Chelsey Ong HTM 498 Spring 2013 FORBES FIVE STAR PREPARATION

Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa Rancho Valencia was opened in One of Conde Nast Traveler’s Best New Hotels of 2013 Completed a $30 Million Renovation in 2012 Was ranked as #7 Resort in the Country and #1 Resort in California by U.S. News & World Report 49 Luxurious Guest Casitas with Private Patios 16/17 Tennis Courts 12 Villas owned by landowners

Veladora Veladora means candle in the Spanish language. This restaurant was included in the $30 Million renovation in It’s kitchen is run by Executive Chef, Eric Bauer with his Farm-To-Table philosophy. Most of his ingredients come from the famous farm, Chino.

What is Forbes? Forbes Travel Guide started off as the Mobile Travel Guide by Mobile in It inspects the site, food, service, atmosphere, table settings, reservations, and restaurant facilities. It also inspects dinner service and food quality. Michelin (Michelin Tires): quality, mastery of technique, personality and consistency of the food; not so much interior décor, table settings, or service quality AAA Diamond (AAA): rates restaurants from basic to fine dining food

California Forbes 5-Star Restaurants The French Laundry, 1994 Yountville, CA Thomas Keller Retained Forbes 5-Stars since 1999 Larry Nadeau Open 7 days a week Studio at Montage Laguna Beach, 2003 Laguna Beach, CA Craig Strong Retained Forbes 5-Stars since 2009 Fabien Riviere Open Wednesdays-Sundays Melisse, 1999 Santa Monica, CA Josiah Citrin Earned Forbes 5-Stars in 2013 James Spencer Open Tuesdays-Saturdays Addison at The Grand Del Mar San Diego, CA William Bradley Retained Forbes 5-Stars since 2009 Joseph Martinez Open Tuesdays-Saturdays

STEP 1: Print out Forbes Standards for all associates STEP 2: Managers started testing associates about the Forbes standards during line up Chelsey’s Project

Visit to Studio, Montage Laguna Beach “What did you learn?” Teamwork Family/Friends Atmosphere Bootcamp STEP 3: Contact Forbes 5-Star Restaurants and gain information about their success Visit to Addison, The Grand Del Mar Open Friendly Service Professional Fine Dining Atmosphere

Chelsey’s Project STEP 4: Create newsletter for associates and managers at Veladora New Menu Items Studio Interview Dates to Look Forward to Random Facts about Veladora

Feedback from Veladora They didn’t know what I was doing until I explain my project. They were really intrigued by the information I gathered and my newsletter. They wanted to participate in my fieldtrips. They thought the newsletter was really helpful by collecting all the information in one document. Initially, they were excited for my project. Once I had my newsletter, they thought it was cute, but didn’t really give feedback. After asking about feedback, they thought it was a really good idea to have a newsletter. We have monthly newsletters, now. CoworkersManagers

Chelsey’s Project I researched practices at Melisse through an interview and found that during line ups, they have new information from one person. I wanted to involve more people into my project for future use. During line up, one person will report what they have learned recently. It can be about the cheeses, wines, other restaurant standards, etc. STEP 5: Created a “In The Spotlight” newsletter instead with information that was helpful towards our service and standards at Veladora Other employees inputs were gathered and now, we started having a weekly research from someone in the line up.

Reflection What have I learned? Having an open mind and reaching out to other places will benefit me. “Always learning” is something I always ran into. Sharing your success can help others grow out of their comfort zones. Many people in the industry are really helpful; all I had to do was ask.