Conserving energy with optimised energy management: Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich

Saving valuable resources starts with identifying the vulnerable areas. Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich has successfully improved its energy management and now shares the strategy behind its better energy conservation.  

A common problem: energy consumption and waste

Tackling energy waste might sound like a particularly challenging issue for hospitality managers. Even though the need for more effective energy management is often recognised, finding practical solutions is not easy.

There is no doubt: hotels and other businesses within the hospitality industry do require a lot of energy to operate. So how can they possibly monitor and reduce its usage?

Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich started its energy management improvement process with identifying a major source of wasted energy and unnecessary costs: the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) in hotel’s guestrooms.

Before addressing this problem, the room temperature was reset manually by the housekeeping team as soon as room cleaning began. However, with almost 100 rooms and many daily departures, sometimes the time between a guest check-out to the arrival of housekeepers was up to several hours! This simply had to be fixed.

An effective solution

The hotel recognised all the benefits and invested in a system that links the hotel software with the ventilation system. Thanks to an automation function, the most energy-efficient temperatures are now automatically set as soon as a guest checks out.

The system also offers other advantageous features, such as automated turn-off of heating and cooling when the windows are open, or manual set-up and adjustment of the temperatures to the season if necessary.

A difference has been noticed in no time: from improved monitoring of energy waste, through limiting the energy usage, and thus reducing the monthly electricity costs, to saving up the time of the housekeepers and lowering the hotel’s environmental footprint. All of it, without affecting the guests not in the slightest.

Top tips from Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich:

• Automation systems exist for all sectors within the hospitality industry – no matter if you are a restaurant, a conference centre, or a small accommodation, you will be able to find an optimal and suitable solution for your business;

• Technology is your ally - keep up with the times and simply look out for the newest, profitable innovations to make the best use of them;

• There is always room for improvement. Continue to identify new opportunities for optimising your resource management and reaching new levels of sustainability.

Local and Circular Approach Elevates Social Responsibility: Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel

Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is the first Novotel Airport Hotel in South East Asia to be Green Key certified. As the hotel embraces eco-conscious practices across all its departments, in this article we will share some of its good practices.

©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

As other certified establishments, Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi adopts sustainable practices in its everyday operations, such as sourcing locally, prioritising eco-friendly products, or phasing out single-use plastics and implementing waste segregation.

However, the hotel has found a unique way to celebrate the recently obtained Green Key certificate with a series of sustainable activities, that complement the sustainability efforts of the hotel.

“We are thrilled to have achieved this milestone [the Green Key certification], and we believe it’s a testament to our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Our Green Key certificate signifies our dedication to reducing our environmental impact and implementing sustainable practices throughout our operations. We are excited to share this news with our community and beyond, and we believe that the media activity will help us amplify our message and inspire others to join us in our efforts."

The Green Key Initiative campaign is heavily based on the hotel’s social media platforms, making the idea easily replicable for any other hospitality establishment that wishes to elavate their awareness-raising efforts.

Small environmentally-friendly and community-supporting activities are presented each week to recognise the involved employees, and promote the adoption of sustainable hospitality practices.

Some examples of the hotel’s activities include:

Bananas from our Green Garden: self-grown bananas have been shared among the staff & guests. Additionally, the importance of sourcing locally was highlighted, as well as the idea of using the hotel’s green areas to produce their own foods was promoted.

EM Water Producing:  Leftover food scraps are used as an organic fertilizer for the hotel’s garden.

Songkran OTOP Market: Local producers and store owners are invited to join a hotel lobby market during the Songkran holiday (Thai New Year) to set up their own stalls and present their products to the hotel guests. This way, the hotel supports local businesses and brings its guests an opportunity to conveniently shop for authentic foods and souvenirs.

Songkran Activities in hotel and celebration: Thai New Year was also celebrated by the staff being invited to wear national Thai costumes. Other Thai traditions were brought to the guests, such as a traditional long drum parade.

©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Pandan Paradise: The herbal teas that are served at the hotel’s Vous Spa are grown by Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Child Care Donation: On one of the staff empowering days, not only essential food and hygiene products were donated to the Slum Childcare Foundation, but also the time of the hotel employees that had an opportunity to interact and engage with the children.

Taste of Thai Arabica: The hotel supports a royal project on coffee planting on the Northern of Thailand, hills of Nan, promoting the consumption of locally grown and responsibly sourced coffee.

Earth Hour : Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport also engages in international initiatives, spreading the word about them amopng the staff and the hotel guests.

