Innovation on the menu at Oasis

For Oasis Hotels & Resorts, innovation and wowing guests with new culinary surprises go hand-in-hand.

The resort chain currently boasts the top two spots on TripAdvisor’s list of top restaurants in Cancun, with Black Hole and The White Box respectively sitting in first and second, along with Restaurante Benazuza currently listed in 11th place. The popular travel website’s list ranks more than 680 eateries in the destination.

Ana Luceiro, director of food and beverage at the Grand Oasis Sens, told PAX that the restaurants are the product of the company’s drive to continually surprise guests with new developments at its properties.

“It’s been an ongoing process,” she said. “Innovation is in Oasis’ DNA; we’re always changing and reinventing ourselves in order to be competitive to stay top of mind with our guests.

“At an all-inclusive, guests expect to see the Italian, Mexican and buffet restaurants, but they’re not expecting to see this level of creativity and quality," she continued. “When you see the faces of the guests, it’s just amazing. It’s mind-blowing for all of us.”

Opened in 2014, Black Hole invites guests to dine in total darkness, allowing sight to take a back seat to the other senses as they experience food in a whole new light - or lack thereof.

“It’s not only a food experience, it’s a sensory experience,” Luceiro said. “You’re going to enjoy your food but it’s all about the entire atmosphere – what you feel and touch. We want everybody to experience it and it’s definitely one of those things you’re not expecting at an all-inclusive resort.”

With two locations (one at the Pyramid at Oasis Grand and the second at Oasis Palm), The White Box presents diners with what Luceiro described as “a gastro bar with a minimalist, unpretentious and informal atmosphere,” yet featuring a menu boasting dishes from Michelin-starred chefs.

Located on the grounds of the Grand Oasis Sens, Restaurante Benazuza offers guests “the whole molecular food experience,” Luceiro said, with a menu developed by Michelin-starred Chef Rafael Zafra.

“We have three of the top 20 restaurants, including the number one spot,” Lucerio said. We’re super proud of that.”

According to Luceiro, while the average development process for a new Oasis eatery typically involves from a few months of recipe and menu adjustments, creating a concept like Black Hole or The White Box is a more involved process, drawing input from all levels of the company.

“It depends on the concept we’re creating,” she told PAX. “We have fusion Japanese-Mexican, which took a couple of months to create and play with the recipes. We usually do a soft opening with sample menu and based on guest feedback, we create the final menu. But for something like Black Hole or Benazuza, it’s longer. Not only are our chefs working here, but they’re going to New York or Spain to train outside and bring ideas back with them.”

The concepts also provided their own unique sets of challenges and rewards, Luceiro recalled.

“With Black Hole, the challenge was for everybody to believe we could make it happen at an all-inclusive,” she explained. “I remember sitting at the table with the chefs and Juan Jose Moran (corporate, food and beverage) and the decorator and saying “how are we going to be able to sell this product?” There’s only a limited number of seatings, so people can have the whole experience and selling the experience was hard to do.”

“For The White Box,” she continued, “it was different because it had a pre-selection of 70 different plates. Every day, we had to sit down and choose something; we had all this variety of food and with a team of 10 to 15 different people with different palettes, we we’re going 'how are we going to create a cohesive menu?' while accomplishing the informal yet classy environment. The final choices were the most difficult part because everything was amazing!”

That creative process is still ongoing. This spring, Oasis opened Red Circus, a dinner and show experience for diners at Grand Oasis Cancun which opened earlier this year.

“One of the great things about working here is that everyone is passionate and enjoys what they do, so the process was fun; it was far from stressful,” Luceiro said.

For agents, that culinary innovation can translate into a deciding factor for clients booking their next winter escape, Luceiro said.

“We are definitely investing in our properties in the gastronomy area," she said, “and agents can use it as a selling tool because it’s not something you find anywhere else.”

More information is available at www.oasishoteles.net.