Half a million bottles of champagne, 9 Michelin starred restaurants, 81 million meals… When we travel for business or pleasure, alone, with our families, or a large group, how often do we pause to think what it takes to deliver 5-star service any time of day, at any hotel or resort in the world, to any guest or group?

Now, as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations, the world’s largest luxury hotel brand has offered us a glimpse into how it delivers five-star service around the clock, across over 180 hotels and resorts from Marseille to Macau.  

A year of luxury cuisine in numbers at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts: 

• 81 million meals served  
• 27 million pastries made for guests 
• 500,000 bottles of Champagne are popped 
• 400kg of honey is produced by bees at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts 
• 166 years is the oldest bottle of vintage wine available for guests to order
• 9 Michelin starred restaurants across the InterContinental brand portfolio  

When your hospitality heritage includes catering to the world’s most illustrious faces, from the likes of Princess Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Martin Luther King to The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Queen Elizabeth II, partnering with Michelin star and celebrity chefs and restaurants is par for the course.

The company's current stable includes Gordon Ramsay at InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hôtel, Daniel Corey at InterContinental San Francisco, Theo Randall at InterContinental London Park Lane, Lionel Levy at the InterContinental Marseille Hôtel Dieu, Jason Atherton at InterContinental Dubai Marina and 2015’s ‘world’s best chef’ Pierre Gagnaire, at ANA InterContinental Tokyo and InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort. InterContinental Hong Kong manages to offer an impressive three Michelin stars all under one roof.

Now, some of these chefs have shared the efforts required to ensure guests experience the very best luxury dining during their stay… and what inspires them about the restaurants, guests, and destinations they serve.

Michelin-starred Jason Atherton of Marina Social at InterContinental Dubai Marina: “In an unbeatable location overlooking panoramic views of the waterfront, the restaurant’s concept celebrates de-formalized dining within a relaxed, social atmosphere. What’s always been really important to me is that we engage with our customers. So, we created an open kitchen and dessert bar, where guests can watch and interact with the chefs during their meal, and of course the DJ booth, unique to this Social, which won’t be replicated anywhere else in the world – it’s Dubai’s Social.”

Daniel Corey, Michelin Star chef at Luce at InterContinental San Francisco: “I was part of the opening team in early 2008. The InterContinental brand knows that restaurants and bars go hand in hand with travel experiences. They have given me a lot of creativity when it comes to developing and executing menus for our clientele, allowing us to offer a distinct dining experience at our Michelin-star restaurant, casual fare at our bar, and a room service menu that really showcases the best products and ingredients throughout Northern California.”

Theo Randall, Chef Patron of Theo Randall at InterContinental London Park Lane, which is celebrating its 10th birthday: “I am very proud to be celebrating this milestone with the launch of a new look and menu, in the same year as the InterContinental brand’s 70th anniversary. Together we have grown from strength to strength with numerous awards over the years. It has been a pleasure to partner with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and be a part of their signature repertoire made up of over seventy years’ experience catering for guests across the globe.”

Cocktails

If you're traveling and staying at an InterContinental Hotel soon, look out for something new at the bar: the recently-launched Worldly Classics Cocktail Menu, a carefully crafted selection of seven classic cocktails, to be enjoyed by guests all over the world. The menu, which includes Dry Martini, Negroni and the Eastern Breeze mocktail, will be rolling out across all InterContinental Hotels & Resorts globally beginning this year.

Dining with Kids

This follows the launch of the brand’s Planet Trekkers Children Menu, developed by Theo Randall and leading children’s food expert and best –selling international author Annabel Karmel. It features dishes that embrace flavors, textures, smells and tastes that will take children on an educational voyage around the world, while ensuring a nutritionally balanced meal with their parents. 

With ten openings in the past year alone including new hotels in London, Dubai, Chennai, and Beijing, as well as the reopening of the legendary InterContinental New York Barclay earlier this year, the iconic brand continues to build its luxury and culinary legacy.

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