Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Chief engineer Nick Lakeman about the service of MEIKO
MEIKO has been doing the dishes at Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Airport since 2014. The glasswashers, hood and rack type dishwashing machines of the German warewashing specialist can be found throughout the building and are frequently used. This is no surprise, because 433 rooms, more than twenty conference rooms, a restaurant with various open-plan kitchens, a bar, a spa and an executive lounge, produce dirty dishes all day long. Dishwashing machine failure is therefore very annoying, but not insurmountable at the Hilton. This is because things are well organised at the Hilton.
“We are lucky in that we have another M-iQ rack type dishwashing machine on the first floor. If the dishwasher in the kitchen breaks down, we can use that one. It’s a bit of a walk, which is a pain, but at least we can continue. In an emergency, we can also use parts of that backup machine, such as a rinse arm, for the dishwasher downstairs”, Nick Lakeman, the chief engineer at Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, explains.
‘People usually only complain. If something’s done well, you should say so as well’
“In 99% of cases, it’s human error that causes the malfunction, because they take out the dishes the right way, but don’t put them back in the right way, for example. Or a splash curtain disappears. If we’re unable to sort it ourselves, we call in MEIKO Service for assistance. We do of course have a maintenance contract. One of their service engineers, Marc Wijnen, has already been here a couple of times. Dealing with the same engineer every time is convenient, it saves a lot of hassle. We suffered several malfunctions at the end of last year. Marc took the whole machine apart and continued until he’d solved it”.
Nick was so pleased with Marc’s work that he immediately sent an e-mail to Bart Jasperse, the managing director of MEIKO North-West Europe, in which he praised the service engineer, calling him an example to others. “People usually only complain and you’ll only hear something if there’s a problem. But if something is done well, you should say so as well. Marc comes up with ideas, solves the problem and explains in detail what exactly it was that he did. And he’s an honest bloke, which makes a difference”,says Nick, who is very pleased.
