Sustainability and the environment is at the heart of what we do
It might not be easy being green, but we're doing it anyway!
At Welcome Break Hotels we know how important the environment is and constantly strive to do better. We may not shout about it like other businesses do, instead we do the work!
We appreciate how fragile the environment is and consider the impact of what we do with every decision we make. Read on to find out more about some of the amazing things we do, what makes us a sustainable hotel, and what we have planned for the future.
Together we will make a future that lasts, one that we are proud of.
It's official
We've got the sticker to prove it!
We are proud to have our efforts recognised and as of the start of 2022, we are the only group of non-Wyndham managed hotels to have been awarded a Wyndham Green 1 Certification.
The Wyndham Green programme focuses on four areas: climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy, water conservation, and waste diversion. It is a global effort to help our customers make informed decisions and know that by staying with us, they are making a better choice for the environment.
Those sound like great sustainability buzz words to us, but what does it mean? And what are we actually doing?
More than a colour
What are we actually doing?
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Laundry
If you have stayed with us, you will know that we encourage guests that stay for multiple nights to reuse their towels, instead of having them changed them daily. We also only provide the amount of towels and pillows per room that are required, so we aren't changing unused towels and linen unnecessarily. And whilst guests can always request clean or additional towels and bedding, we find that they appreciate being able to make the green choice.
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Reducing paper usage
We are always trying to look at areas we can reduce paper waste. Most recently, we have introduced an online check-in feature for guests to complete prior to their arrival, this is not only allows us to reduce paper usage, it also speeds up the check-in process and reduces queuing at reception freeing up our staff to assist with additional queries or issues. This has been very well received by our guests, which is great!
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Recycling
We also have a vigorous recycling scheme and encourage our guests to help with this.
Did you know that you can leave used batteries at reception so that this can be disposed of safely?
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EV Charging
For those with electric vehicles we have charging stations at most of our locations, either within the hotel parking itself or close by in the service station area. And more of these are being installed nationwide as you are reading this.
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Background updates
Behind the scenes within the hotels we have updated almost all of our interior lighting to energy efficient bulbs and track our energy and water usage. We also carefully vet our suppliers and producers, and we are constantly educating our own staff. Working together to make improvements that last.
So, what's next?
Next, we are aiming for level two, of course!
We are constantly rolling out trials across our hotels to see how our next phase of sustainability efforts will impact our guests and the day to day running of our hotels. We know we won't always get it right the first time round, but we know our guests appreciate our efforts and understand the importance of change. Here's just a taster of what we have to come:
- For suitable properties, we will soon start to install solar panels
- As our hotels are being renovated, we are installing water efficient fittings into the rooms as standard
- Better utilisation of our currently underused green spaces
- We will also be getting our very own dedicated Green team, who will lead the fight and keep us true to the cause
Come see for yourself
Stay at one of our sustainable hotels
Whether you are looking for a place to stay, a base to explore the local area, or as a stop over as part of a longer trip, know that we are doing our bit to minimise the environmental impact with each stay. Letting you get a good night sleep, whist we worry about the details.
Do you have any ideas on how we could improve or changes you'd like to see? Get in touch with our interim Green representatives (watch this space, our dedicated Green team is coming) to discuss this.