Rudy & Marlene OtterLondon: How do you fancy drawing the curtain, opening the window, switching on the light, turning on the television, opening the door and performing various other chores without having to get out of bed? This exciting innovation was among the many technological developments on offer at Hotelympia, a fascinating 4-day exhibition being organised alongside The Foodservice Show, Hospitality Tech Show, and Interiors & Tableware Show at the ExCel Exhibition Centre.
Jayesh Thakkar, Director of technology, Digivalet, told Destination Reporter that the Indore-based company, with offices in Dubai, the United States and China, is mainly serving 15,000 hotel rooms in London, Shanghai, Maldives and Delhi. “All the functions are available on a touch-screen electronic pad by the bedside,” he said. “We have also expanded into the residential market and business is picking up in both sectors.”
Daven Bodhani, Director, Hotel TV Company, spoke about the tailor-made digital service across hotels, healthcare establishments, bars and restaurants which offer a “sharper picture and more viewing choice”. Chennai’s Pradeep Stainless India Pvt.Ltd. was represented by co-directors Rameshchand Deepak and his brother Darshan. The business, started 40 years ago by their grandfather Bhawarlal Bohara, manufactures stainless steel beverage dispensing equipment. Deepak said: “We supply various types of tea and coffee brewers with automatic or manual dispensing. We also supply steamers and deep-fryers. Our major markets are the Middle East, Italy, France and Spain, and we are always looking for more distributors worldwide.”
Karan Mehta was promoting Fidelity Payment which specialises in card transactions, managing a firm’s business needs with technical support around the clock. Ross Carter, event director, Hotelympia, welcomed the “ground-breaking products, innovative ways of thinking, new approaches to industry challenges and a host of pioneering fresh faces.”
The show bristled with cookery demonstrations using the latest equipment aimed at improving service while cutting costs. Talks included ‘Health trends and the crazes you must embrace; Eating with your eyes; Sustainable Futures, and the Rise of the Coffee Shop Experience’.
According to Foodservice Consultant magazine, “Customers can be fickle and impatient; technology seems to be a double-edged sword of threat and opportunity; skilled workers are hard to come by and expensive to retain once employed; climate change will present further hurdles in the future. Full of complex challenges, yes, but when approached right, this is a sector that is richly rewarding.”
