F & B : ROOM SERVICE
Quality and efficiency In order to achieve both top quality and maximum efficiency , however , many hotels are taking a “ less is more ” approach to room service . “ It doesn ’ t work to put complicated dishes on the room service menu ,” notes Ivan Suardi , vice president , food and beverage , New World Hospitality , Hong Kong . “ Some dishes just take time , and it will frustrate the kitchen and room service teams and annoy the guest if you overreach on your room service menu .”
“ I would rather send a guest one or two pastries straight form the oven with homemade jam or freshly squeezed juice and a seasonal fresh piece of fruit rather than a basket full of pastries that were baked five hours earlier ,” adds David Nicholls , food and beverage director , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Hong Kong .
Of course , paring down a room service menu can also contribute to cost-efficiency and productivity . Christopher Hunsberger , executive vice president , global product and innovation , for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Toronto , says during the depths of the economic downturn all of the brand ’ s hotels were asked to make room service menus less of a “ laundry list ,” focusing instead on high-quality items with simple preparations that could also take advantage of synergies with menus at other restaurants and bars on property .
“ We ’ re trying to think about what it is that customers really want ,” Hunsberger explains . “ By reducing the offering but still having items that are important to our customers , we were able to reduce the cost potential on the menu .”
An increasing number of room service menus are resembling hotels ’ restaurant menus — in some cases to draw upon a restaurant ’ s cachet , but also because more hotels are running room service out of the same kitchen as the restaurant . Lapin of Blau and Associates notes this can have upsides such as labor and infrastructure savings , but can also lead to logistical challenges , especially when a kitchen
NEED
FOR
SPEED
Not long ago , a breakfast cook at the Four Seasons in Boston came up with a revolutionary idea : In order to enhance the experience of business travelers in particular , why not craft a room service menu that could be delivered 24 hours a day in 15 minutes or less ?
“ There was a bit of fear and trepidation , but all our hotels took it as an opportunity and a challenge ,” says Christopher Hunsberger , executive vice president , global product and innovation , Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Toronto .
By last November , all Four Seasons properties had a version of the menu in place , and since then the brand has fine-tuned the idea . Hunsberger says typically the 15-minute menu features 10 to 15 hot and cold items with
must produce room service standbys absent from the restaurant menu .
Speed is another critical element of any room service program and is also tied to menu efficiency . Four Seasons , for one , last year debuted a dedicated 15-minute room service menu ( see “ Need for speed ,” above ), and many other hotels have brand standards promising room service delivery within a certain amount of time . Taj Cape Town in South Africa achieves a 25-minute delivery time for room service orders , according to Food and Beverage Director Willem du Toit , thanks to a kitchen design that positions the in-room dining area close to the area where complete dishes are
The Four Seasons in Scottsdale , Arizona , includes a chicken wrap with locally sourced potato chips on its 15-minute room service menu .
“ likely suspects ” such as salads , sandwiches and breakfast staples . Four Seasons also has encouraged properties to add local flair , with the Singapore hotel offering fried rice for both adults and children , and the property in Scottsdale , Arizona , serving up a chicken wrap with locally sourced potato chips on the side .
Hunsberger notes that some properties , particularly resorts with more far-flung layouts , cannot promise orders within 15 minutes , but they still work to meet a speedoriented goal , such as 19 or 20 minutes .
The key to making the concept work , he explains , is focusing on dishes that are not too complex , both in their composition and final presentation . “ There ’ s still going to be a great presentation ,” he explains , “ but it ’ s maybe not quite as composed as something you might have seen in the past .”
placed , eliminating any delay in positioning them for transfer to rooms . Taj Cape Town also presets a number of room service trays and trolleys .
Training is crucial to efficiency as well . McShannon notes Radisson Blu Edinburgh has other departments such as bar and front office trained to alleviate pressure on room service if necessary . Suardi adds that staffers taking room service orders often receive extra English-language training , while room service attendants are as well versed in food service as restaurant waiters — if not more so . “ You might say they need to be even more intuitive than restaurant waiters ,” he says . “ After all , they ’ re entering the guest ’ s ‘ personal ’ space .”
64 HOTELS July / August 2012 www . hotelsmag . com