The Lancaster London has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability for many years: it first set up an Energy and Environmental Task Force back in 2005, with recycling and energy-saving its first priorities.
Since that time, it has made great progress throughout the hotel, with its Rooftop Honey Farm attracting considerable publicity since it was installed in 2009 – the honey is used by the kitchens for the enjoyment of guests, and the Lancaster now even hosts an annual Honey Show!
At the same time, the Lancaster’s initiatives and progress have been recognised by major Awards, including:
- Considerate Hoteliers Hotel of the Year 2011/12
- AA Eco Hotel of the Year 2011
- Carbon Trust Standard Certification
- Considerate Hoteliers Green marketing Initiative of the Year 2010
- Gold Accreditation Green Tourism Business Scheme
Refurbishing the banqueting areas
2011 saw the Lancaster undertaking a major refurbishment of its banqueting venues – it can host receptions for up to 3,000 guests in its Nine Kings and Westbourne Suites – and the installation of brand new commercial kitchens. The budget was well over £10 million, demonstrating the commitment to ensuring the facilities are at the forefront in delivering quality at every level.
The remodelling of the banqueting areas has transformed them whilst keeping low environmental impact in mind in the choice of all materials and finishes: the wood veneers, for example, were supplied with preservation of raw materials and responsible forest management in mind. And, of course, low energy LED lighting has been specified.
Reconciling kitchen demands and sustainability
Catering for up to 3,000 is a demanding business and, after twenty years in use, the kitchens were overdue their overhaul.
Eibhear Coyle, Executive Chef and Director of Catering, newly returned from the Bahamas, was determined not only to re-think the processes and therefore layout, but also to use the opportunity to introduce the highest possible standards of sustainability – from waste and recycling, to energy efficiency.
Food and service standards, of course, had to be enhanced not compromised.
And the results are impressive in terms of meeting sustainability criteria, quality of food, as well as speed of process and delivery.
A triumph of work flow
Serving 900 main courses in just 10 minutes requires co-ordination of food preparation through to service of the highest order, even more so when vegetarian and other ‘specials’ have to arrive at tables at the same time. Great attention has therefore been paid to all processes, from arrival of ingredients at the delivery bay, to initial storage, to preparation…and including refrigeration as well as actual cooking.
All aspects of ergonomics as well as workflow permutations have been considered in order to ensure that the processes are as efficient as possible, so that food arrives before guests in perfect condition. Particular attention was paid to service efficiencies, ensuring that staff can collect and deliver plated meals and clear tables without impeding each other or causing congestion.
Sustainable criteria applied at every stage
And all forms of ‘waste’ have been ‘designed out’ at every stage, including:
- Deliveries: strict control of packaging – minimised, and as much as possible is removed and taken away for recycling by the supplier on delivery. Packaging has to be recyclable.
- Waste: in addition to minimising waste, it is fully separated into food, plastics and so on, and collected daily for recycling.
- Chilled storage/ refrigeration: from cold rooms to freezers, the latest and most energy efficient equipment from Foster Refrigeration ensures that produce and prepared food can be held at precisely the required or ambient temperature.
- The latest, most efficient Elro and MKN production and cooking equipment provides the ability to prepare, cook and monitor, ensuring both quality and delivery to strict timelines (in fact, the 10 ovens are monitored by computer, and Eibhear Coyle even has a screen that takes a feed from the security cameras so that he can visually check to see if speakers and presenters are running to time, or if service must be delayed).
- Dishwashing has now been centralised for the entire hotel into one area: this ensures that this energy and water-consuming activity can be as efficient as possible, as well as quality-controlled. Moreover, the Meiko conveyor dishwashers use heat recovery to further improve energy performance.
50,000 plastic bottles – gone!
The Lancaster no longer stocks and has delivered the massive quantities of bottled water required at functions within the hotel. That results in a saving of around 50,000 plastic bottles each year!
Instead, it now supplies bottled water using an in-house system, enabling it to wash and refill on site.
Delivering sustainability AND performance
The Lancaster London’s Mission Statement reads:
“Lancaster London recognises the need for responsible energy management and is committed to improving energy efficiency and protecting the environment. Working at all levels of the business, from shareholders, employees and guests, we will endeavour to minimise the impact our operations have on the environment.”
It’s very clear that, in refurbishing its banqueting kitchens, the Lancaster has followed its principles: it utilises and applies the most efficient equipment and practices possible in order to ensure that it delivers the highest quality food and service. At the same time, it achieves maximum practicable energy efficiency and safeguards the environment.
Where the Lancaster leads, others should follow: H&C News looks forward to discovering the Lancaster’s next initiatives and innovations when they are revealed!
The refurbishing of the banqueting kitchens was achieved using a number of key suppliers and they are detailed below.
Chilled storage/ refrigeration – Foster Refrigeration
Cooking Equipment – Elro and MKN
Dishwashing – Meiko
As you will have gathered from the article above these were very considered decisions.