#18 | 18/01/2024

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Today we are highlighting a Q&A with Julie Cheetham, founding member and managing director at Weeva. Every time I talk with general managers, those in hotel operations, or buyers looking at accommodation for their corporate travellers, the conversation always comes back to data. This discussion with Weeva is a great one if you want to know more about data and sustainable reporting.

Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds also became the 'first climate positive' hotel in the UK. Climate positive is in inverted commas because we are writing a FOCUS ON about climate literacy, which looks at the language around sustainability and all the positives, negatives, neutrals and zeros involved. Do email us if you want to add your thoughts to the piece. Whatley Manor has achieved something really positive, so congratulations to the team behind its success.

Big news this week also came from the WTTC and Biosphere partnering to help the industry’s transition from basic criteria to more advanced global standards, aligning with the UN’s 17 SDGs and 169 goals.

The EEA also came to Sustainable Hotel News with an exclusive after research showed the challenges hoteliers find when implementing ESG. Read more on this and other stories below.

Until next time,

Felicity Cousins
Editor, Sustainable Hotel News

Image: Whatley Manor

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Biosphere have partnered to promote and advance sustainability criteria under the Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative. WTTC’s Hotel Sustainability Basics was created to offer the global hotel sector the fundamental sustainability criteria that all accommodation providers should meet as a minimum.

Whatley Manor has become the first climate positive hotel in the UK. This means the hotel removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits, each year. To get to this point, in February 2019 the hotel implemented a strong sustainability and decarbonisation strategy under the stewardship of then general manager, Sue Williams. Williams set the target to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 95 per cent by 2028 and 90 per cent for its supply chain by 2035 (compared with 2019).

The independent BREEAM assessment includes not just energy use and carbon emissions, but also addresses issues around water consumption, health and wellbeing, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and management. voco Zeal Exeter Science Park in partnership with Zeal Hotels has achieved a certification score of 89.2 per cent. A score of 85 per cent or above must be obtained to achieve Outstanding, which is the highest possible rating. A score of 70 per cent is needed for an Excellent rating.

Chris Stark will leave the Climate Change Committee (CCC) after serving as chief executive for the past six years. He will be joining the Carbon Trust as chief executive later this year.

Banyan Tree Group has rebranded with a new name, Banyan Group, as well as committing further to its sustainability strategy. The company’s 18th roadmap will be released on Earth Day, April 22,2024 and will be inline with its founding ethos: Embracing the Environment, Empowering People. It will also pioneer a circularity pilot project with more details to be shared later this year.

New research from the Energy and Environment Alliance (EEA) and King’s Business School shows multiple issues affecting implementation of ESG leadership across the sector, including a lack of clarity on the definition. The global research, ESG Leadership in the Global Hospitality Industry: Global Leaders’ ESG Mindprint, involved more than 250 hospitality leaders, who took part in workshops and interviews last year.

Switch Hospitality Management Ltd has appointed Ehatshum Chowdhury as the general manager of aparthotel Birmingham Snowhill, which runs on renewable energy from wind, solar and heat recovery systems. Upon opening, the refurbished site was awarded an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of 10 A. This rating has positioned the aparthotel in central Birmingham as one of the city’s most sustainable commercial developments, producing significantly lower emissions than the industry average ratings of 17 A for newbuilds and 68 C for existing stock.

Weeva’s sustainability technology platform was developed for the hospitality industry to manage and report on its data as a way of future proofing the sector. Julie Cheetham, founding member and managing director at Weeva spoke to Sustainable Hotel News about how the platform works with both independent and chain hotels, how AI is used, goals for 2030 and beyond, and how collaboration with other global organisations such as WTTC, GSTC and The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance are key to supporting any success in sustainability across the sector.

💬 Read more Q&As here 💬

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