How Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury Cut Food Waste by 34% with AI and Creative Repurposing

Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, is located in the bustling heart of London, catering to a diverse clientele. With an average of 800 daily covers and a dedication to high-quality dining, the hotel balances its commitment to exceptional service with sustainability. Aligning with IHG's Responsible Business goals and supporting the UN’s SDG to halve food waste by 2030, the hotel adopted Winnow’s AI technology to address food waste and reduce its environmental impact.

Motivation

For Executive Chef Nitin Padwal, tackling food waste is more than just a professional challenge—it’s also reflects his personal values.“Growing up on a farm in India, I was taught to value every ingredient. Food waste didn’t exist back home,” he explains.

When Winnow was first introduced in the kitchen, Chef Nitin and his team were surprised at the amount of waste, particularly from unexpected areas like staff meals. But the data provided a clear starting point. “With Winnow, we finally had the tools to take a practical, results-driven approach to waste reduction.”

Results

• 34% reduction in food waste by weight
• £20,000 in annualised food cost savings
• 20,000 meals saved each year
• 35.2 tonnes of CO₂e emissions prevented

Creative Repurposing

One standout feature of the hotel's journey has been its innovative use of surplus ingredients. Under Chef Nitin’s leadership, the team embraced creative repurposing:

Fish Toast: Fish trimmings blended with eggs and spices, spread on surplus bread, and fried into crispy snacks.

Thai Curry Cakes Leftover chicken curry, mashed potatoes, and bread crusts were reimagined into savoury cakes that became a hit with staff and guests alike

Bread & Butter Pudding: Tops and bottoms of bread loaves from breakfast were transformed into indulgent desserts.

Potato Skin Crisps: Seasoned and oven-baked potato peels became a favourite waste-free snack among the team.

Taking Action

The Holiday Inn Bloomsbury team took a series of strategic actions to drive impact:

Adjusting Production: By analysing waste trends, the team refined production processes. For example, instead of defrosting entire apple pies, they now freeze and defrost individual slices—reducing unnecessary waste and improving portion control.

Smarter Buffet Restocking: Buffet stations were previously restocked in bulk. Now, food is replenished in smaller, more frequent batches based on guest flow and meal times—leading to fresher offerings and fewer leftovers.

Staff Training and Data-Driven Decision Making: Kitchen staff were trained to use Winnow’s insights for smarter planning. This included aligning prep levels with actual demand and making inventory adjustments in real time.

“If you cook something with passion, why would you want to see it go in the bin? If you don’t measure, you won’t know what’s going in the bin—and you’ll be surprised.”

— Chef Nitin Padwal, Executive Chef, Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury

Inspiring a Culture Shift

Building on this success, the hotel is now focused on reducing plate waste and raising guest awareness through new communications. The goal? Halve food waste by the end of 2025.