The Airport Hotel continues with its successful Green Key Initiative and every Wednesday new activities are posted on the hotel’s Facebook page.

©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

“By collaborating with local communities and organisations, the hotel extends its impact beyond its walls, aiming for a sustainable environment for all.

Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport has successfully establised various partnerships with global sustainability leaders on using green certified chemicals and environmentally-friendly cleaning products, and with the help of our partner on food waste, one of our top priorities, we keep growing more organic food in our garden. All in all, every initiative is a step towards a greener future by full engagement of our Heartists [employees] and guests.

At Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, the commitment to sustainability is not just a duty but a passion, elevating eco-friendly practices while advocating for our staff, guests and the planet alike.”

All photo credits: ©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Top tips from Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

• give your staff a chance to engage and be proactive - they might care more than you expect;

• you do not need to organise big, complex campaigns to raise awareness - use your owned resources and focus on promoting and encouraging simple actions for creating big, long-lasting impact for all;

• appreciate your local treasures - from local suppliers to small cultural nuances, hotel guests often appreciate an opportunity to experience authentic things and support local if only they can.
  

About Novotel: 

Novotel Hotels, Suites & Resorts offers destination hotels designed as comforting and energizing places where guests can ‘press pause’ and take time to enjoy the moments that really matter. The brand’s wide array of hotels, suites and resorts offer a multitude of services for business and leisure guests alike, including spacious, modular rooms with natural and intuitive design; 24/7 catering with nutritious choices; dedicated meeting spaces; attentive and proactive staff; family zones for the youngest guests; multi-purpose lobbies; and accessible fitness centers. Novotel, which has over 530 locations in more than 60 countries is part of Accor, a world leading hospitality group consisting of more than 5,000 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. 

Visit us for more information at www.novotelairportbkk.com/the-hotel/sustainabilities 

©Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

From Consumption to Community: rediscovering nature and supporting local businesses

Just a few hours from the busy city life, in Norway, there is a place where you can get deep into the forest and get down to earth. Ingeborg and Andreas welcome their guests to Hafsrød, a place where people and nature have lived alongside for centuries. Staying in the forest cabins and enjoying tailored nature-based experiences, guests can unwind and rediscover their connection with nature.

In this new Good Practice article, Green Key asked Ingeborg and Andreas, hosts of Hafsrød, how they are promoting nature-based tourism while supporting local businesses and re-educating guests to be in nature.

© @foto_marisperre

Are guests ready for nature-based tourism?

I&A: We noticed that many of our guests come from places where they do not have access to nature as easily as we can. Therefore, they most of the times lack the proper equipment to enjoy the natural activities Hafsrød offers. As we wanted to ensure the best experience to our guests, we started investigating how we could ensure a full experience to our guests, while keeping the carbon footprint as low as possible. During this process, we started thinking about another important element of the guests’ experience: the local stakeholders. We really wanted to promote the local activities and products, give something more to the area we inhabit.

As a result, we launched our "Nature kits".

© @fotografidahvattum

What are “Nature kits” and how did you develop them?

I&A: We started off with a product called "The Forest Box", where the guest collects a box filled with local products for their breakfast and lunch, and a ready-made dinner, prepared by an excellent restaurant here in Halden, called Curtisen. This makes it possible for guest to get a complete meal without having to plan too much, while tasting local food and support the local economy. Later on, we thought to apply the same concept to the equipment needed to enjoy the local activities. This is how we created our “Nature kits” including fishing kit, hiking kit, picking kit (foraging) and stargazing kit.

Here at Hafsrød, guests get a taste of local products, and are given all the tools to experience nature at its best. The kits also include tips and tricks for the specific activity promoted. This is to ensure that guests try different things in a more confident and responsible way, as many of them are not costumed with nature-based activities. We are trying to ensure them a good experience, while protecting our natural heritage.

© @raschlisa

What results did you achieve?

I&A: Our “Forest Box” has been welcomed with very good feedback. Our guests like that they do not need to plan too much what to bring, or buy expensive products for a one-time activity. We have now launched the complete nature kits, and we expect that this will encourage people to re-connect with nature and try something new in an easy, low-cost, and low-impact way.

© @raschlisa

What next?

I&A: We want to continue supporting local business and address other areas of the tourist experience. We are thinking of expanding our offer to bikes or similar products that are of interest for our guests who want to experience nature responsibly and learn how to be more sustainable.

Top tips from Hafsrød

• exchange as much as possible with your guests - see what their needs are and how they interact with the experience you are offering as a host;

• unlock sustainability for your guests - as a host you know your territory and have the knowledge an possibility to limit the impact of your guests’ stay;

• engage - collaboration with local stakeholders can enhance the value of the product you offer, while contributing to the positive impact of tourist activities;

• have fun, be creative!

