This Food-focused Hotel Chain Will Feature One-of-a-kind Classes and Experiences With Local Ingredients
Courtesy of Appellation
American chef Charlie Palmer and hotel industry veteran Christopher Hunsberger have big plans for your next vacation. And it includes plenty of delicious meals.
In June, the duo, who met some 20 years ago, announced their newest partnership on Appellation, a hotel brand fusing culinary and hospitality experiences into one. Palmer's restaurants have received 20 Michelin stars, and the man himself has received numerous James Beard Foundation accolades over the years. Meanwhile, Hunsberger spent more than thirty years in strategic leadership roles with Four Seasons and left after holding positions as President of the Americas and Global Chief Human Resources Officer.
Appellation, meaning "to give a name to a place," will be a place for what they call "approachable luxury," available across several new-build hotels in destinations like Idaho with Appellation Sun Valley, and in California with both Appellation Healdsburg and Appellation Pacific Grove. (Plans are already underway for hotels in several other locations, including Napa, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, and more.)
Courtesy of Appellation
Each will be purpose-built to ensure food is at the heart of it all — from lobbies with interactive prep stations to pantries on each guest floor filled with locally sourced artisan products and curated cookbook libraries.
"Appellations were created as a promise of authenticity — an earned designation that could exist nowhere else but here. The first appellations centered on food, just as we do today. That name felt appropriate as we create what we saw lacking for today's luxury traveler — hotels specifically built around a destination's distinct culinary experiences," Palmer, the brand's chief executive officer, shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine.
Courtesy of Appellation
"We're flipping the traditional 'hotel first, restaurant second' notion on its head and setting a new standard for immersion in local culture and community through food. With Appellation, the intersection of culinary and hospitality is seamless. It is the hotel experience both of us have always wanted," Hunsberger, the brand's chief operating officer, added.
As for the hotels' locations, the team explains they chose them for their extraordinary communities of makers, growers, and artisans. The Appellation hotels will range in size, with the initial planned properties ranging from 72 to 225 rooms. Each will feature a signature Charlie Palmer restaurant and bar, interactive culinary demonstrations, and will have experiential programming. The hotels will also offer meeting and event spaces, pools, spas, and fitness centers. Select hotels, such as Appellation Sun Valley, will also offer residences.
Courtesy of Appellation
"Guests and locals can watch live-fire cooking as they sip wine with a renowned local winemaker in Healdsburg, enjoy a perfectly crafted cocktail adjacent to the observatory at the rooftop bar in Sun Valley, or learn the art of perfectly prepared artichoke in Pacific Grove, just a few miles from the 'Artichoke Capital of The World,'" Hunsberger explains.
Courtesy of Appellation
A few more unique experiences guests can take part in include a meet-and-greet with a local knifemaker, a tasting experience with a local coffee roaster, the ability to participate in a Chef's Tasting Table alongside high-profile invited chefs, and so much more.
As Palmer adds, "Each Appellation is the culmination of regional character, the personality of people who call them home, and the food that brings them together." See more about the development plans and stay tuned for booking dates at appellationhotels.com.
