Brown Hotel Chain Names New Chef, Turns George Hotel Kitchens Kosher

Brown Hotels, which was recently acquired by Israel Canada after running into financial difficulties, is appointing chef Nissim Levi as its chief chef. Levi will oversee the chain’s hotels in Israel, Cyprus and Greece, as well as the George Hotel in Tel Aviv, which will become kosher.

In addition to acquiring Brown, Israel Canada has deepened its hold on luxury hospitality in Tel Aviv by also entering the George Hotel and adding it to the chain’s premium collection. The hotel was built by Elco, part of the Electra Group, at a massive investment of about NIS 500 million.

With its entry into the hotel’s operations and management, Israel Canada made a major strategic decision aimed at reaching a broader Israeli audience, converting its culinary operations there to kosher.

Chef Omri Cohen, who until recently served as chef of West Side restaurant at Isrotel’s Royal Beach Tel Aviv Hotel, has been recruited to head the flagship restaurant. Within about two months, a new kosher chef restaurant is expected to open at the hotel under the two chefs’ leadership.

The restaurant will be based on a contemporary Israeli menu intended to bring the roots, aromas and authentic flavors of the Israeli home, and present them in a modern interpretation using the highest-quality ingredients.

The new appointments at the chain, which has 41 hotels in Israel and abroad, come amid dramatic ownership changes. Brown Hotels was put up for sale after falling into a financial tailspin and significant economic difficulties. This followed an aggressive expansion strategy that was too fast, leading to a broad footprint that did not match the company’s financial capabilities. In the end, Israel Canada stepped in and acquired most of the chain’s hotel operations as part of a debt arrangement, in a deal whose amount was updated to about NIS 131 million.