Guests at an Edinburgh hotel now have the chance to make a meaningful contribution towards improving the environment, simply by foregoing housekeeping visits mid-stay.
Ten Hill Place Hotel in Edinburgh will contribute towards ecological initiatives every time a guest opts out of room cleaning during a two-or-more night stay.
Contributions made by the hotel, which is owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, when guests abstain from housekeeping will offset an estimated half a tonne of CO₂ equivalent a night.
The new collaboration with Ecologi has already resulted in 100 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent offset through a verified carbon avoidance project in Thailand, generating electricity from wind. 100 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent is roughly equivalent to 55 round-trip flights from London to New York.
The first project to receive support will be a small-scale onshore wind power project in Sri Lanka – with projects supported changing every four months.
The new initiative follows a major carbon audit on every aspect of the hotel’s operations by Carbon Futures Ltd and Business Energy Scotland which has already resulted in rolling out daylight sensors and set the plans for plant equipment upgrades that would help the Old Town hotel introduce its own energy sources.
Mark McKenzie, General Manager at Surgeons Quarter which operates the 129-bedroom hotel, said: “It’s very important to us that we make decisions which positively impact the environment and ensure this is at the heart of all of our operations – while also actively encouraging guests to minimise their effects on the environment.
“Ten Hill Place Hotel is a good choice for conscious consumers as we are committed to doing our bit for the planet. With more and more people looking to live a greener life at home –it makes sense to stay at a hotel with similar ambitions.
“However, we’re still mindful of the effects that travel and the tourism industry have on our planet which has been reflected into how we fulfil all our green commitments and continue the highest standards possible.”
A doorhanger has been designed for all guest rooms explaining the initiative with a QR code linking to the venue’s Ecologi profile so guests can learn about the various projects supported to date.
Linda Adams, Head of Partnerships at Ecologi, said: “When businesses put sustainability in their plans, the list of wins really does go on and on. It is great to be working with Surgeons Quarter and see organisations stepping up and taking climate action to make a positive difference.”
The venue’s commitment to sustainability has been ongoing for many years. In 2019 the hotel joined a Scottish Water campaign and removed single use bottles of water in the 129 bedrooms to reduce plastic waste. This has already saved around 80,000 plastic bottles and £22,000 per year.
Six electric EV points are available for use by guests staying at Ten Hill Place, with more than £20,000 invested into the Garo charging ports with an ambition that the Hill Place hotel car park will, in the near future, only be accessible to electric vehicles.
Surgeons Quarter Brand ambassador, Sandra Carruthers, added: “Working in partnership with Ecologi has enabled us to identify creative ways to be more sustainable while positively influencing and adhering to legislation at local and national levels.”
The 129-bedroom hotel is operated by Surgeons Quarter– the commercial arm of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) – with profits put back into advancing surgical standards and improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Surgeons Quarter has also retained Gold Green Tourism Award since 2008 for the efforts to minimise its impact on the planet.
