Heritage

Preparing for Christmas in a pandemic

Chrisfood

Christmas Spread At Trademark Hotel. PHOTO | POOL

At a luxury hotel in Nairobi last year, there was no expense spared in giving diners memorable Christmas and New Year parties. An interior designer had imported Christmas decorations from Dubai to create a whimsical sense of being in a jungle, fancy cocktail creations were in plenty and so were meats aged for months.

But in Covid-19 times, where disposable income is limited, the curfew is at 10 pm, and hotels are wobbling after months of closure, they have cut out the excesses. The Christmas menus and decor are not as elaborate and the diners are fewer.

Clearly, 2020 holiday parties will look nothing like they used to. But good cheer in a pandemic is not impossible.

Richard Barrow, Food and Beverage General Manager, Trademark and Tribe Hotel says they expect people to celebrate this Christmas as they have previously.

“But this may not be possible because of the 10 pm curfew. So we are offering families and friends a way where they can all stay at the hotel and celebrate without the restrictions,” he says.

Some hotels have opted to rent out the entire space to those seeking privacy, others are selling New Year’s eve dinner with a night at the hotel, others have pushed Christmas lunches to start in the morning to maximise the number of diners by curfew time while some are expanding dining areas to ensure social distancing.

The go-to solution for many is staycations, following a decline in international tourists and guests.

“Now that we don’t have as many international guests, we are more focused on offering residents staycation packages as well as deals on meals at our restaurants, Harvest and Heroes,” Mr Barrow says, adding that has sparked an increase in Kenyans eating at the two restaurants.

“Every year, from mid-December we normally start seeing things slowing down. People travel for holidays out of town and abroad but this year we are seeing more numbers as most people won’t be travelling upcountry or abroad for the holidays,” he added.

Home deliveries have also become an economic lifeline for restaurants and bars.

Christmas meals will be whipped up by top chefs and delivered at customers’ dinner tables.

“We started this with Thanksgiving where we cater for those who prefer not to be in public places. People invite family and friends to their homes and then we deliver ready meals such as roasted turkey, beef wellington, and the entire Christmas spread,” says Mr Barrow.

Sankara Hotel in Nairobi has had to stretch their dining area outdoors to ensure social-distancing measures are adhered to.

“Normally, we would host the Christmas and New Year’s brunch on the first floor but that won’t work due to the safety guidelines, so we decided to host diners outside in the garden,” says Krishna Unni, General Manager, Sankara Nairobi.

The garden previously held up to 800 people for events and parties but it will now host 180 during this season.

“We plan to have a barbecue set-up with live cooking stations at the garden instead of indoors. With the reduced capacity at the restaurant, we also decided to convert some of the guest rooms into private dining rooms with a restroom and server,” he says.

Mr Unni anticipates that the hotel will have good numbers on Christmas day compared to New Year’s.

“The 10 pm curfew is what has got us in a tight spot because it’s difficult to close by 9 pm on New Year’s eve. The traditional New Year’s eve capacity would be up to 300 people but this time we are maxing out at 100 for Sarabi Bar,” he says.

Targeting families

This year, the Christmas buffet will also work slightly differently. Hotel staff will serve food to guests at the various food stations. Some hotels have reduced prices, while others have not.

“We wouldn’t want to compromise on quality, so we decided it is better if we reduce the number of people (not price) so that those who come still have a worthwhile experience,” he says.

At Movenpick Hotel & Residences, Executive Chef Aris Athanasiou says Covid-19 safety has dictated hotel’s festive plans this year, from pricing to dining.

“We will do the live cooking food stations but this time around, guests will not come into close contact with the action like before,” he says, adding that they will host fewer than last year.

Baluba, the all-day dining restaurant will host 80 diners this season compared to 160 previously.

“We are targeting families with kiddie menus, turkey carving to live grilling, extensive cuisine where we will have Italian, Greek…,” says Chef Aris.