Roundtable: Hotel design
What are the latest trends in kitchen design?
RASHID BAHAR: More and more customers are now asking for open kitchens. Independent restaurant operators want the wow factor and to demonstrate that their food is being prepared professionally and under hygienic conditions. In addition, more are asking for cooking equipment using solid fuel. This is good news for suppliers like Mibrasa, which manufactures charcoal ovens in Spain and are a big competitor to Josper.
MARC-OLIVER SCHNEIDER: Robustness, solidity, reliability are few attributes professionals always look for. High quality of technical kitchen equipment ensures consistent cooking results. Obligations with regard to hygiene and HACCP are growing and the appliances have to comply with these requirements.
EDI SNAIDERO: One of the key themes is the idea that you can convert a space into a personal experience. This is in line with the way kitchen design has been evolving over the years with the help of smart technology integration to ensure the kitchen experience is efficient and time saving.
CHRISTIAN MERIEAU: Under the influence of some renowned Asian designers such as Super Potato, Spin Design Studio and Silver Fox Studio, the kitchen space in restaurants has become a key element of the design and, as such, is now more sophisticated and exposed.There is no doubt that our most successful kitchens are the ones playing a central role in the animation of a restaurant.
What is your opinion on the growing trend of ‘show kitchens’?
CHRISTIAN: In many high-end projects, we find that show kitchens are increasingly understated in order to offer a more luxurious à la carte experience to the customers. Elements supporting the FOH kitchen such as buffet counters or refrigerated showcases are integrated within the interior design in order to be less intrusive. The staff is also less exposed and the food delivery flow is becoming more discreet. However, most of our casual dining restaurants and our mid-market hotel outlets tend, on the contrary, to favour fully open kitchens.
RASHID: It’s a great idea because you can attract more customers. It builds trust because customers want to know how their food is being prepared.
MARC-OLIVER: Show kitchens raise fresh ideas and inspiration. A real kitchen with continuous production has to comply with different requirements. The main focus lies on sophisticated technology, reliability, simple operation and optimal work flow.
What is your most requested service or product in the hospitality industry?
RASHID: In general, we are asked to supply products that will save time in kitchens. It is for this reason that we scour the world for the latest trends to help operators make their kitchens and bars more efficient.
MARC-OLIVER: Our high customer satisfaction is based on three important pillars: individual consulting by our well-experienced specialists; solid and reliable appliances — precisely suited to the customers’ needs and individually built to meet their wishes; and a perfect service with regard to maintenance and repair.
CHRISTIAN: Our clients expect a customised design solution that incorporates their vision, embodies the local culture and respects the regional context while fulfilling the hotel’s brand positioning and operational requirements. Our core strength lies in the flexibility of our design style and innate ability to work within a variety of themes.
EDI: A key aspect in the design of the kitchens within the hospitality industry is providing an ergonomic and efficient design. This would mean studying the size of the units in order to optimise access to the wall unit storage space. The worktop lines are curved to reduce the chance of collisions and accidents. In addition, the “multifunctional corner” equipped with a sitting area transforms the kitchen space into a living area. Another growing trend we see in the hospitality industry is adapting technology within the kitchen.
What’s the main challenge for hoteliers when it comes to designing kitchens and how do you help overcome this?
RASHID: We leave this to the foodservice consultants to handle. However, based on designs we have received, we know that space is the biggest challenge followed by budget.
EDI: With kitchens now being an integral part of the living area [in hotel apartments and residences], a challenge is ensuring the design of the kitchen is not only distinctive but also harmonious with the entire space. Our endless design possibilities seamlessly mix technology and functionality.
CHRISTIAN: On some refurbishment projects, we come across very inadequate buildings. We have, for example, been involved on the design of a hotel project in an existing building with a very small floor plate that was never intended to be a hotel. The BOH was so tight that most of the service flow was passing through the public areas. To free space in the BOH, we moved the cooking stations and some cold storage within the dining space. This resulted in a lively outlet and provided the staff with more comfortable working conditions.
How involved do chefs and end-users of the kitchen get when it comes to kitchen design?
CHRISTIAN: In our new build projects, we very rarely interact with the chefs. This is regrettable because without the involvement of the operational team, consultants incur the risk to over specify fairly expensive items just to ensure that nothing has been forgotten. We rely on the operator’s technical team and on some very competent kitchen consultants to create optimised F&B outlets that will remain an attractive working tool for more than a decade. We are, however, regularly involved in the redesign of existing F&B outlets where we directly interact with chefs. We are currently working on the refurbishment of the Rotana Fujairah Al Aqah beach resort, where all the MEP equipment was to remain untouched. With the chef’s input, we managed to transform a large dining hall into an elaborate restaurant with intimate dining areas by incorporating live show kitchens with ambient counters.
EDI: Snaidero is very focused on how the end users of the kitchen operate within that space. We work with the best designers to ensure that our solutions are in line with the evolution of work styles in different types of developments, whether a niche luxury resort or serviced apartment downtown.
MARC-OLIVER: The planning of a kitchen depends most of all on the frame conditions of the investor. But, of course, it is also important that the working conditions are fit for a good result. Our sales consultants, all trained and experienced chefs, work in close contact with the chef de cuisine to find the optimal solution with regard to choice of features of the units and kitchen layout.
About the Experts
Marc-Oliver Schneider, CEO, Küppersbusch Großküchentechnik GmbH & Co. KG
Marc-Oliver Schneider has been CEO of German company Küppersbusch since October 2013. He previously held senior roles at Frima and Gaggenau. Founded back in 1875, Küppersbusch, part of the Teka Group, operates around the following five brand values: design, quality, function, innovation and healthy food.
Rashid Bahar, Managing Partner, TSSC Dubai
Rashid Bahar was born in Dubai but moved to the US in the 1980s to complete his schooling. He completed university near Chicago and achieved his Master’s degree in Dublin, Ireland, before moving back to Dubai in the late 1990s to be closer to his father, Basil Bahar.In 2005, Rashid joined the family business,TSSC Dubai, where he is now a managing partner, working with his brother Omar Bahar.
Christian Merieau, Managing Director / Partner, MMAC Design Associates
With 27 years’ experience in interior design, Christian Merieau qualified as an interior architect in Switzerland, where he managed his own firm for five years, before relocating to Dubai in 2005 as managing director for Samuel Creations.Most recently, he launched MMAC Design Associates, a boutique interior design consultancy in Dubai specialised in luxury, up-scale and upper mid-scale hotel and restaurant design.
Edi Snaidero, President, Snaidero
Edi Snaidero has been running the company, which was founded in 1946, as president. Every kitchen is manufactured in Italy through a production process on order, thus working specifically on customisations.Snaidero has been exporting its kitchens all over the world for over 50 years, and Dubai Design District-based Bespoke and Concept Kitchens represents Snaidero in the UAE.