When going on holiday or for a short break, the environmental status of your destination is hardly likely to be high on your list of priorities. However, once the packing is done and your price range is decided upon, maybe then you could consider how eco-friendly your hotel is. The hospitality industry has recently recognised the UK’s best ‘green’ hotels and their environmental efforts at the Hotel Catays awards. So if you’re heading to the the Marriott Hotel in Marble Arch; Jury’s Inn, Liverpool; The Park Royal Hotel in Warrington or the Premier Moor Hotel and Spa in the Lake District, be assured to know they’re considered the greenest in the UK.
So why are they the greenest?
The Langdale Hotel promotes a home working scheme to help reduce staff car journeys as well as using a wood-chip fuelled boiler to heat the building and the hot water – they claim to heat millions of gallons of water a year from this renewable energy source. Dan Visser, the director of sales and marketing at the Langdale Estate also urges other business to fit Hippo devices to toilets to use less water and use energy saving bulbs to save energy instantly [1].
How you can find the greenest hotels?
There are various websites that provide green hotel search engines for you to find your ideal hotel by location and price range, for example www.clearskyhotels.co.uk and www.greentraveller.co.uk.
You don’t even need to restrict yourself to the UK, there are listings all over the world, so if you’re looking for five star luxury in Thailand or two star budget in Mexico, you’re bound to find something suitable.
But I don’t want to stay in a hotel, I want something different!
If you’re not looking to stay in a hotel and fancy trying something a bit different, how about staying in a Mongolian yurt or and eco-friendly campsite? There are plenty of sites out there that provide environmentally friendly amenities such as solar showers and compost loos, so you’re not completely au naturel.
What to look for:
If you choose to stay somewhere claiming to be green but you can’t find them listed anywhere, here are a few things to look out for:
- Do they actively reduce their energy consumption? Look out for hot water from solar thermal, electricity from wind turbines and ground-source heat pumps. Check the insulation of the building and look out for energy efficient A rated appliances such as kettles.
- Do they minimise their waste? Do they provide recycling facilities for guests and are they separated into glass, paper, aluminium etc.
- Are they reducing water consumption? Have they fitted cistern displacement devices such as Hippo bags and flow restrictors in taps and shower heads? Are their cleaning products environmentally friendly? Do they harvest rainwater or greywater for use in toilets or the garden?
- Where does their food come from? If they offer food, is there evidence of it being locally sourced?
- Do they discourage car use? Do they encourage guests to use bikes or public transport around the local area and provide information on bus times and cycle hire? Do they offer a discount for guests not arriving by car?
