Beacon Altogether Better

Case Studies

Real Green Hotels

With beacon launching its very own Green Hotel, a virtual residence for guests in search of advice on all things environmentally friendly and sustainable, Altogether Better spoke to three Best Western hotel customers recognised as eco-trailblazers. All have earned a Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) badge, an honour they won't wear lightly!

• Interchange and Consort Hotels Ltd

  Rachel Jackson heads up the Green Team for Interchange and Consort Hotels at  Consort House in York. Rachel, along with the Green Team work hard to ensure that the office is run in the most enviromentally friendly way possible.

  

  Motivation for going green:
  
  We actively encourage all Best Western Member Hotels to become green accredited through the Green Tourism Business Scheme and beacon purchasing encourage greener suppliers. We felt that as we are encouraging our members and suppliers that we should also practice this ourselves.

  Buy-in from the team:
  
  We set up the Green Team to encourage employees who are passionate about ‘Green’ issues to become part of the team. Our Green team is a strong, committed and passionate team of 10 from all different areas of the business. We actively promote green issues to the rest of Consort House staff raising awareness of what we all can do to make a difference. We encourage this through recycling, dress down days, volunteering, energy reduction and many other ways.

  Aiming higher:
  
  In November 2009 we achieved Bronze accreditation through the Green Tourism Business Scheme. Since achieving this grading we have continued to work hard by encouraging our employees to embrace being green. In July 2010 we had our second grading and achieved Silver accreditation, we are now working hard to ensure we meet our GOLD target in 2012.
  
  Communication:
  
  We always keep our employees in the loop as to what we are doing here at Consort House. We have the Green Tourism logo on our website, on our internal Intranet and on our headed paper. We promote this via internal newsletters, Intranet, CSR board and just by constantly reminding people so Green Tourism and going green is always at the back of our minds.
  
  Business sense:
  
  We made the decision earlier in 2010 to switch our energy supplier to E-on. E-on provide renewable energy and making the change has led to a 25% reduction in bills. We are encouraging all employees to ensure they turn off all computers, monitors, lights etc when they are not using them. Over the next few months I am sure we will see some great results which will make total business sense.
   

• Best Western Kings Manor Hotel

  Les Solley is Director of the Kings Manor Hotel near Edinburgh city centre, part of the Solley Hotels group. Les is justifiably proud of the hotel's GTBS Gold Award, gained in 2000, and hopes to continue championing green initiatives well into the future.

  

  Motivation for going green:

  I was brought up in a small family business dating back to 1918, and always taught not to waste anything. Even now, it wouldn't be inconceivable for me to pick up a crooked nail in a car park, straighten it, and use it for something else! I've never liked any form of waste.

  Buy-in from the team:

  I work long hours, so there's no escape from the boss and his environmental policies! But seriously, it was the sensible way to go, although initially, it was difficult. We formed a team of committed people to help push things through.

  Aiming higher:

  We want to be a very comfortable gold. That may mean offering some products that we presently don't. But we have to respond to what our customers want and will pay for. We're not yet totally organic, although we do offer some Fair Trade products. beacon can help hugely through the new green hotel initiative and by being our one-stop shop for items like sustainable fish, helping us to save time and money.

  Communication:

  It's on the header of our website and on all marketing literature. Last year I went a step further and ran a seminar on environmental issues at a sales conference. I've also put myself forward as a mentor on this issue for other Best Western Hotels.

  Customer impact:

  According to the tourist boards, people are willing to pay a premium to stay at a green hotel like ours.

  Business sense:

  A lot of would-be customers, particularly government bodies, ask for our green and CSR credentials, so as long as they're not just paying lip service, our gold award should really help. We've also saved enormously on utility costs, and the Energy Savings Trust has given us a 5-year interest free loan to buy and install condensing boilers. In ways like this especially, it's paid to be committed to the ethos of Green Tourism.

• The Best Western Premier Yew Lodge Hotel

  Heather Thornton is Sales & Marketing Director of the Yew Lodge Hotel. In 2008, it scooped a GTBS Silver Award and won the Considerate Hoteliers Association Energy Management Challenge the year before.

  

  Motivation for going green:

  Heather Thornton is Sales & Marketing Director of the Yew Lodge Hotel. In 2008, it scooped a GTBS Silver Award and won the Considerate Hoteliers Association Energy Management Challenge the year before.

