THE GREEN WATCH ➔Whitbread's green push This autumn also sees the
opening of Premier Inn’s second green hotel and its first low-carbon restaurant, in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, following the opening of a pilot hotel in Tamworth, Staffordshire, in 2008. Chris George, Whitbread's
THE Whitbread hospitality group is investing a further £7million on its sustainability programme in a bid to meet its targets of a 26 per cent reduction in energy consump- tion and a 20 per cent reduc- tion in water usage by 2020. The company, whose brands include budget hotel group
QHOTELS' ENERGY CUTS
QHOTELS has achieved an impressive year-on-year reduction in energy consumption of 61 per cent across its 21 properties, easily surpassing its 30 per cent target. The group is now setting further environmental goals, including a ratio of 70/30 in favour of recycling to landfill rubbish, compared to the industry standard of a 50/50 ratio. QHotels managing director Michael Purtill says, “We have introduced measures such as water flow regulators for all showers and digital gas meters that can record data every half hour. These energy-saving initiatives mean we have saved 2,747
tonnes of C02 – and we're constantly looking for new ways to reduce this number even further.”
Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre and Costa Coffee, will spend £2.6million on low-energy LED light bulbs and install 20,000 low-flow shower-heads, moves it says will save 6,200 tonnes of carbon each year and a volume of water equivalent to 88 Olympic swimming pools by 2012.
head of energy and environ- ment, says, ”This significant green investment is a major step forward for Whitbread as we continue to drive down our carbon emissions and reduce water consumption as part of our 'Good Together' commitments.” He continues, ”What's really exciting about our programme is its scale. We have the largest portfolio of hotels, restaurants and coffee shops in the UK. That means we have a real opportunity to make a difference and there is considerable scope for us to be innovative and bold.”
BSI ADDS CARBON REPORTING
HOTEL booking agency BSI is introducing carbon reporting on its hotel inventory to enable corporate clients to measure their accommodation-related carbon footprint. BSI is working with CarePAR
to provide the data for a sector in which it has historically been difficult to establish an industry standard. CarePAR uses a series of fixed and variable measurements to calculate the carbon weight generated in a single room per night. BSI’s managing director,
Trevor Elswood, says, “We’ve partnered with CarePAR to
work on delivery of CO2 reporting as a priority to address a major industry gap and enhance the selection process of clients’ preferred hotel programmes.” Client company E.on has worked with BSI on developing the reporting tool, with its UK travel manager, Judith Gledhill, labelling it “a much needed benchmarking tool for business accommodation”.
Five minutes with... Andrew Wood
PROFILE
Corporate Sales Manager PESTANA CHELSEA BRIDGE HOTEL
Andrew joined the new Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel at the start of 2010. He oversees the corporate sales for the hotel, but as a new property from a brand well established outside of the UK, the role also heavily involves creating exposure to the market. Andrew joined Pestana following four years with Quest Apartments in Melbourne, Australia.
What is your most memorable business travel trip and why? This is a simple answer for me – a fam trip to Barcelona in 2009. If you combine a good flight, attention to detail, quality of product, great staff, amazing food and a great location of your hotel, you cannot generally go wrong!
What is your worst business travel experience and why? That would have to be my trip to Istanbul in 2008. The key to success is your staff and the commitment of your staff to the brand. I stayed three nights at a well-known brand and the staff may has well been on a beach in Mexico with a Corona as their attention to detail and general service was non- existence. It only takes one thing on a business trip to go wrong when you are on a tight schedule and your whole opinion on everything can become negative. The best investment for a hotel is it staff.
What is your favourite destination worldwide and why? Australia. As an Aussie that's obviously biased, but with all honesty, although the country is located a long distance away from most the world, it’s a destination that prides itself on being able to offer any type of traveller, for whatever purposes they're travelling, exactly what they have been looking for.
Gledhill adds: “Minimising
the ecological impact of our business is a top priority. Based on informed choices, we can modify travel policies in line with our wider environmental strategies.” CarePAR’s Peter Ducker says:
“It is important to recognise that BSI’s achievement is also raising awareness of legislation among their suppliers, many of whom will have to register with the Environment Agency by the end of September this year and, consequently, report their emissions from 2011.”
What three items do you never leave home without when travelling on business? Phone charger, laptop and iPod.
What single thing could be done to improve your business travelling life? The invention of teleportation!
What destination/s would you like to visit next and why? Bora Bora, for beach, sand and sunshine!
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