Hotel guests are getting more and more demanding – also in the area of culinary offer. The golden age of cheap tourism, when all of the meals had the recognizable taste of Vegeta, which ruined the taste of at least two generations, is over. Also over are the times when a hotel restaurant was seen as some sort of canteen where you could enjoy a quick and overly large meal. Nowadays the guests in tourism are looking for authentic experiences and want to discover local gastronomy. A chef who is aware of this has infinite possibilities to thrill the guest from day to day in a simple way.
It is not necessary all five star hotels offer only roast beef and expensive fish fillets. True creativity doesn’t begin and end with the most expensive ingredients, yet knows no boundaries. With daily fresh seasonal ingredients we can create tasty menus for hotel guests, which are not necessarily expensive. The decisive role is played by relationships with local goods providers and an own herb garden. I always follow the important principle of fresh ingredients, which did not arrive from overseas, yet were still growing in the field yesterday. When I cook I often decide in the morning what will be on the menu in the evening. I also stuck to this principle when I led the hotel restaurant at Livada Prestige.
In a hotel we must not think a rich selection of dishes is more important than their quality. Seven or more menus have no added value to the guest; we rather offer them three excellent ones. Also, we should avoid buffet servings. A pile of food put in heating dishes prepared a few hours ago no longer belongs in the hotel restaurant. We should always offer our guest a warm meal served on a plate. This is much more personal and everyone gets a meal made especially for them. Using modern slow cooking techniques in pre-preparation all the main dishes can be made a à la minute even with a larger number of hotel guests. The “all you can eat” system should be left for fast food restaurants.
The same is also true for the hotel breakfast. We couldn’t possibly digest 15 different types of salami. A breakfast buffet table should be attractive above all. Instead of industrial salami offer homemade meats and seasonal vegetables. In the winter be creative and offer something else instead of greenhouse grown vegetables. There is nothing wrong with pickled vegetables, fruit compote, apple purée, vegetable spreads, homemade jams and chutneys. Worm bread and homemade croissants are just another step towards victory. The breakfast room shouldn’t be filled with the smell of stale eggs, bacon and sausage, if possible offer these dishes on order.
Other than the food the direct contact with guests should be improved, strive to make them feel special. The atmosphere in the dining room should be pleasant. Guests entering the dining room shouldn’t feel like entering a canteen, even if the hotel has hundreds of rooms. I see the personal role of the chef in a wider sense, not just in the kitchen. He should show himself to the guests, have a chat or prepare a dish or two in front of them every now and then. Let them get the feeling the food didn’t come from a conveyer belt but was prepared especially for them with special attention and a love of cooking.
