US. A new breed of stylish, hotel-style bars is sweeping American airports such as Philadelphia and New York. With the popularity of chic hotels bars such as the Whiskey Bar, the flight attendant couture uniforms of airlines such as Song and JetBlue, it seems that the focus on style and quality interiors is now being seen in airports as well.
New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport typify the move towards including stylish bars in the overall mix of bars, restaurants and shops at airports.
Paul McGinn, who heads MarketPlace Development, a Boston-based airport retail developer, attributes this shift in bar and restaurant design to the ongoing emphasis placed by airports on customer service.
“Knowing the customer is key”, he said. “Airports strive to meet the varying needs of their passengers. While many customers are comfortable in traditional bar settings, other travellers are coming to expect more sophisticated drinking and dining venues.” McGinn added that airports are now attracting experienced bar and restaurant operators who are experienced at designing spaces that appeal to customers looking for an alternative to the more traditional bars and restaurants commonly found at airports.
At Philadelphia International Airport, two bars run by OTG Management opened less than ten months ago in the new international terminal A West. Bolstering the city’s reputation for chic restaurant design are Cibo Bistro & Wine Bar and the Shades of Blue Lounge. They operate within the overall Philadelphia Marketplace, leased and developed by the MarketPlace/Redwood venture.
Cibo Bistro & Wine Bar is a relaxing upscale Italian Bistro with an open “drama kitchen” and 32 wines sold by the glass from around the world. There is also a Cibo Express version.
Shades of Blue Lounge is a smooth Jazz cocktail lounge with appetizers and sandwiches in a distinctive blue design, with high-backed plush seating surrounding the lounge area.
At LaGuardia Airport, two bars and restaurants in the Central Terminal stand out: the Figs restaurant by celebrity chef Todd English and The Olive Group – recently awarded “Best Airport Restaurant Design” by Airport Revenue News (ARN) – and the new Akoya Sushi Bar and Lounge by Philadelphia-based OTG Management.
Todd English has said that Figs is aimed at customers who have enough time to relax before their flight. It offers “a pretty hip look, as if the restaurant were in Manhattan.” Figs was designed by noted restaurant designer Peter Niemitz and is part of the Central Terminal Building (CTB) redevelopment at La Guardia – a 45,000sq ft (4,182sq m) concession programme by MarketPlace Development.
The Maui Taco restaurant managed by Anton Airfood at Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport won in the ARN large company “Best Airport Restaurant Design” category this year.
