Green training part of induction at new eco hotel in Belfast
Greenwise Staff
5th March 2009
The new Fitzwilliam Hotel in Belfast, which opens next week, promises to be green through and through; from its construction and operation, to the way its staff – and even its guests – behave.
Environmentally friendly features built into the fabric of the 130 guest-roomed building include a building management system, which controls the plant and heating and ventilation systems, to manage the amount of energy used. It also boasts a combined heat and power unit to enable the hotel to reuse energy at peak times.
As in many hotels, guest rooms at the Fitzwilliam will be operated by an electronic key that controls the power supply to the rooms, meaning the power goes off when the guests leave.
The hotel says that it is focused on reducing and recycling waste and to this end has installed a plastic and cardboard bailer that reduces haulage by compressing plastic and card waste.
Another system extracts all the water from food waste. The water then goes into the sewage and the remaining waste is converted to powder and goes to landfill; effectively reducing the food waste by 80 per cent, the hotel claims.
The hotel, which is owned by Belfast businesswoman June Burgess of Graffan Property and is a member of the Hotel Partners, has appointed a ‘Green Team’ to ensure all staff are guided in ‘reduce, recycle and reuse’ policies and environmental awareness and training is offered as part of the staff induction programme.
The Green Team will also be responsible for coming up with ideas for introducing new eco policies to the £125 a night hotel.
Guests will be encouraged to play their part too; the hotel recommends that they turn off electrical appliances when not in use and use the laundry service for towels responsibly.
Guests who wish to be that bit greener, will be offered the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint for their stay through a complimentary service offered by the hotel in conjunction with Climate Care.