Merrychef in bed with Yotel

4th September 2007

When guests at Gatwick’s innovative new Yotel need to refuel, they turn to the cabin service menu, powered by Merrychef technology.

Yotel is a new form of airport accommodation designed for travellers who want a short stop over without shelling out for a whole night in a hotel.

The stylish blend of 1st class BA cabin and Japanese capsule hotel located within the terminal, takes bookings starting from £25 for a four hour slot in a standard room.

Snacks, club meals and refreshments can be ordered direct from the television screen or by visiting the galley area where cabin crew are on duty 24 hours a day.  The kitchen is powered by Merrychef’s EC403 accelerated cooking oven and the HD1725 heavy duty microwave.

 A ‘fast’ breakfast, with croissants or a bacon baguette for example, can be delivered to the cabin at a selected time, almost to the minute. While more substantial dishes like lamb curry or fish cakes are cooked to perfection in just 15 minutes.

Talking about the cabin service menu, Nigel Buchanan, Yotel’s operations director, said:

“Merrychef’s commitment to serving great food faster sits perfectly with our philosophy to provide a quality experience within the time constraints of the traveller.

“We have worked closely with Merrychef’s development chefs to create the menu and accelerated cooking technology has allowed us to provide an extensive, nutritious menu with dishes cooked to order in a limited time frame.”

Plans to roll out the brand have already started with a second Yotel opening in Heathrow later this year.