Food & beverage


In a sense, that is inevitable: the whole point of hospitality is to be hospitable and offer guests an experience they’ll never forget. But with hotels dumping roughly 79,000t of leftover food each year, something clearly has to change. Fortunately, prodded along perhaps by the green demands of customers, things are changing fast. From recycling unwanted dishes, to feeding it to the local wildlife, there is plenty to be done – and that is before you consider the innovative ways managers are trying to cut down the amount of food that ends up on the plate to start with. It goes without saying, meanwhile, that all these innovations have financial as well as environmental benefits, even as the challenge of balancing service and sustainability never fully disappears.


Food for thought


Imagine an average day at a luxury hotel. You wake up and make a coffee through your in-room machine – but only take a couple of sips. Then you head down to the breakfast buffet, piling up your plate as you go – but start to flag after the pastries and toast. Now, lunchtime, a sandwich served by the pool and an unwanted (and uneaten) side salad. By the time you get to dinner, you can begin to see how vital eating is to global hospitality, and ultimately how easily produce is wasted. “Good food and unique culinary experiences are the hallmark of any memorable holiday,” is how Jeffery Smith, vice- president of sustainability at Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, vividly puts it. “Unfortunately, food is also at the forefront of many of the environmental challenges we face today.”


He is not wrong. For if eating is clearly a central part of the guest experience – 41% of customers expect their hotel to offer multiple options for sit- down meals – that same enthusiasm can also cause major problems. That is clear enough if you only focus on specific corners of the culinary supply chain. As Smith notes, the global livestock industry results in 7.1Gt worth of CO2


entering the atmosphere each


year, a figure representing almost 14% of all human- made greenhouse gas emissions. “Arguably,” Smith summarises, “one-third of those emissions result from food waste.” Nor, of course, can the financial impact of all this waste be ignored either. According to one recent study, the hotel F&B sector spends over $35bn annually on banquets and catering, a bewildering figure in itself, and especially given so much of that initial investment is squandered. Operators are also under pressure from their guests. They may be greedy for meals at all hours, but one recent survey found that 80% of travellers feel the green agenda is important. No wonder, in short, that so many hotels are scrambling to cut


Hotel Management International / www.hmi-online.com 53


their waste, no easy feat when larger properties can get through 66,000lb of food each month. Smith and Six Senses are under particular strain, given their long-honed reputation for sustainable living. “Each Six Senses resort,” he says, “is reinforcing its relationships with local farmers, producers and suppliers, who are committed to responsible sourcing, packaging and seasonality.” More mainstream brands are moving in the same direction too. As Adam Crocini, senior vice- president and global head, food and beverage brands at Hilton puts it: “We at Hilton understand this is a problem for the industry that we’re actively engaging in solutions for – both at the individual property and enterprise levels.”


Laying waste


If you are lucky enough to visit a Six Senses property – the Laamu in Maldives, say, or the Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam – you might spot a chicken. Not on a plate, mind, but pottering about by the swimming pool. They are not just there for decoration either: rather,


Above: The solar oven at Conrad Washington DC rooftop.


Below: The Earth Lab means guests can get involved with sustainable practices.


Opposite: Six Senses Zighy Bay’s Dibba Farm.


Hilton Hotels & Resorts; Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas


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