July/August 2007 - Cover Story

A Gem Re-cut

The restaurant was selected as the fi rst phase of a $100 million renovation shortly after the hotel changed hands in 2003, and hotel management worked with a design consultant to create a warmer environment. When 1500 Ocean opened in May 2006, the space featured darker wood, and a black stained cement fl oor to contrast with the white and off-white tablecloths. "We wanted to gain contrast and get away from the washed-out look," Schackne says.

Uniforms were also redesigned to convey an upscale, but not stuffy image. "We took a vest and put a lapel on it to make it a little more formal," says Schackne, "and paired it with a white button-down shirt and tie. But the tie is loosened a bit, and the top button on the shirt is undone. We also put a cuff in the sleeve. It all works to make our service a little more approachable."

Becoming "more approachable" is one of the key objectives "The Del" is pursuing as part of its renovation project. It is a considerable challenge, considering the venerable hotel's long, rich and colorful history. The Del opened its doors in 1888, nestled against the Pacifi c Ocean on San Diego's Coronado Island, and is now a national historic landmark - for many travelers, its signature red turret instantly calls to mind this legendary seaside resort. The Del has hosted no fewer than 10 U.S. presidents, not to mention royalty and celebrities, from Charles Lindbergh and Marilyn Monroe to Brad Pitt and Madonna.

"It really is a gem of a property," says Hotel Manager Donna Gonser. But any building that's going on 120 years old needs to be updated now and then, and when KSL Resorts acquired the Del Coronado, the new owners immediately embarked on a reimaging, including new uniforms for the hotel's 1,200 employees.

"We have guests who have been coming here for 50 years and they love the hotel, but they would say, 'Are you ever going to get new uniforms?' " Gonser says. The hotel's new owners also sensed that the staff was weary of their old uniforms. " 'We've worn these forever,' was something we heard a lot," she adds.

A new power source

The hotel's management team took great care in selecting the new waitstaff uniforms for 1500 Ocean, since it was the fi rst part of the property to be renovated. Pants and vests are both dark gray in 100% wool gabardine, and the shirts are a poly/cotton blend. "Based on the environment they work in, we add some synthetic materials to allow the garments to hold their shape and not wrinkle as much," says Food & Beverage Manager Steve Schackne. "But they can get hot, so we try to minimize the synthetics and only use them when necessary to achieve a goal." Ties are silk, and restaurant staff can choose any of 12 different options from a "tie box" at the beginning of their shift.

The reception to the new uniforms from guests and staff alike has been overwhelmingly positive. "Customers took to them right away," says Schackne. "When you change a restaurant environment radically, customers will tell you immediately what they don't like. But we have had no negative feedback on the new environment, and the uniforms are an important part of that, so I'm taking that as a 'yes' vote."

Just as important, the staff felt comfortable in the new uniforms. "The uniform itself has a lot of power, and part of that comes from the way the customer feels about it," Schackne says, "but most of the power comes from how the wearer feels in it."

The challenge of updating those uniforms is embodied in the hotel's elevator operators - gentlemen who operate one of the last working manual elevators in the United States, Elevator No. 61 from the Otis Elevator Co. Up until now, those gentlemen were clad in a traditional uniform - red coats with gold buttons and trim over dark pants. Their new look honors the hotel's heritage while updating the style and "approachability" of the uniforms: gold braid trim on a khaki coat, over top of espresso brown pants.

One of the fi rst parts of the hotel to get a makeover was the Prince of Wales restaurant, which was "re-conceptualized" and reopened in May 2006 as 1500 Ocean (see sidebar, p. 25).

"Nothing tied together"
When the staff of 1500 Ocean got their new uniforms, it brought attention to the garments worn by the rest of the hotel's employees - and the fact that they hadn't been updated since the hotel changed hands.

When Gonser and the rest of the management team began looking at the uniform program as a whole, it found a lack of cohesiveness. "The department heads had made independent decisions on uniforms for their areas," says Gonser. "The uniforms were nice enough, but nothing tied together."

With the renovations going on, The Del was ready to move beyond the traditional uniforms for its staff and into something more fresh and contemporary. "We used to have our people in burgundy jackets with gold trim - they screamed 'uniform,'" Gonser says. "We wanted something that really didn't look like a uniform."

In the end, the decision was made to take style and design cues from one of The Del's most precious assets - the beach. "Our supplier, Top Hat Imagewear, borrowed from designs they had done for a resort in Bali, refl ecting the fact that we are at the beach," says Gonser. "We went with linens, cottons and blends that breathe easily, with garments that look good on a variety of body types, and look crisp at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day."

The new color palette picks up on the beach theme but also coordinates with the hotel's deep mahogany woodwork with a heavy emphasis on cream, sand and other natural, neutral colors, with a rich espresso brown for contrast. While the elevator operators still have the most ornate garments, the new uniform set as a whole is more simple and streamlined, with few accessories. "We were going for a more polished, cleaner look," Gonser says. "If you see them from the back, you wouldn't even know it was a uniform."

Two over par
With more natural fi bers in the set, Gonser says, it's important for garments to hang for an extra day or two between wearings, so the Hotel Del increased the "par"-the uniform set allotted to each employee. Instead of three shirts, most employees now get fi ve, to go with three pairs of pants or slacks, and three vests. A larger wardrobe will also help the garments last longer.

"When the staff of 1500 Ocean got their new uniforms, it brought attention to the garments worn by the rest of the hotel's employees."

"Our goal is to roll this uniform program out over two years, and not have to make any more signifi cant changes for an extended period of time," says Gonser.

Even though The del and Top Hat did their homework in designing the new uniforms, Gonser still expected some "constructive criticism" when the new garments were unveiled. "The only comment we received was from the bellmen, who wanted us to move the inside vest pocket up a couple of inches, and add a second pocket on the inside of the other vest lapel," Gonser says. "It was remarkable that that was the only change."

Best of all, she adds, "our staff knows that we care about them, and they take a lot of pride in how they look."