The restaurant was designed around the concept of the global nomad, around the introspective inquisitive traveler, the voyager who’s unafraid of taking steps beyond the comfortable horizon.  The path he follows is not beaten, it is ethereal.  When all else around him is in constant change, the universal constant is found overhead.  Following the cues of the night sky, he navigates to the farthest reaches of the world under the familiar, protective cloak of Orion.  Wherever he goes, the nomad gathers, forages and hunts.  The daily reward is a shared meal around a humble firepit, a communal moment of sharing food and tales with friends – some old, some new.  As the logs are replenished, bursts of embers rise up and seemingly join the constellation above.  As the crackle dies down, the day ends. Tomorrow will provide new landscapes, new horizons to traverse – and another opportunity to intimately share, under the stars, by an open fire.

The restaurant’s design is aligned with a primal dining experience for the discerning global nomad; it offers global favors and wines from around the world.   The inset points of fiber optic lighting designed into the ceiling allude to the stars that guide us throughout the world no matter our location.  The use of rich woods, earthly stone surfaces, sensual leathers and tactile fabrics all nod to the global nomad’s worldly experience and what this new restaurant delivers to the guest’s palate.

Ario Restaurant at the JW Marriott Marco Island was recognized for design excellence by the South Florida Chapter of the NEWH for restaurants in 2016. The redesign of the resort has been recognized in multiple publications and at hospitality industry conferences.