  Motivation for going green:

  We were already doing a lot, but we knew that increasingly, both private and public sector companies were looking for clear CSR policies. I myself am passionate about green issues, and always happy to stand up for the benefits of going green. Being a member of beacon has been so helpful in sourcing green suppliers.

  Buy-in from the team:

  A 'green team' with representatives from each department contribute their ideas. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

  Aiming higher:

  Hopefully, by early 2010 we can claim a Gold Award. We're considering what to do without incurring too much capital expenditure, in the present climate, and what will have a positive impact on the day-to-day running of the hotel. One aspect of green tourism we concentrate on is contributing to and supporting the local community. We've been at the heart of the village for over 50 years.

  Communication:

  We communicate regularly with our staff, and took great pleasure in writing to them all individually when we won the award so they knew the full impact of their contribution. We proudly display all our awards in the hotel. It's on all our marketing collateral too

  Customer impact:

  Recently, a hotel booking agency told me that the greener the hotel, the better the business! We try at every opportunity to encourage guests to 'think green'. With the country's greenest railway station just 2 miles away plus the option for guests to offset their carbon footprint, we feel the hotel is doing as much as it can for the environment.

  Business sense:

  If you compare our energy bills from July to December 2007 with the same period the year prior, our efforts, including switching to 6,000 energy-saving light bulbs, has saved us '26,000. Looking at greener initiatives really is one of our priorities. That it makes good business sense too is a bonus.

• The Best Western Monkbar Hotel

  June Nelsey is Director of the Monkbar Hotel right in the centre of the historic city of York. She is delighted that the continuous efforts of the hotel green team have been recognised with the silver award by Green Tourism - the first hotel at the centre of York to have received this accolade. The hotel has embraced the green initiatives and involved local businesses and customers in their objectives.

  

  Motivation for going green:

  Initially we felt that we would struggle with green initiatives, as a city centre hotel which has been developed for over 20 years. The building is challenging in some ways, meaning that energy saving efficiencies could be difficult. However, that said we knew that we wanted to help the environment and we have a very passionate green team in place to look at every possibility to increase efficiency.

  It is amazing what can be achieved once the green philosophy is started. We now recycle all of our paper, cardboard and glass. Our recycling opportunities are translated into every language spoken by staff members, so that no-one has an excuse not to embrace green issues.

  Buy-in from the team:

  Nikki Brannan our Sales Manager is leading the green team, along with representatives from every department. Regular meetings are held to review progress and look into ways to help the hotel continually improve. We encourage invoices by email, payments by BACS and vans turning off their engines whilst making deliveries. Nothing is taken for granted and we find new opportunities at every turn to make a difference. This year a member of the team introduced a herb garden in the courtyard. The herbs are used by chef - it looks good, smells good and of course tastes very good too!

  Aiming higher:

  We're going for Gold! It's really important not to stand still and to continuously raise the bar. Our next aim is to improve transport awareness - by car sharing for staff, new cycle racks to encourage delegates to cycle for meetings etc. We offer a cycling initiative to our residents as an option for them to explore the city and we encourage guests to bring their dogs so that they can walk the city too.

  Our guests are also very much part of our goal to achieve Gold - they are encouraged to turn off lights, not leave the TV on standby and to turn off their heating. It is only by having commitment from everyone associated with the building that we will achieve our Golden Goal.

  Communication:

  It is very much part of our staffs induction programme to be aware of the green initiatives and to understand the role that each of us plays. Every green notice is translated and in every department we look into the products and suppliers used to ensure that our environmental policy is matched by theirs. We also have a green table in reception so that we can share our green agenda with our guests too.

  Customer impact:

  The impact has been terrific! I think all our guests really appreciate the change that they can make - they compliment us on our green policy and come up with additional suggestions for change. They certainly see it as a very positive step and the more feedback that we get, ensures me that it makes good business sense to show that you care for the environment alongside caring for your guests and staff.

  Business sense:

  We have monitored our energy costs and by making staff more aware of the savings that can be made, we have shaved over £4,000 from our bills this year! We have low-energy light bulbs, and many energy saving devises through the hotel. Simply by taking care of dripping taps and turning off lights and TV's - it is really amazing to see what differences can be made.