The UK’s Largest Banqueting Site Completed
The Bradford-based Airedale Group has fitted out the largest banqueting site in the UK, the impressive Arora Ballroom at the InterContinental London O2, which is due to open at the end of January. The ballroom, which can accommodate almost 3,000 guests, is one of the largest meeting rooms in London and Europe’s largest pillar-free ballroom.
The InterContinental London O2
The new luxury hotel is located on the Greenwich Peninsula, convenient for the Thames riverboat, the Tube and London City Airport. In addition to the Arora Ballroom, the venue boasts twenty other spaces, including a luxury spa, restaurants and bars plus 453 guest rooms and suites. With views over the River Thames, Canary Wharf and the City of London, this prestigious new hotel offers the perfect space for corporate events, weddings and conferences.
According to Conference and Incentive Travel, the opening of the new InterContinental London O2, although delayed from its original schedule, will be one of the most anticipated hotel and venue openings in the city in 2016. Other top UK openings include Brighton i360, Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre and the Manchester Corn Exchange.
Kitchen Solutions by MKN
Airedale selected MKN appliances for the kitchen serving the 3,000 covers in the Arora Ballroom. FlexiCombi steamers from the German company were chosen for the banqueting facilities, and 14 x 20-grid units were installed, as well as more MKN combi steamers in other areas of the hotel. MKN appliances are renowned for their consistent results and cost savings due to their specially designed cleaning features.
Sourcing catering equipment can be done through food machinery auctioneers such as www.clarkefussellsfoodmachinerybrokers.com or directly from the manufacturer. In this case, it was helpful for Daren Pavey, the hotel’s head chef, to visit the MKN factory prior to using the new equipment. He was particularly impressed by the bar-coding system, which he hopes to implement in the new kitchen to assist with the organization of cooking utensils and various foods in the kitchen. Michael Soduh, Pavey’s sous chef, was equally impressed with the MKN appliances and is looking forward to using the FlexiCombi steamers.
The Managing Director of Airedale, Mike Butt, was justifiably proud of the company’s involvement in the prestigious state-of-the-art project and the opportunity to work with partners such as Germany’s MKN and, of course, the InterContinental Hotels Group.