How did you like this good practice? Could you adapt it to the needs and circumstances of your establishments? We would love to see that!

Do you have your own brilliant Good Practice that you would like to share with the network? Click here to open the submission form. We look forward to hearing from you!

Many thanks to our Green Key certified Hafsrød for sharing their Good Practice with us!

Cultivating Change: the impact of Hotel No11 Community Garden

The historical heritage of the original districts of an 8000-year-old city has an immensurable value, but the lack of green areas might turn into a significant issue for the community and any tourism establishment. How to face such a situation while fostering community engagement and local food production?

Get inspired by the story of Hotel No11 and discover how the Green Key certified hotel has taken action and successfully overcame that challenge creating additional value!

©Hotel No11.

The issue:
lack of green areas

Local residents and tourists can experience the rich historical and cultural heritage of İstanbul, Türkiye, at every turn. However, escaping the urban infrastructure and accessing green public can be quite challenging. This is what used to be reported by the guests of Hotel No11, as the area around the accommodation did not offer many natural spots.

The issue was not beautifying the hotel spaces for its guests’ leisure, as the lack of green area is not a mere aesthetic issue, but a natural and social need. Well aware of these implications, the team of our Green Key-certified establishment came up with a more impactful alternative: transforming an unused hotel terrace into a community garden that could bring not only greenery to the hotel guests but also involve them in a sustainable initiative with local people.

“The initiative to transform the unused terrace space of Hotel No11 into a community garden was motivated by a desire to address the lack of green spaces in the area and to promote sustainability. The goals were multifaceted: to create a green oasis in the city, to engage the local community in sustainable practices, and to contribute to the hotel's sustainability goals by producing organic waste for composting and growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs for the hotel's breakfast buffet.”

From theory to practice:
engaging and upcycling

The project has been in progress for over four years now, during which the forgotten terrace evolved into a fully functioning community space and a garden with a seed bank for the Asmalı Mescit neighborhood. The first stage of the project involved cleaning up and transforming the abandoned terrace into a vibrant green space: second-hand gardening tools were acquired and old guest beds were creatively upcycled and converted into vegetable beds.

Residents and local businesses were also invited to join the initiative, promote sustainability and engage the community in environmentally friendly practices.

©Hotel No11.

©Hotel No11.

Creating social value:
community engagement and other benefits

And, the project turned out to be a great success. First of all, Hotel No11 managed to create a completely new green space for its guests and locals, which is particularly important for a historically dense urban area like this one. The Green Key certified hotel has also gained a garden where fruits, vegetables, and herbs are grown for the breakfast buffet, whereas worm composting stations help manage the organic waste from the hotel and the neighborhood.

But those are not the only benefits of the transformed terrace. Dedicated to the permaculture principles, Hotel No11 hosts multiple gardening events for scholars, volunteers, and permaculture enthusiasts, during which the attendees can share and exchange seeds and fertilizers and learn more about sustainable waste management and food production.

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©Hotel No11.

Inspire:
ideas to be replicated

Hotel No11 is proud to share its successful model for community engagement through
shared gardening activities, composting, and seed sharing with the hospitality industry. With great benefits like self-grown organic fruits and vegetables and the reduction of organic waste through composting, the hotel believes that this is a great way to maximise any hotel’s sustainability efforts. Additionally, the seed bank contributes to the preservation and sharing of plant biodiversity within the community, while open activities for hotel guests, neighbours, children, students, and volunteers, raise awareness of permaculture and sustainable living practices, including composting, gardening, rainwater harvesting, and waste
management.

©Hotel No11.

©Hotel No11.

Top tips from Hotel No11:

• Identify underutilized spaces (rooftops, terraces, or courtyards).

• Assess available resources and space for suitability and potential impact

• Engage with local communities, organisations, and experts in permaculture and sustainable gardening to gather support and expertise.

• Utilise upcycled materials and sustainable practices to minimise environmental impact and promote circular economy principles.

• Implement a phased approach to development, starting with small, manageable sections and expanding based on success and engagement.

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How did you like this project idea? Could you adapt it to the needs and circumstances of your establishments? We would love to see that!

Do have you your own brilliant Good Practice that you would like to share with the world? Click here to open the submission form. We look forward to hearing from you!

Many thanks to our Green Key certified Hotel No11 from İstanbul, Türkiye, for sharing their Good Practice with us!