Nobu Hospitality is ranked among an elite selection of
global luxury brands. Founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Hollywood legend Robert
De Niro and movie producer, Meir Teper, with operations spanning five
continents, the Nobu brand thrives in the world’s capitals as the ultimate
destination lifestyle experience.
I had the pleasure of accompanying the trio (the three main
stakeholders) on a road trip from London, to Marbella, and finally to Ibiza.
The purpose of the road trip was for chef Nobu to officially launch all three
hotels and conduct the traditional Japanese Sake Ceremonies. The group is well
on their way to realizing their ambitious plan of launching twenty new hotels
in twenty locations by 2020.
In 2013, the first Nobu Hotel opened within Caesar’s Palace
Las Vegas followed by Nobu Hotel
Shoreditch London and Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay in 2017 and Nobu Hotel Marbella in
2018.
Robert De Niro, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Meir Teper & Trevor
Horwell (CEO) at the Nobu Hotel in Marbella for the official ‘Sake Ceremony’
marking the official opening of the Nobu Hotel and restaurant in Marbella,
Spain
Photo Credit: Justin Kernoghan
After a few days on the road, the group finally get to sit
down and have a chat over a cup of tea. Meir explained that after they opened
their first hotel in Vegas, the expansion happened at a much faster pace than
any of them could have imagined, he says, “Since starting Nobu Hotels, our
intention is nothing less than to stir the hospitality industry and change the
game. With each property taken from the inspiration of Nobu’s very first
restaurant, we are consistently channeling this important signpost on an
international level and it will remain the main challenge for Nobu Hotels.”
Robert De Niro, Daniel Shamoon, Chef Nobu, and Meir Teper
Photo Credit: Fox PR
De Niro, goes on to elaborate about how the whole Nobu
Hotels concept came to fruition, he recalls, “Nobu restaurants were asked to be
in a lot of places, in hotels and shopping centers. We were asking, if we’re
going into those places, why not do this ourselves? If you’re giving
credibility and cachet to a place, why? We have something people want, to
elevate their brand.”
Photo Credit: Fox PR
Over the duration of the road trip I had the pleasure and
honor of attending all three sake ceremonies. The Sake Ceremony originates from
the Japanese culture and it was at Chef Nobu’s suggestion that they began to
incorporate it for the launch of their new ventures.
Meir has attended the ceremonies since Nobu first started
performing them for Nobu Hospitality and shared his thoughts on this sacred
tradition, “The Sake Ceremony is a special Japanese tradition that we perform
to mark the official opening of the restaurants. It is a custom where a sake
barrel is filled with Nobu’s signature sake and we break open the barrel with
wooden mallets. The sake is then served to everyone present and a toast is then
made to signal good fortune and an official welcome.”
Meir Teper, Chef Nobu, Robert De Niro, Trevor Horwell, Hiro
Tahara, Daniel Shamoon
Photo Credit: Fox PR
Striving for more than restaurants and hotels, the Nobu
hospitality team is planning to expand with the Nobu Residences project at the
same speed. Meir is very confident that they will achieve their goals, “Our
vision is to open 20 hotels by 2020, and yes that includes residences too.
Other areas we are expanding into include Barcelona, Riyadh, Los Cabos,
Chicago, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Atlanta and Tel Aviv.”
Photo Credit: Fox PR
Their mission is to stand out from the crowd, and not to
follow in the footsteps of other luxury hotel chains. De Niro is determined
that they will remain unique, “What makes the hotels special, is creating a
destination restaurant, where locals, tastemakers come to dine and Nobu Hotels
is extending that into the night. We also have a clear focus on exceptional
quality, great service and charismatic design.”
Chef Nobu chimes in with the last word, claiming that each
and every hotel will reflect the characteristics of each location, “At Nobu
Hotels, nothing is carbon copy. Each hotel mirrors the personality of that
given location. From David Rockwell’s beach-house inspired rooms in Miami to
the street art feel of London’s Shoreditch hotel – every property feels like
the place that it’s in. It’s the same with the restaurants, we use locally
sourced and fresh ingredients and the menu is slightly tailored to reflect its
location. In terms of keeping things connected globally we set a standard and
we stick to it.”
Photo Credit: Justin Kernoghan
Robert De Niro & Chef Nobu Matsuhisa at the Nobu Hotel
in Ibiza for the official Sake Ceremony
Photo Credit: Justin Kernoghan
After spending a few days with this trio it is clear to see
that everything they touch turns to gold. Whether it be the movie business or
hospitality, they certainly seem to have the x factor that makes them unique
and stand out in a saturated market. The respect and honesty in this
partnership is clearly visible, and I wish them the very best of luck, and look
forward to hearing more about the world domination of Nobu hospitality.
Rates at Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay start at €630 (approx. US728)
per night, based on double occupancy. The hotel is a member of Small Luxury
Hotels of the World. Visit: www.nobuhotelibizabay.com.
Rates at Nobu Hotel Marbella start at €295 (approx. U$340) per
night, based on double occupancy. Visit: www.nobuhotelmarbella.com
Rates at Nobu Hotel Shoreditch: Deluxe start from €218 (U$251)and
Suites range from €440 – €950 (U$508 - U$1100). Visit: www.nobuhotelshoreditch.com
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