Luxury Hotelier - June 2008 - (Page 44)

44| Indulge Group events move toward casual gourmet Informal, themed meals becoming more popular ven at one of the most elegant hotels in Sweden, parties and conferences are moving away from formality and toward a more casual style of gourmet. At the Grand Hotel Stockholm, named Europe’s leading conference hotel for 2008, more clients are requesting gatherings that allow for mingling–buffets or cocktail-style events, even at lunch, said Maria Maruska, director of foodand-beverage. “Ten years ago, we had more sit-down lunches with one to three courses. Now, people want to mingle.” Themes are big right now. The hotel staff and clients often pick one for buffets or for the cold, pre-plated gourmet plates designed to be eaten while circulating around the room or while standing up at a tall table, chatting with three or four other guests. A plastic clip attaches to the plates, providing a holder for a glass of wine or mineral water. “A plate like this is designed to fill you up, as a substitute for a one-course meal,” Maruska said, noting the plates are dinner-sized. Themes that are currently popular for buffets and gourmet plates include the Swedish smorgasbord with shrimp in dill mayonnaise, cold marinated salmon E with a traditional green piquant sauce and local game such as reindeer; or Asian, Italian and American fare. Holiday-themed Christmas and Easter buffets also are popular in season. The casual, more modern approach has Eco-friendly elegance N ow more than ever, clients planning parties, banquets and conferences are asking for eco-friendly, organic and local foods. “People are getting more aware of where foods come from, and they’re starting to ask more questions,” said Maria Maruska, director of food-and-beverage, Grand Hotel Stockholm. To become more eco-friendly, the Grand Hotel Stockholm stopped serving prawns because of concerns that harvesting them was destroying mangrove trees and beaches in Asia. Instead, they switched to foie gras from humanely raised, free-range geese. The hotel also makes an effort to source local or organic fruits and vegetables when possible and to serve healthier, lighter fare. “People still want elegance and rich taste, but they want it served in a modern way,” Maruska said. carried over to aesthetics too, mostly at buffets or other more casual parties. In a hotel where white tablecloths and ornate centerpieces have traditionally been de rigueur–and still are at banquets and more formal events–the staff has changed the rules a bit for parties and more informal events. This has included staggering the buffet height, adding colorful tablecloths, using glass plates in bright hues and adding tall, sleek floral arrangements. “We used to have strictly silver service,” Maruska said. “Now we really have modernized the style of our buffet service.” » BY ALLIE JOHNSON Luxury Hotelier | June 2008 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.LuxuryHotelier.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Hotelier - June 2008

Luxury Hotelier - June 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Inform Journal Network Personalities Insight: Smith Travel Research/The Bench Properties Insight: Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Inspire Deliver Protocols Insight: HotelWorld Innovate Development Indulge Advertisers Index Editorial Index Source Listing Dossier

Luxury Hotelier - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.