Hotels with Susbtainability at Heart

March 28, 2010 - PRLog -- 29 March 2010 – Denmark. Sometimes, it can be hard to find a feel-good story. But every now and then, a tale emerges of goodness quietly told. Hotel Guldsmeden is one such example…

They say that sometimes it’s the smallest lion that has the greatest heart, so it’s fitting that in the homeland of Hans Christian Andersen, there’s a group of people with very large dreams.

The Guldsmeden Group is a cluster of boutique properties with what some may say are purist beliefs in sustainability. If you live outside of northern Europe, you’d be excused for not knowing of them, but what they may lack in size, they make up in passion alone.

The first Hotel Guldsmeden opened its doors in 1999 and over the years it’s been joined by 3 more properties. They’re located in Denmark, there’s a villa-hotel southern France, and a resort in the mountain village of Ubud, Bali. Each is designed with a strong sense character and operates within the embrace of a corporate culture that’s best described as “dark green”.

“The Axel Hotel Guldsmeden was the first hotel in Scandinavia to benchmark with environmental scheme Green Globe,” explained Sandra Weinert, owner of the Group.  “Since then, we’ve upgraded to the Earthcheck Benchmarking and Certification Program, which provides us with a framework to increase operational efficiencies, maximise the benefit our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, and minimise the environmental impacts of our hotels.”

It makes sense for Gundsmeden to be using EarthCheck’s science-based approach to certification, as it’s considered to be at the forefront of sustainability management systems. It should be, when you consider that it was developed by the world’s largest not-for-profit research centre, (the Australian Government-funded Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre) and leverages some $260 million worth of academic research.
Guldsmeden has a recycle policy that’s a little unusual to be sure but it’s as innovative as it is clever. And if you’ve ever wondered how to involve your guests in sustainable practices, then they have an answer that will raise a little more than eyebrows for sure.
The Group re-uses its organic coffee grinds that are left over from the breakfast session. These are taken to their spa and mixed with Epsom-salts and essential oils to make a body scrub that permeates the skin and invigorates the spirit. It’s been so well-received that they’ve partnered with a local manufacturer and developed their own line of beauty/ health products!
If you’ve ever wonder what to do with left-over bread, there’s inspiration to be had there as well. The kitchen makes brown-bread (rugbrød) yoghurt sprinkles by dicing the bread then baking it with honey and toasted almonds, giving it a new lease on life the very next day.
There are no plastic bottles with water in rooms or cafés, as Danish tap water is cleaner and fresher than that bought, so that also cuts down on waste.
All hotel supplies – be it food, drink, sanitary products, beauty & health products, cleaning products, linen, or towels etc. – are either certified as organic, fair-trade, or sourced locally wherever possible.
The Guldsmeden Group uses a green energy provider called Natur Energi (www.natur-energi.dk), who specialises in producing energy from watermills, windmills, bio-fuel and solar energy. However, in a bid for increased self-sufficiency, solar panels are being installed on the roofs of each property and all appliances are as low-energy consumptive as possible.
Cleaning products are bio degradable, which is good for the environment and also considers the health of those who use them on a daily basis. Then in December 2009, the hotel pushed the limits a little further, by switching to room key-cards made of corn and other plant materials.  
Despite the cosy atmosphere that a tea-light or two gives during the dark Scandinavian winter, Hotel Guldsmeden decided to do away with CO2-producing candles. They opted for organic and eco-friendly plant candle-wax, which is placed in reusable glass holders and produce the same ambiance as before.
Guests are encouraged to participate in sustainable living as in each room is a list of quick and easy ways to lessen their negative impact on the environment. The hotel also supports the Children´s Heart Foundation; adding a voluntary €2 to bills at the conclusion of each stay and then matching the guest’s donation, thereby doubling it.
The staff is deeply involved with local neighbourhood groups and charitable organizations, but their main focus is to help improve conditions for victims of trafficking, prostitution and drugs. This is done through their NO MORE campaign, which has resulted in extensive coverage by international media the world-over.
Although location and value for money still remain the key drivers in the battle to secure custom, but Hotel Guldsmeden has resisted the temptation to treat sustainability as a mere marketing gimmick. Instead, it has taken a committed to a “practice as you preach” approach that’s sitting well with both its clientele and the conscience of those involved.




The Guldsmeden Group: Sandra and Marc Weinert opened the first Hotel Guldsmeden in Guldsmedgade in Århus in 1999. Today, Hotel Guldsmeden also encompasses 3 hotels with a room capacity of 250 rooms in Copenhagen, a villa-hotel in Menton (France) and a resort in Ubud (Bali). A Hotel Guldsmeden franchise in Oslo, Norway, is also underway.
EC3 Global is the world's largest certifier of sustainable travel and tourism operators. With more than 1000 clients in over 60 countries, The company’s Earthcheck Program responds directly to the major environmental problems facing the planet, including climate change, waste reduction and non-renewable resource management. It provides benchmarking, certification and performance improvement systems that result in average savings of 30 per cent for energy and waste stream, and 20 per cent savings for water consumption. Go to www.earthcheck.org  or   www.ec3global.com

For further information please contact:   

Hotel Guldsmeden
Kirsten Skovgaard Aggersborg
PR & Communication Manager
P:+45 40166703
E: kirsten@hotelguldsmeden.com
W: www.hotelguldsmeden.com

EarthCheck
Chantal Dunbar
EC3 Global Communications Manager
P:  +61 401 058 159
E: chantal.dunbar@ec3global.com
W: www.earthcheck.org

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EC3 Global is the world's largest certifier of sustainable travel & tourism operators. With more than 1000 clients in over 60 countries, the company’s EarthCheck Program responds to the environmental problems facing the planet.