voco Zeal Hotel achieves BREEAM Outstanding at the design stage

by: Felicity Cousins | January 18, 2024

UK: Zeal Hotels has achieved the BREEAM Outstanding rating at the design stage for its voco Zeal Hotel in Exeter.

The 142-bedroom hotel, located at Exeter Science Park, is currently under development.

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.

Tim Wheeldon, managing director, Zeal Hotels said: “It’s exciting to see our innovative sustainability principles being recognised. The project focuses on sustainability and will help transform the established hotel construction and operational benchmarks.”

Karin Sheppard, SVP managing director, Europe for IHG Hotels & Resorts said: “We’re delighted that, has achieved the BREEAM Outstanding rating at the design stage. This marks another exciting milestone in development of our first ever lifecycle zero carbon hotel, in line with our decarbonisation strategy and Journey to Tomorrow plan.”

Wheeldon added: “It is challenging adopting ESG ethics whilst not diminishing the guest experience… We hope to share our knowledge to help move the industry forwards and achieve our net zero carbon targets together and accelerate the net zero carbon process within the hospitality industry.”

The hotel will be managed by Valor Hospitality.

You can read a Q&A with Lee Pickersgill, energy manager, Valor Hospitality here.

Q&A: Lee Pickersgill, energy manager, Valor Hospitality

Image supplied.