Hotel Barcelona Princess Cuts Food Waste by 63%

How Hotel Barcelona Princess Achieved a 63% Reduction in Food Waste

Located in the heart of Barcelona, Hotel Barcelona Princess is the perfect spot for both work and leisure trips. The hotel is guided by the Princess 360º CSR Programme, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of operations, promote employment inclusion for at-risk groups, engage guests, and ensure a safe, empowering work environment.

To support this programme, the hotel installed Winnow in October 2024. Within just eight months, food waste was reduced by 63%, far surpassing the original target of 40%.

Leadership Committed to Change

With a background in hotel management and a strong passion for sustainability, General Manager Santiago Hernández oversees both the Hotel Barcelona Princess and Negresco Princess. Under his leadership, the hotels have adopted a conscious, responsible approach to hospitality.

Chef David Bourg, originally trained in France, has been part of the Hotel Barcelona Princess team for the past 19 years, currently leading the food waste reduction project together with Sous Chef Joan Esteve.

Together, they drive a culture of sustainable gastronomy and continuous improvement.

“For us, sustainability is not a trend, it’s a way of doing things.”
— Santiago Hernández | General Manager

Tackling Waste in the Breakfast Buffet

Armed with Winnow’s insights, the team identified high levels of waste, particularly at breakfast. Key issues included overproduction of scrambled eggs, sausages, bread, and pastries, along with inefficient use of fresh ingredients.

Switching from large-format sausages to cocktail-sized portions, one of the most wasted items.
Purchasing smaller plates to prevent customers from overfilling.
Assigning a dedicated breakfast buffet attendant to monitor levels and coordinate with kitchen staff on refills.
Donating leftover pastries to local NGOs.
Repurposing excess breakfast items for staff meals.
Using real-time daily data to adjust next-day production.
Providing training and awareness sessions for the entire kitchen and dining room team.

“We manage resources more efficiently, reduce costs from spoiled products, and have better inventory control. These factors allow you to offer higher-quality end products, resulting in greater customer satisfaction.”
— Chef David Bourg, Sous Chef Joan Esteve & F&B Manager Miquel Molina

Waste Reduction Results
63% reduction in food waste
8.5 tons of food waste saved annually
€22,700 saved in food costs annually
36.4 tons of CO₂e avoided annually
21,000 meals saved annually

Pineapple Trimmings to Homemade Cakes

Using Winnow insights, the team discovered a surprising amount of waste from pineapple trimmings and cores.

Turning pineapple trimmings into fresh juice for staff and smoothie bases.
Using pineapple cores to bake homemade cakes for the breakfast buffet.

“You manage resources more efficiently, reduce costs from spoiled products, and have better inventory control.”
— Chef David Bourg

Better Quality, Greater Awareness

Reducing waste directly improved food quality, preparation, and guest satisfaction.

“Quality has improved. We use exactly what we need, the product is fresher, and the team cooks with clearer intent. You can see it on the plate… and guests appreciate it.”
— Santiago Hernández

“Love Food, Stop Waste”: A Campaign with Impact

The hotel promotes waste reduction through the “Love Food, Stop Waste” campaign — a guest engagement initiative complementing kitchen efforts. Through social media, signage, and web content, guests are encouraged to take part and act responsibly.

“Most guests respond responsibly, but it can vary depending on nationality and culture, so it’s important to have campaigns like this.”
— Chef David Bourg & Sous Chef Joan Esteve

Team Engagement

Food waste accountability is now integrated into daily operations — from kitchen briefings to new-hire onboarding. Sustainability expectations are also included in the Welcome Manual and job descriptions.

Future Plans

Encouraged by their success, Hotel Barcelona Princess plans to:

Expand Winnow’s influence across more departments.
Explore water- and energy-saving technologies.

Advice to Peers

“Sustainability isn’t delegated — it’s led. My advice is to start measuring. Seeing the data opens your eyes and shows you the path to improvement.”
— Santiago Hernández

About Winnow

Winnow develops Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help chefs in large businesses — including hotels, contract caterers, casinos, and cruise ships — to run more profitable and sustainable kitchens by cutting food waste in half.

Up to 20% of purchased food in commercial kitchens is wasted.

Winnow helps teams pinpoint waste quickly with analytics and reporting tools.

Kitchens using Winnow cut food waste by half, reducing food purchasing costs by 3–8%.

Winnow operates in over 90 countries with offices in London, Dubai, Singapore, Cluj, and Chicago.