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!

• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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 immensely proud of the hotel's GTBS Bronze Award, and enjoys the fact that customers are taking notice.

  

  Motivation for going green:

  We saw how, being a city-centre hotel, we weren't doing enough to help the environment, and how much water and things like cardboard were just being wasted. We approached Green Tourism, having also approached the Carbon Trust. Now we have a bronze award and recycling policies in every possible language ' Chinese, Polish, Italian, you name it!

  Buy-in from the team:

  Debbie Walker, our Personnel Manager, set up a 'green team' with representatives from maintenance, the kitchen, and all other departments. She chose people who were passionate and could lead the way. Now it's more like a way of life! The team comes up with wonderful ideas. It's all a matter of looking, and encouraging people.

  Aiming higher:

  We were the first hotel to get the Bronze Award, and we're aiming for silver at the end of the year. We're doing so much now - recycling, asking our suppliers to turn off their engines when unloading in our car park. We are finding ways to save on energy, like turning down the heating, without sacrificing the comfort of our guests or the value of the guest experience.

  Communication:

  It's very much part of our induction. Our chefs use local produce, which means we cut down on the travel needed to source supplies, and beacon has helped us to do this.

  Customer impact:

  The impact has been terrific! I got an email the other day from a guest who said did I know that the TV in his room was on standby? Customers seem to appreciate what we're doing. You can't keep taking; you have to give something back. The climate has changed. People are moving away from the have mentality to wanting to make a difference for others, and wanting to save money

  Business sense:

  It's certainly made a difference to our bills!

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To find out more about how beacon can benefit your business visit www.beaconpurchasing.co.uk