The 179-bedroomed, four-star, Sandman Signature Glasgow Hotel has become one of only 43 businesses in Scotland to achieve Green Key sustainable tourism certification which sets the standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism sector, covering hotels, visitor attractions, conference centres and restaurants.
The hotel, which opened in 2023, has implemented a number of initiatives in order to improve the ecological footprint of its operations including a “sizeable investment” in a new wireless building management system that controls all of the hotel’s major mechanical units. These units have already resulted in a 20% reduction in monthly electricity use.
The hotel has also fitted water reduction gadgets to all showers and taps in the bedrooms and guests are encouraged to consider the environmental impact of their choices. Toiletries are refilled rather than using disposable minis, saving tens of thousands of pieces of single use plastic.
Inga Gadisauskaite, General Manager at Sandman Signature Glasgow Hotel, is one of a team of five people responsible for overseeing environmental matters at the hotel, across various departments, from management and front desk to maintenance and housekeeping. Inga said, “We all know it’s important to play our part in helping to create a more environmentally friendly planet and this was something we took very seriously.
“Going through the Green Key certification process has been extremely helpful in encouraging us to make further improvements where possible. As an accreditation it is not easily achieved, which makes it so much more valuable. It’s been a real journey of learning, finding new ways to save water and electricity and ensuring that less waste goes to landfill. Our team have been right behind us, making their own adjustments such as many of them now cycling to work where possible.
“It’s proof of the esteem the Green Key certification is held in that it is one of the leading ecolabels recognised by the Google-powered booking engine Google Travel as part of its ‘Sustainability Labelling’. This verification is, rightly, important to guests.”
During the judging process each establishment is assessed against 13 key criteria areas, in line with guidelines from the UN Tourism. The aim is for businesses to achieve year-on-year environmental improvements and reduce climate-change-causing greenhouse gas emissions.
In Scotland, the Green Key scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful on behalf of the global organisation Foundation for Environmental Education.