SAVING COSTS SUSTAINABLY WITH "MERCURE HOTEL" AND HALM
Lea Predeek (HALM):
Dear Mr Gebhardt, you have been using HALM glass straws since May 2018. What made you switch to reusable straws back then?
Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):
First and foremost, it was about sustainability, as the “Mercure” brand stands for regional producers. Single-use was out of the question from an ecological point of view alone: straws made of natural fibres may be recyclable, but they still produce waste and release emissions every time they are manufactured. The second step was about raising quality with reusable straws. Later on, it also turned out to be more economical than working with single-use straws.
Lea Predeek (HALM):
Why did you choose straws made of glass at the time, rather than another material?
Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):
There were not many alternatives back then. HALM was one of the very first products available at all. For me, it was important to make the switch as quickly as possible, because every week we switch earlier means less waste. At the time, the only options were metal or glass, and we chose glass because the quality is simply better. The mouthfeel when drinking is far more pleasant with glass straws than with metal straws.
Lea Predeek (HALM):
Are you still happy with your decision today?
Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):
Yes, absolutely. Beforehand, I had prepared a calculation based on a loss rate (breakage and unnatural loss/theft) of 5 percent, as there were no benchmarks at that point. In the first year (2018), the loss was then only 2 percent, so even less than expected. This meant the purchase costs had already paid for themselves in November 2018 instead of in May 2019 as calculated. You have to bear in mind that the loss is always a little higher in the first few months: it is a new product, and staff and guests first have to learn how to handle it.
More about saving costs with HALM
Lea Predeek (HALM):
We are delighted that HALM benefits not only the environment, but also your bottom line.
Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):
Exactly! We were later able to reduce the unnatural loss through theft even further, because we sell our branded straws in the hotel as a giveaway for guests. Guests are told about this in advance. As we sell them at a very low price, guests think twice about whether to pocket the straws or rather pick up their own gift set.
The gift set is extremely popular, because guests are convinced by the quality of the straws. In fact, we have received a great deal of positive feedback on the quality of the HALM glass straws and therefore on the quality of the drinks as well. Guests are thrilled across the board: mouthfeel, feel in the hand, taste of the drinks.
Lea Predeek (HALM):
Do you train your staff in handling HALM? If so, what does that look like?
Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):
Staff training is of course the be-all and end-all, especially as we serve a number of cocktails with milk and cream at the bar. In those cases you should soak the straws so that coconut flakes, for example, do not dry onto the HALM. It is very simple: the straws go into a bucket of water, just like the cutlery. After that, they can be cleaned in the glasswasher without any problem, standing upright in the cutlery basket, of course. And for stubborn residue there is always the cleaning brush.
More about cleaning HALM glass straws
Lea Predeek (HALM):
Thank you, Mr Gebhardt, for the friendly conversation and the valuable insights. If you could give your colleagues in hospitality one tip, what would it be?
Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):
The most important thing with glass straws is to let your guests share in the idea behind them. That is half the battle, because guests really do appreciate it. You notice it in the guest comments, and it works wonderfully. I can also only recommend the idea of selling HALM as gift sets, because it has reduced our losses enormously.
Lea Predeek (HALM):
Thank you, Mr Gebhardt, for the great conversation!