The Rezidor Hotel Group was the first hotel company worldwide to offer all guests carbon offsetting possibilities through goldpoints plus, the group's loyalty scheme. And it was the Radisson SAS Hotel Ålesund Norway who held the first carbon neutral event for guests within the Rezidor Group. This was an award ceremony where the hotel received the prestigious Nordic Swan eco-label.
Peter Laursen, General Manager of the Radisson SAS Hotel Ålesund explained that "environmental awareness is an important part our vision of being an Responsible Business and having the award ceremony as a carbon neutral event was a naturally responsible thing for us to do". The hotel donated money to The Carbon Neutral Company and the money will go towards a Solar Electrification project in India and a Tree planting project in Uganda.
Solar-driven Club Carts at Radisson SAS Resort El Quseir
The Solar driven club cart initiative at the Radisson SAS Resort El Quseir is one of the projects undertaken by the hotel's Responsible Business committee together with the strong support of the Danida programme. This is a Danish embassy programme which helps private companies to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries.
Since its opening in December 2005. the hotel had been using electric vehicles for carrying luggage and for staff use. With the help of the Danish embassy in Cairo and the Danida project the hotel began to study the feasibility of solar-powered club carts. In Egypt solar energy is used very frequently for road signage and water heating, but never before for electric vehicles. The hotel began using the very first solar driven club cart in Egypt in late 2006 and now plans to implement the same technology for all its club carts within a short time. This project has many advantages for the hotel:
- Less environmental impact with no use of fossil energy
- Safe power supply with sun 360 days per year in El Quseir
- Higher utilisation of this vehicle as no need to recharge it
Reducing energy consumption in lighting at Radisson SAS Hotel, Edinburgh
The Radisson SAS Hotel, Edinburgh, which was recently awarded Gold Award membership with the Green Tourism Business Scheme, has taken a proactive approach to environmental awareness and responsibility. Take energy use, for example: lighting accounts for around 20% of the world's electricity use, and the hotel has taken a number of steps to limit its consumption. These actions range from training staff to switch off lights when they leave a room, to replacing hundreds of light bulbs with energy efficient models. To date, electricity consumption is down 13% and falling. A new ventilation system in the hotel has also led to increased guest comfort, as well as reduced the hotel's natural gas usage by 47%!
Cycling in the city with Radisson SAS Hotel, Malmö
As part of a town council initiative, 53 companies in Malmo have recently bought one or more bicycles in their efforts to reduce their environmental impact. The Radisson SAS Hotel, Malmö purchased 4 bikes to be used by both staff and guests to cycle short distance instead of using cars. Guests are happy to cycle around the city, enjoying the views and the fresh air while staff enjoy using the bikes when picking up brochures or attending meetings in the city.
Celebrating the tomato crop of the Organic Orchard in Sharm El Sheikh
Last February, the Responsible Business teams of the Radisson SAS, Sharm El Sheikh and the Golden Resort by Rezidor planted an organic orchard. The RB Teams designated a piece of land where the Gardeners produced tomatoes as well as onions, watercress, wheat, corn, radish, mint and coriander corps which all will be used by hotels' kitchens.
During May 2007 the crop was a real success with 12kg tomato. The idea is to supply the hotel kitchen with products grown organically without any fertilizers and watered by the recycled water from the hotel rooms.
Hybrid Cars at Park Inn Zurich Airport
The Park Inn Zurich Airport has recently received today 2 New Toyota Prius Hybrid cars for its Sales force. The Prius has won numerous awards including Car of the Year awards for Europe, Japan and North America. It is most famous for its superior fuel economy which means less fuel consumption and less emissions.