Kelsius are delighted to welcome the Hastings Hotel Group on board as customers. The major deal worth six figures over the entirety of the contract will see FoodCheck rolled out to all 7 hotels and 2 affiliate restaurants.
The digital food safety system has replaced paper based manual monitoring and record keeping previously in operation.
In relation to the agreement, Kelsius Chief Executive, Andrew Logan said “We are delighted to welcome the Hastings Group as a food safety partner of Kelsius. Food safety is such a critical element for every hospitality business and this is recognised by our agreement. The Hastings Group is one of the most prominent and well established businesses in Northern Ireland and it is no coincidence they boast some of the finest hotels in the country. The Hastings Group has set the standard in HACCP management and is seeking to enhance this investment by partnering with Kelsius to reinforce their core ethos of prioritising food safety and protecting its clients and reputation.”
Picture: Grand Central Hotel, Belfast
The Hotel Group, which boasts some of the most prestigious hotels throughout Ireland, is made up of the following:
Culloden Estate and Spa, Hollywood, Co. Down
The Europa Hotel, Belfast, Co. Antrim
The Everglades Hotel, Co. Derry
The Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, Co. Antrim
The Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, Co. Down
The Stormont Hotel, Belfast, Co. Antrim
Ballygally Castle, Co. Antrim
The Percy French Restaurant, located on the grounds of the Slieve Donard
The Cultra Inn, located on the grounds of the Culloden Estate
Picture: Slieve Donard Hotel, Co. Down
The Hastings Group
The Hastings Hotel Group is the largest independent hotel group in Northern Ireland with seven luxurious properties across the province. This family owned company was established in the late 1960’s. Sir William Hastings founded Hastings Hotels in 1966 by with the purchase of the Stormont and Adair Arms Hotels. In 1971 he bought a group of six railway hotels and set about building his business against an uncertain background.
The Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle is the only hotel of the original six which is still operating as a hotel today. Mr. Hastings had always been an optimistic man and continued to reinvest whenever he could in his hotels. Proof of this confidence came when he purchased the Europa hotel in Belfast in 1993 as a bombed-out wreck. He proceeded to spend £10 million on rebuilding the hotel, transforming it into to the magnificent City Centre landmark it is today and has become one of Ireland’s finest and most famous hotels.
The company continues to expand in line with the growth in tourism across Northern Ireland and in 2015 invested in the purchase of Windsor House, a renowned building in central Belfast which it has redeveloped and reopened as the Grand Central Hotel Belfast bringing with it 300 new hotel bedrooms to the heart of the city.
It has not been an easy fifty years for the Hastings Group and despite numerous setbacks and obstacles over the years, the company has continued to grow and grow.
Picture: The Europa Hotel, Belfast
The Hasting’s Group and Kelsius
The Management of the Hastings Group first became aware of the Kelsius system as it has been in operation in the Merrion Hotel in Dublin. The Hastings Group own a 50% share in the Merrion and were suitably impressed by what they saw.
This led to the installation of the FoodCheck system in the Europa Hotel in early 2017 in order to get a closer look at the benefits the paperless system. Management observed a reduction in labour time spent on HACCP and a reduction in the risk of human error. This experience further enhanced Management’s opinion of FoodCheck as they were able to experience on a daily basis the benefits the system can offer.
In the summer of 2018 it was agreed between Kelsius and the Hastings Group to begin the rollout of FoodCheck across the entire group. The newly opened Grand Central hotel was newly opened during this period and was the first to be installed.
Work began on the Group-wide rollout in mid-September with all sites installed, trained and using the system within 3 weeks.
Picture: The Stormont Hotel, Belfast
Raymond Duncan, who managed the project and implementation on behalf of the Hastings Group, commented: “Having work closely with the FoodCheck system in the Europa, I was able to witness first-hand the benefits of the system to our organisation. I was in no doubt moving forward with this system across all hotels was the right decision and we will reap the rewards in the coming years. Food Safety is of extreme importance to our core principals as we put the customer to the forefront of our priorities. Knowing we have Kelsius assisting us in reinforcing our principals gives our great peace of mind. I look forward to working more closely with Kelsius in the future as their service has been second to none. I would highly recommend the Kelsius system to any Hotel or establishment if they are looking to reduce labour time and costs, prioritise food safety, and wish to implement a sustainable drive to go paperless“.
Picture: Ballygally Castle, Co. Antrim
Hastings Hotels Managing Director, Howard Hastings added “We hold our customers in the highest regard here at Hastings. This agreement helps us ensure the safety of food we produce, while allowing our staff to focus on the quality of food we provide. With the result being that we can continue to provide our customers with an excellent and memorable dining experience.”
Picture: The Everglades Hotel, Derry
Kelsius would like to thank Raymond, the General Managers & Heads Chefs and staff in all the kitchens, the hotel maintenance teams and Peter Brown and his team at EOS who all contributed valuably in the seamless transition from paper to FoodCheck.
Kelsius would also like to thank our very own team of Engineers and trainer whose dedication and hard work was instrumental in implementing the rollout.
