Global food tech platform C3 (Creating Culinary Communities) has partnered with The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa (pictured above), managed by Highgate Hotels, to assume daily operations of in-room dining and local deliveries.
“Highgate is a leader in hotel investment and management,” said Nima Fazeli, EVP, real estate & development, C3, which was founded by Sam Nazarian. “The deal between Highgate and C3 utilizes C3’s leading food tech and expands our admired digital restaurants, bringing C3’s world-renowned chefs to local communities. This deal with Highgate further exemplifies C3’s commitment to bringing opportunity (and profits) to underutilized kitchens and in the case with Highgate, hotel kitchens—providing our partners the opportunity to generate revenue and build a more efficient eco-system of cooking and delivery distribution. As these determined owners continue to build back post-pandemic, we’re providing them with a collection of the highest quality brands that they can integrate into their own kitchens and add significant incremental revenues and profits to their operations.”
In response to the global pandemic, where consumer preferences in meal consumption shifted to digital-first, the partnership with C3 and The Westin will bring C3 brands and celebrity chef talent to the local community, such as Umami Burger, Sam’s Crispy Chicken, Krispy Rice, In a Bun and Kumi. Providing ease of access to all virtual restaurant brands and shared kitchen models, consumers will be able to utilize all third-party delivery services as well as C3’s proprietary app, Go by Citizens. The app empowers customers to order directly from multiple C3 brands in a single cart order.
“Our number-one priority is the guest experience and this partnership with C3 allows us to provide more variety to our discerning customers,” said Keith Shopnick, VP, operations, Las Vegas, Highgate. “More than ever, our guests want choices and ease of access—through this partnership, we can create a sense of connectivity with our guests via great culinary options and the ability to have contactless delivery to their rooms.”
Operations are going well, according to Fazeli. “We’ve received great guest input, both on the offering as well as on the impact expanding the guest experience for our brands, which have become popular among the hotel guests,” he said. “It’s been great to see these curated chef-inspired brands succeed and all at a reasonable price point.”
The addition of The Westin increased the number of rooms serviced by C3 to nearly 75,000 globally, including at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Vegas. “Our operations increased this past year at Mandalay Bay,” said Fazeli. “In addition to Citizens Kitchen and Bar and KUMI, C3’s parent company Disruptive Restaurant Group (DRG) opened the new S Bar Las Vegas, which has quickly become a popular go-to for visitors and the Las Vegas community, celebrating the culture of mixology and inventive cocktails. Our partnership with Highgate utilizes the hotel kitchens of The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa, further adding variety with C3’s added culinary brands.”
