See how a hotel in Phuket cut their food waste in half

With the help of the Winnow system, in only 7 months, Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa cut their food waste in half. It translates into avoiding 6.7 tonnes of CO2 from being released. It is the equivalent of 754 gallons of gasoline consumed.

Set only miles away from the Phuket International Airport and steps away from the Mai Khao beach, Renaissance Phuket is a luxurious resort offering 5-star accommodation, and 5 restaurants offering local flavors. They are part of Marriott International, which is one of the world’s most renowned brands with a presence in 122 countries.

Marriott International is committed to delivering sustainability strategies that help preserve the planet and its resources. Marriott brought Winnow on board in April 2017 to help the team track, manage, and reduce food waste.

Since the beginning of the journey with Winnow, the kitchen team has been fully engaged with the project. In only seven months of operation, they have achieved great results. They managed to reduce food waste by 50%

To cut food waste, the Executive Chef has organized regular meetings to keep the team engaged, and make sure that food waste reduction targets are met. One of their key strategies is to cook less or replace the dishes that are being wasted the most. The information from the Winnow reports allow them to identify patterns and understand the guest’s preference. In this way, they can adjust the production level to drive the waste down.

“The whole experience with Winnow has been eye-opening. Winnow has made us realize that we were actually wasting food, and more importantly, that we can reduce it dramatically by changing a few simple things.” Said Billy Costoglou, Executive Chef at Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa.

With a growing number of tourists visiting Phuket every year, the island’s hotel industry is pressured. Hotel buffets are a major attraction to guests but are also one of the top generators of food waste. Food waste presents an important challenge but there are great saving opportunities for hotels addressing the issue. The team at Renaissance Phuket has already saved over $12,000 by reducing food waste.

This inspiring example from Renaissance Phuket demonstrates that with the right tools kitchens can measure, manage, and reduce their food waste. We applaud Marriott International for encouraging all their brands to take measure to reduce food waste. We are thrilled about the impact that Winnow and Marriott can have together to save money while contributing to the environment at the same time.