Leading hospitality development and management company 34th Floor Hospitality announces today the expansion of its team with a new key hire: Chief Operating Officer and Partner, Alex Taylor. With decades of experience including over 20 years in high-level leadership roles in hotels and restaurant groups, Taylor brings lifelong passion for hospitality and operations management to the globally recognized firm.
Founded by Olivier Zardoni in 2013, 34th Floor Hospitality specializes in consulting, project development and complete third-party management of hospitality projects. With top brands like TopGolf, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, MGM International and Hilton Worldwide as clients and partners, the group also boasts featured projects such as the development of the F&B concepts at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the private island owned by MSC Cruises. Additionally, 34th Floor Hospitality has executed F&B projects at destinations like Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas and Casino Saint Moritz in Switzerland, in addition to wholly managed concepts like Dirty Habit D.C. in the Kimpton Monaco D.C., which is now IHG Hotels’ second-highest grossing F&B venue.
“As COO and Partner of 34th Floor Hospitality, Alex Taylor advances not only our operational expertise but also our commitment to creating concepts that redefine the food & beverage experience,” shares Zardoni. “From his days as an instrumental player in the Las Vegas restaurant scene to more recent career milestones with Kimpton Hotels + Restaurants, Alex has gained a deep understanding of how to bring a restaurant to life and delight the consumer, which will add tremendous value to our projects as we continue to expand.”
After graduating from Duke University and Texas McCombs School of Business, Taylor pivoted from pursuing a law degree to pursuing his passion for hospitality, gaining practical experience in the food & beverage industry with operations position at an independent restaurant group in Washington, D.C., before joining Starbucks to help grow and develop the southwest market in Phoenix, AZ. After a chance introduction to Tom Collichio, who was opening Craftsteak at the MGM Grand as his first restaurant outside of New York, Taylor jumped on the opportunity to move to Las Vegas and become General Manager, diving headfirst into the world-renowned Vegas hospitality scene. He went on to become Director of Food and Beverage at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino before being tapped by Steve Wynn to be Executive Director of Food & Beverage at a new project, coming on board to lead the design, build-out and opening of the entire food & beverage program at Wynn’s $2.4 Billion Encore Resort and Casino.
Taylor then owned and operated his own multi-unit restaurant, Due Forni, as well as a boutique consulting firm that included clients in Las Vegas and throughout the United States. Through his consulting work, client Kimpton Hotels + Restaurants hired Taylor as Senior Vice President, Restaurants and Bars, where he helped expand the beloved restaurant group internationally after its acquisition by IHG Hotels & Resorts. Most recently, Taylor was Chief Operating Officer at Phoenix-based Upward Projects Restaurant Group where he more than doubled the unit count of its flagship concept, Postino, to 25 units by expanding into Texas, Georgia and California.
Now, with 34th Floor Hospitality, Taylor works in tandem with operators, asset managers, ownership groups and brands to create revenue-driving food & beverage concepts. With experience in all aspects of operations, management and finance, Taylor’s ability to holistically conceptualize and execute both the launch of new concepts and the growth of existing concepts plays a key role in the success of 34th Floor Hospitality.
