Food & beverage
Above: Guests at the The Savoy’s Thames Foyer can enjoy afternoon tea that’s much more than just sandwiches, and cake.
Below: Afternoon tea served in the Thames Foyer is a British classic at The Savoy.
tailored service and luxury of tradition. “Afternoon tea is more than just sandwiches, pastries and scones. It’s everything that comes along with it.” From the atmosphere, the room itself, the ambience and service the hotels provide their guests, afternoon tea has been transformed by hotels and each offers its own take on the classic. Nearly every hotel in London has such an offering, and this is not expected to change going forward. “I think it’s one of those quintessentially British [experiences] and you have guests from all over the world that come to London to enjoy afternoon tea as part of the culture,” Maitland-Walker continues. “It’s ingrained in this country.”
But as the experience grows and evolves over time, hotels will need to keep up with other competing luxury hotels and even specifically tailored establishments for afternoon tea. From The Berkley, which recently offered a Prêt-à-Portea tea in honour of London Fashion Week, where pastry chefs created sweet treats inspired by the collection, to the Kensington Hotel, offering themed
experiences such as its ‘80 Days Around the World’ themed afternoon tea, sampling flavours from around the world and even gifting young guests with a colouring set, teddy bear and an Around The World In 80 Days book. For The Langham, and Baker, part of the joy of afternoon tea is the “theatre” of the experience. Changing any element of the traditional food pairing would take away from the experience, she explains. “Instead, we look at seasonal refreshes of our ingredients to showcase them at their peak, as well as limited-edition teas to commemorate certain holidays – festive, the Coronation, etcetera.” But with such a competitive market, the hotel also looks at its theme and teams up with various luxury brands to create a unique offering for its guest. “We will soon be launching an exciting new partnership with a renowned luxury retailer to run during the festive period,” adds Baker. At The Savoy, the hotel plays to its strengths.
With a world-famous afternoon tea offering, the Thames Foyer is focused on the service, its relationship with its guests and attention to detail. “We are constantly looking at our menu and trying to improve upon it and we change our menu regularly, but as close to the season as possible to ensure that it stays relevant to whatever time of the year it is,” Maitland-Walker explains. To offer the best afternoon tea offering, he adds, the hotel ensures that all produce used is locally sourced, in season, and full of flavour. Serving on average more than 200 guests a day, The Savoy lets the traditional afternoon tea and experience take centre stage with their classic yet modern offering.
Bringing history alive
There are no signs that this British classic is going anywhere from luxury hotel offerings, with guests booking months in advance, both tourists and locals alike. “There is a reason why all those hotels have afternoon tea, even if they’re not known as a traditionally British hotel, because the demand for it is there and it always has that sense of luxury,” sums Maitland-Walker. With all these hotels competing to provide the best afternoon tea experience, the challenge lies in retaining these guests and meeting this demand. There is so much more to afternoon tea than the tea, pastries, sandwiches and champagne, stresses Baker: “The service and theatre need to be top-notch as this is what often leaves the most impressionable memories on our guests.” Bringing the history of afternoon tea alive and creating a memorable experience for the guest are essential to every hotel offering. Afternoon tea, after all, is not just a meal, it’s an experience. ●
30 Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
The Savoy
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