Are we the greenest hotel in Britain?

The Daily Mail recently described the Green House Hotel as “the greenest hotel in Britain”. This may have come as a surprise to some as it isn’t something we talk about very often – as far as many of our guests are concerned, we are simply a stylish, luxury boutique hotel situated next to Bournemouth’s golden beaches.

But our eco- credentials are nevertheless very real, and they go to the heart of everything we do here at the Green House Hotel and at our 2 AA-rosette restaurant, Arbor (which was voted the UK’s most environmentally-friendly restaurant in the 2015 Sustainable Restaurant Association awards).

They are there in the fabric of our beautiful Victorian building, thanks to our £5 million eco-regeneration back in 2011, where no corner was cut in creating a property that could properly call itself an eco-hotel (though we rarely do!). And since then we have not sat back – we are constantly looking at ways to be greener in everything we do.

But what exactly is it, we are sometimes asked, that makes the Green House Hotel “the greenest hotel in Britain”? To be honest, the best way to find out is to come and visit – we will be happy to share our story with you, and to demonstrate exactly how sustainability and luxury can make the very best of bedfellows.  But in the meantime, here is a starter for ten!

1.Around 90% of the hotel’s electricity is generated on site using a combined heat and power unit and solar electricity.

2.Low energy technology is used throughout, including LED lighting and dimmers, low wattage TVs, low energy hair dryers, sensored lighting within the public areas of the hotel and timers and sensors on external lighting.

3.Our water usage is kept to a minimum by various methods, including aerated showers and sink taps which give the performance you would expect from a great shower but using a fraction of the water, automated sensors on public use taps and low/dual flush toilets.

4.Our in-house water filtration and bottling unit helps to reduce the environmental impacts associated with bottled water.

5.Our kitchens use energy-efficient hot fill dishwashers and glass washers and low-energy induction burners for cooking.

6.We harvest rainwater and use it to irrigate the hotel grounds.

7.We do all our own laundry in-house so we can minimise the environmental impact.

8.We have used recycled materials throughout the hotel including the restaurant tablewear, chairs for meeting rooms (made from recycled games consoles!) and floor tiles in our kitchen and bathrooms. Our wardrobes, desks and side tables are all handmade from Ash Trees felled by tree surgeons or storms. They have been specially treated with ecologically-friendly stain and varnish.

9.We have kept the use of chemicals to a minimum in furnishing the hotel: for example our carpets are 100% sheep’s wool and therefore naturally fire retardant requiring no chemical treatment, and our walls are decorated with eco paints (made from natural ingredients such as Linseed Oil and China Clay) and wallpapers containing no petro-chemicals

10.We purchase organic, free-range and biodynamic food and wine wherever possible in our Arbor restaurant and put a high value on our producers’ ethical standards. For example, all the fish we serve is from sustainable sources.

So there you have it – ten ways in which the Green House Hotel strives to minimise our impact on the planet while ensuring our boutique hotel is the last word in luxury and comfort. But there are many more. For more detailed information go here, call us on 01202 498900 or email us on info@thegreenhousehotel.com.