both Anheuser-Busch brands. For example, “King of Beers” Budweiser was introduced by Adolphus Busch in 1876 and its “Vortex Bottle” contains specially designed grooves inside the neck to allow the great pilsner taste to flow right out. Bud Light, the world’s best-selling beer, premiered in 1982 and is brewed with a blend

of both American-grown and imported hops and a combination of barley malts and rice.

As Summer rounds the bend and heads toward Fall, the Holiday Inn® and

Hotel Indigo® brands have introduced promotions featuring tried-and-true

offerings designed to wring every delicious drop out of the remaining

warm-season days.

Pure Delight

The Hotel Indigo® brand takes its commitment to serving local

and refreshing flavors to a whole new level with its summer “Refresh”

promotion. From now through September 30, all Hotel Indigo Bars and Bistros in the U.S. are

mixing up a simple, elegant version of the Bloody Mary with a unique—and appropriate—twist. The locally oriented, farm-to-table element in this classic cocktail is Prairie Organic Vodka, an award-winning, handcrafted spirit made from single-vintage, organic corn that delivers a pure “seed-to-bottle” drinking experience.

Corn for the vodka is sourced from three family-owned, organic farms in Minnesota. The product is distilled to taste rather than a certain number of times, making it perfect as the basis for the Refresh Bloody Mary or simply enjoyed over ice. Produced by the Phillips Distilling Company, Prairie Vodka has won a host of accolades for its smooth flavor, including being named “Best New Vodka” by Food & Wine magazine in 2009 and winning the Double Gold Medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The promotion’s featured recipe is old-fashioned and straightforward, complete with celery stalk and lime garnish, allowing the character of the vodka to shine through. Hotels received a promotional announcement slick and guidelines, menu inserts, posters and a jump drive containing other cocktail recipes using Prairie spirits.

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For more information on the

Ribs & Beer promotion, contact Laura Hammer

at laura.hammer @ihg.com or 770.604.8283

For more information on the Refresh promotion,

contact Dianna Stoffer at dianna.stoffer

@ihg.com or 770.604.2633

Savoring The Classics

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Congratulations to the following InterContinental Hotels, who have restaurants and bars that have successfully moved up from 2 Star to 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant® status:

Round Robin & Scotch Bar at the Willard InterContinental, Washington, D.C.

Michael Jordan’s Chicago Steakhouse at the InterContinental Chicago

Miel restaurant and RumBa bar at the InterContinental Boston

The certifications were awarded by the Green Restaurant Association. Ratings are based on points scored in a rigorous seven-part process that encompasses environmental assessments and consulting, implementation of sustainability enhancements and verification. Kudos to these hotels for their hard work and success!

BEVERAGE BRIEFS

CelebratingGreen Upgrades

Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray | Vice President, F&B Americas Bob Midyette | Corporate Manager - Beverages, F&B Americas Laura hammer | Office Manager, F&B Americas

Pamela Tweedell | iMi AgencyAnn Wilson | Writer & EditorSilvermoss Partners | Art Direction & Layout

World Class Beverage Program Contact/Support: 770.604.5206 | bob.midyette@ihg.com 770.604.8283 | laura.hammer@ihg.com

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