As demands within the hotel sector continue to build, gourmet venues must rise to the challenge of balancing the high quality expected of them with the high productivity this requires. With technology advancing, the main question facing hotels across the world seems to be whether to stick, or twist.
Nowhere has forging a new path paid more dividends than at the Almhof Hotel. Nestled between the mountains of Austria, Italy and Switzerland, some 1,400 meters above sea level, the spectacular venue is no stranger to reinvention.
Having undergone a number of successful renovations since opening its doors more than 30 years ago, the hotel has continually looked to meet the growing expectations of diners with new technology and a fresh approach. From its customer-facing façade to its back-of-house operations, Almhof’s continuing popularity is testament to this commitment to innovation.
So, when its incumbent dishwasher began to show signs of slowing down, the hotel was quick to seize the chance to push the boundaries once again. Chef de cuisine, Markus Ritzzi, was tasked with finding a solution which would allow his team to focus on catering for the hotel’s in-demand restaurants.
He commented: “Where Almhof used to be a traditional, seasonal hotel, we are now fully booked more or less all year long. We serve roughly 600 meals throughout the day, which can place a real strain on the equipment. This is especially true during dinner, when there are around 1,200 dishes to wash – not to mention glasses and cutlery.”
Greener performance, cleaner dishes
Aware of the need to ensure productivity was matched by sparking results, the hotel opted for Electrolux Professional’s green&clean Rack Type. The latest in the manufacturer’s range of high productivity dishwashing equipment, the Rack Type blends impressive capacity with market-leading efficiency – able to wash an entire rack of dishes with just one glass of water.
Markus explained: “The dishwashing area is in action for up to 8 hours a day, so as well as a machine which would deliver brilliant results, we also wanted to create a comfortable working environment for kitchen staff. We knew that only a powerful machine can do this type of workload in the short time needed, and our previous Electrolux Professional dishwasher had been installed in the kitchen more than 25 years ago. It had worked so well over the years that investing in another Electrolux dishwasher needed no discussion.
“Since we installed the new machine, there hasn’t been a single down day, sure we had some failures but we could always work with peace of mind, knowing that the machine would do its job continuously and hygienically.”
