Todd English’s Food Hall in New York City’s Plaza Hotel

A decade or two ago, hotels were not the first place you might expect to find a cool restaurant. In fact, many people wouldn't be caught dead in a hotel restaurant. The restaurant was considered an amenity for the hotel guests, a loss leader.

How the tables have turned. Some of the world's top chefs and the most cutting-edge concepts are the crown jewels of many hotel lobbies. Hotel operators, battered by a drop in travel over the last few years, now seem more open than ever to cutting a deal with operators, especially chefs and concept creators that will lend their property some cachet. A high profile isn't a prerequisite to finding a hotel partner. Today, outside-the-box thinking seems to be the key.

Exhibit A: The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English at New York's storied Plaza Hotel. Opened on the lower concourse level last summer, the 5,400-square-foot, 80-seat space was designed by celebrated architect Jeffrey Beers in the classic European food hall mold. Eight culinary stations provide on-premises or takeout dining affordable options to guests and visitors. Fresh flowers, imported and local specialty foods, cookware and home goods are sold here as well.

Check out Restaurant Hospitality for the rest of the story.