Millennium and Copthorne retains Carbon Trust Standard certification

The hotel chain, which operates 21 hotels in the UK, now expects to achieve a reduction in energy costs of around £1m by the end of 2016, thanks to efficiency upgrades identified through the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).

M&C’s European senior vice president Clive Harrington said: “We are delighted to, once again, have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard Certification of Achievement for our commitment to reducing and managing carbon emissions throughout our UK hotels. In the last two years, we have made substantial progress in reducing our consumption of natural resources and we aim to be able to achieve a total reduction of £1M in our UK energy costs by the end of this year.”

The hotel chain has fitted 17,000 LED lights across chains in the UK, which use 90% less energy than the conventional bulbs, with more to be fitted as a part of an ongoing replacement programme. The retrofit project has enabled the near-11% fall in carbon emissions, although the company’s overall emissions footprint increased by 40,000 tonnes for 2015 – largely due to the opening of new hotels. When excluding the new builds, M&C cut emissions by 5% last year.

M&C has also focused on sustainable sourcing. The company has pledged to reduce food miles and create working partnerships with suppliers that demonstrate sustainable practices. The majority of M&C’s main UK food suppliers have implemented best practices and turned to investment programmes to drive down CO2 emissions and reduce energy consumption and waste to landfill.

M&C has been certified by the Carbon Trust since 2010 and specific hotels have undergone major refurbishments in this time period. The Millennium Bailey’s hotel in Kensington has already installed double-glazed windows and a new energy saving lift control system. The building management system (BMS) controls have also been upgraded.

Since 2015, the hotel group has focused on replacing old, high energy use equipment. The project has already seen the replacement of all boiler plant rooms at its Copthrone, Gatwick and Effingham hotels, the replacement of 35 chillers across various sites and large motors and pumps being replaced with high-power saving alternatives. Replacement fridge/freezers, kitchen cold rooms and dishwashers are also being rolled out across various sites that will expect to reduce overall energy usage.

Sustainable service

With surveys revealing that hotels would generate more customer interest if they were judged through a sustainable accreditation system, it is unsurprising to see so many hotel chains move to improve sustainable practices.

Luxury hotel group Malmaison and Hotel du Vin has signed a ground-breaking contract with Anglian Water Business (AWB) to supply water to all of its UK properties, ahead of the water retail market reform.

The London Heathrow Marriott hotel has also revamped its water system, having successfully trialled a new pot-washing technology in its kitchens that cut water use by almost 92% – potentially saving around two million litres of water a year.

During the historic COP21 climate conference, AccorHotels offset the carbon footprint of all overnight stays in the Ile-de-France region – including those at rival hotels.

Alex Baldwin