Nathaniel grew up working as a roadie for his father’s wedding band in St. Louis, which naturally involved seeing a slew of hotels and restaurants. This insider’s view lead him to his first real job within hospitality as the youngest employee at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, St. Louis and fueled his lifelong love affair with the hospitality industry.
His resume includes more than a decade of director-level roles growing and expanding The Ritz-Carlton’s Food & Beverage offerings across properties in Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, to California and Toronto, Ontario, before moving into high-profile hospitality establishments in Chicago. This is where Nathaniel says that he left the “Hotel Business” for a brief time and started focusing on Independent Restaurants. His roles allowed him the opportunity to further his education of his craft by running operations along for James Beard Nominated Restaurant Groups and Michelin Starred Chefs – all the way to overseeing operations of a “World Class” Entertainment District of Gallagher Way built and designed by The Ricketts Family. Most recently, his experience helped him in landing on the opportunity to help revitalize Detroit’s urban dining scene at the helm of The Shinola Hotel’s eight eateries. Creating dining and travel experience that leave guests forever changed is signature of Nathaniel’s approach to each new space, and something his staff will say is also simply his way of life.
At The Shinola Hotel, downtown Detroit’s signature boutique destination, the restaurants and bars attracted praise from Condé Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, and Forbes for their innovative approach and ability to adapt during the challenging service environment of the pandemic. Evening Bar (the award winning cocktail bar of the Hotel) even received a nomination for innovative bar program from the prestigious “Tales of the Cocktail” Committee within its 2022 awards in New Orleans. With direct oversite for eight department heads and 200 staff members, Nathaniel’s skill in developing success plans, P&L oversite, revenue development, and cultural programming activations helped strengthen the Shinola Hotel’s brand.
Now, as CoralTree Hospitality’s accomplished Director of Restaurants, Bars and Events, Nathaniel Brethold considers himself lucky to be able to do something for a living that most people consider their hobbies. With a deep history of culinary experience and Court of Master Sommelier introductory certification, he continues to win accolades for his ability to bring passion, creativity, and innovation to an industry hungry for the next new thing.
