Colin Bennett

"Alain Ducasse is also part of what we want to do," says Colin Bennett, Starwood Hotels & Resorts' area manager - England, who is also the current chairman of the group's food and beverage council.
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"We are putting together a portfolio that GMs and F&B directors can look at if they would like a third party for these operations," says Bennett. However whether you are looking to outsource to a big name like Alain Ducasse or to a mass chain, Bennett has a word of warning.
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For Bennett, outsourcing is perfect when you have a hotel restaurant that is not doing well. "If you can get a deal where you get a rental to the bottom line and the outsourced restaurant makes money then you are in a 'win-win' situation," he says adding that guests are developing a strong appetite for franchised restaurants, which are increasingly providing a point of differentiation among hotel groups.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has appointed Colin Bennett to the newly created position of Area Manager England. He joined ITT Sheraton in 1987 as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at the Sheraton Skyline and was most recently the General Manager of Central London Hotels .

Colin Bennett, a former general manager for the Starwood Hotel Group, recalled the most brazen theft he encountered during nearly 20 years in the business: "As soon as I walked into the lobby of one hotel," he said, "I immediately realised something was missing - but I couldn't put my finger on it. It transpired that three people had strolled into reception, dressed in overalls, and had wheeled the grand piano out of the hotel and down the street, never to be seen again."

Television

Other seemingly immovable objects Bennett remembered being taken included overhead projectors and innumerable televisions.

"Looking back over the CCTV footage, we would see a guest walk through a busy reception struggling under the weight of a television set, yet no one would bat an eyelid," he said.

Colin Bennett, area manager for England for Starwood Hotel Group, agrees: "We have found that business travellers are now looking for a healthier option, but they are also looking for quicker options and more flexible ones so we have had to adapt our menus to fit in with this.
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Bennett says: "We are putting a bowl of apples in the corridors on all our floors - we have apples next to the water in the fitness centre with a sign saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'."

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has appointed Colin Bennett to the newly created position of Area Manager England. In this new role Colin will have responsibility for the six Starwood hotels in England

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has appointed Colin Bennett to the newly created position of Area Manager England.He joined ITT Sheraton in 1987 as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at the Sheraton Skyline and was most recently the General Manager of Central London Hotels.

Starwood promotes Bennett

Starwood Hotels has promoted Colin Bennett, previously its general manager Central London hotels, to the newly created role of area manager England.His new position gives him responsibility for the chain's six hotels in England.Mr Bennett joined Starwood in 1987 and has worked in England, Zimbabwe and Scotland for the group.Starwood said in His mandate in his new role was to "create industry leading blueprints for Starwood branded outlets to assist in winning new business and adding brand value."

For Colin Bennett, Sheraton area manager for England, upgrading lobby space is not only a means of distinguishing the brand from competitors such as Marriott and Hilton, but a way to retain guest spend. "Obviously, we want people to relax and hang out with us, have a glass of wine or grab something to eat, rather than nip out to the local Pret, for example," he says.