Winterhalter warewashers help “future-proof” kitchen at The Landmark London Hotel

Iconic five star London hotel upgrades its entire warewashing system

The Landmark London hotel has some of London’s most prestigious event and banqueting spaces and every year hosts numerous bar mitzvahs, weddings, launches and conferences.  The hotel has an array of function areas, from the Grand Ballroom, which can hold up to 750 people, to the intimate Interview Suite, which comfortably seats six people. On any one day the hotel’s events team can be catering for up to 2,000 people and, given the emphasis on impeccable service and high-level presentation, the glass and tableware that guests use has to be pristine. When The Landmark London decided to upgrade its warewashers it chose Winterhalter machines. 

Despite processing an average of 374,000 yearly covers, the hotel’s previous system was small. For the new system, Executive Chef Gary Klaner wanted something that could reliably cope with The Landmark London’s demanding operation.

“Rather than replace like-for-like and have the same difficulties, I wanted to future-proof our whole kitchen area for the next twenty years,” says Mr Klaner. “It was all about doing the job properly.”

“The Landmark London had considered a variety of different warewasher manufacturers,” says Ben Johnson of i-line Counters, the company that project managed the upgrade and was also responsible for the hygienic floor and wall coverings and the ventilation.  “Mr Klaner approached us for advice, wanting an independent view on the best machine for the project. We felt that Winterhalter was the obvious choice since they are market leader in volume warewashing systems.”

Working in partnership with Ben Johnson at i-line, Winterhalter provided the hotel with a full warewashing proposal and design. “They understood our needs and designed a system that catered for the hotel,” says Mr Klaner. “Both Winterhalter and i-line oversaw the whole installation process, too.”

The Winterhalter systems at The Landmark London are two MT (multi-tank) flight-type conveyors and a key issue with the site was accessibility.  “We had to bring everything in using a goods lift that was 2 metres square but the Winterhalter systems are 5 metres long,” says Ben Johnson.  “It turned out not to be an issue. The factory designed special joints that meant the machines could be brought into the hotel in pieces and assembled on site.”

Both machines have the same configurations – large prewash and wash zones, followed by medium rinse and dryer zones.  One of the machines can be switched between glasswashing and dishwashing, the other is for dishwashing only.  Both have Winterhalter reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment systems, which guarantee glasses and cutlery require no post-wash polishing as they come out sparkling clean, so that they can be stored or used right away.

“The fact that there’s no need to polish is a huge bonus, especially in a high volume site like The Landmark London,” says Ben Johnson.  “With the old system, staff could spend hours polishing the glasses and cutlery to the standard required.  All that time is now saved plus, since there is less handling, there are far less breakages.”

As well as choosing the two machines, Mr Klaner and his team also opted for Winterhalter’s servicing contract.

“We’re using Winterhalter for everything and we’re very impressed with the results,” says Mr Klaner.  “Our department is even more efficient now because of the time and labour the new machines are saving us. We are able to re-invest the saving back into the business and drive standards of cleanliness in other areas.”

i-line Counters supplies bespoke fabrications, quality equipment from leading manufacturers and front of house food server counters. For more information visit www.i-linecounters.co.uk.

For more information on The Landmark London hotel visit www.landmarklondon.co.uk.