Take 5: Andy Nelson, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Hotels
An in the Mix Feature Interview
Andy Nelson,
Director of Beverage Experience
IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Hotels
Andy is currently the director of beverage experience for IHG’s luxury and lifestyle division. He has nearly two decades of experience as a beverage operations professional, managing bars and coaching teams for leading boutique and luxury hotel brands. His primary goal is to inspire a passion for hospitality while instituting a higher standard of beverage operations.
Andy was named one of the top 5 bartenders in DC by Modern Luxury Magazine and has been honored as a judge for an international spirits competition. He has opened countless hotel bars in the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe. He is working towards more certifications and is currently a level 1 Sommelier and Cicerone. In 2015, he helped train and serve thousands of the World’s most elite beverage professionals as a cocktail apprentice for Tales of The Cocktail in New Orleans.
Believe it or not, Andy began working in the Food & Beverage industry as a means to afford the pursuit of a career in Broadway Musicals. He worked as a performing artist for two years before he realized the bar had always been his preferred stage.
Mallory Ambrose: Hi Andy, thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. To start, would you share a bit about your journey into the hospitality and beverage industry and how you became the Director of Beverage Experience at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts?
Andy Nelson:
First off, thank you for this opportunity! I started working in food and beverage when I was 14 in the dish pit of the Country Club of North Carolina. My dad told me when I was young that if I wanted to become a Broadway performer, it would be wise to acquire skills in restaurants as a means to provide for myself during that journey. I eventually trained in every role in the kitchen before moving to the front of the house to become a barback and busser. At 15 years old, I knew that if was going to work in restaurants, I wanted to be a bartender.
Along with pursuing my career in the performing arts, I trained and worked in every front-of-house position. The more time passed, the more my love for this industry grew. In my early 20s, I realized that bartending was the role I had been searching for all along. It finally clicked. Cocktails had become my new creative outlet, and the bar, my stage. I was able to connect with an audience in a much more intimate way.
It wasn’t until I got my first job with IHG that I realized the world of opportunity in this industry. I’ve made so many great friends, gained great mentorships, and achieved more than I ever thought possible. After a few years with IHG, I realized, at some point, I need to pass this experience on to others. I decided I wanted to be in a position to carry out the culture that provided me with so much. I’ve known for nearly a decade that this role is my dream job, and I am so proud to have the responsibility.
MA: You have an incredible background of experience in the beverage scene and seem to be somewhat of a bar expert. What inspired your passion for beverages, and were there any pivotal moments that shaped your career in hospitality?
AN: When I was a young barback, I got to see career bartenders work their magic. At that time, the cocktails were not very good, but people seemed to enjoy them enough. The values I gained from watching these bartenders were much more important than the drink itself. The bartender commanded their space; they could multitask beyond anything I had ever seen, making drinks, restocking shelves, prepping garnish, conversing with the guests, and making friends with every stranger they met. I’ll never forget the 70-year-old bartender who would step on my feet every time I took my focus off the room. He would say, “It’s our responsibility to keep an eye on the guests. Your station doesn’t move around the room; you shouldn’t have to look for ice. We must ensure everyone is comfortable, safe, and enjoying their experience.”
My passion for cocktails came many years later when I got my first job at a craft cocktail bar. I had the support of a very talented pastry chef who encouraged me to think outside of the box. She taught me how to incorporate flavors into cocktails that I never would have thought belonged behind a bar.
MA: How does your role as Director of Beverage Experience differ from traditional beverage management roles in the hotel industry?
AN: As my title suggests, I am responsible for the experience one may have at our bars and restaurants, not only for the guests but for the creators who work in those venues. I help to develop a beverage program that speaks to our concepts and markets, I select spirits that fit current trends, I help to provide guidelines for seasonal activations, and I strive to make sure all of our bar/beverage operators have everything they need to be successful while having fun developing unique offerings.
MA: Can you walk us through your experience opening bars – what was your first bar launch, and what lessons did you learn from it?
AN: In short summary, opening a bar takes lots of preparation. Starting with market research to determine what concept will stand out from others in the area. Development of the concept with inspirational menus. Designing the space and bar, the layout of the equipment under the bar, and the back bar based on the volume it can serve. Maximizing efficiency and sourcing quality equipment that can withstand heavy use over many years. Once the space is complete and we’ve assured all items are correct to plan, we finalize the menus and begin training. Training is where everything really starts to come to life. We ensure that everyone is confident in the concept and the execution of all our offerings. When we finally open the doors, our goal is for the team to be really excited to show off to our new guests.
The first bar I opened was The Katherine in Winston Salem, North Carolina. It is a special coincidence that this property is in the same town where I went to college. Training the bar team at this property was important for many reasons. I learned many lessons from this one, but the most important thing was never to make assumptions about a trainee’s experience or knowledge. It is best to start with the basics and work your way up. No one is ever offended by hearing these lessons over and over again.
MA: You recently opened a new bar for InterContinental Boston. How do you approach creating a bar concept from scratch?
AN: I must credit this concept to my colleague Bill McKinney. Boston, being part of his roots and the roots of American history, Bill wanted to lean in on the great stories of our founding fathers. I believe this is the best way to create a concept. They must be based on relativity and passion. I think finding what is unique about the city or neighborhood that hasn’t been portrayed, or at least not portrayed well. The concept must inspire passion in the people who work in it so that they can pass that feeling on to the guests.
MA: What key elements are essential to ensure a successful bar launch in a hotel setting?
AN: Concept relevance, concept integrity, and, most notably, the equipping and training of the staff. The key difference in opening a hotel bar versus one that stands alone is the opportunity to engage closely with in-house guests. The front desk and the bar have a fun, symbiotic relationship. The front desk can promote the bar to drive more traffic, and the bar can create fun offerings for the front desk to utilize, such as in-room amenities and welcome drinks.
MA: How do you decide on the right program for different types of venues within IHG’s diverse portfolio?
AN: Each brand has a different story. These stories help shape the feeling we want to portray through our offerings. For example, Kimpton is the hotel brand that created the boutique hotel category. Its Restaurants and Bars have always operated as if they were independent from the hotel and led by their chefs and bar leaders. For this we create a program that allows maximum flexibility and creativity. These venues are meant to be unique and fun. InterContinental is an international luxury brand created to host the world traveler of Pan American World Airlines. This brand is rooted in the assurance that you can always count on the same level of elegance in these hotels, no matter where you are in the world. Our program mimics this by placing iconic brands that are also timeless and elegant.
MA: In your opinion, how does a well-executed beverage program enhance the overall guest experience?
AN: A well-executed program helps to provide dependability, which creates loyalty. The traveling guest can put faith in knowing our offerings are of a certain standard and that they can count on us to provide great drinks no matter where they end up.
MA: Looking ahead, are there any new projects, trends, or concepts IHG is working on in terms of beverages that you can share?
AN: There are many, but one that I am most excited about is our new “Tasty AF” (Alcohol-Free) program that we intend to launch at the beginning of the year. This program will be launched as a book featuring delicious alcohol-free offerings, such as alcohol-removed wines, beers, and cocktails recipes featuring our favorite zero-proof spirits.
