GSAIR 2023 : EMEA 10
Opening the door at room2
Quickfire Q & A with Stuart Godwin
Have Lamington calculated their scope 1 , 2 and 3 emissions ?
We wouldn ’ t be doing a very good job if we hadn ’ t ! The answer is Yes since 2019 .
What ’ s a hometel ?
Product offerings in the aparthotel category vary greatly . We created the hometel category to set a new product standard based on what we expect to see , so that it meets our customers ’ needs . It ’ s a place where our guests can be the best versions of themselves .
What is the most sustainable feature of a room2 property ?
There ’ s no one thing where you can say , “ I ’ ve done that . That ’ s solved .”
It ’ s many things . Taking out dishwashers from our build specs gave a 1 % energy saving . Solar on the roofs provides around 5 % of our energy needs . In-room light and movement sensors mean we don ’ t have key cards to switch off appliances when someone leaves , again reducing consumption .
Water restrictions to reduce water consumption and critically hot water consumption . This offers a further energy saving .
Sustainability ’ s a culture built through our team . We keep chipping away .
Are there any new sustainability initiatives coming at room2 ?
We ’ re putting a lot of emphasis on third party accreditation . Without it we are marking our own homework . In today ’ s world it ’ s a massive risk to say one thing and not be it . When we launched , there wasn ’ t a clear framework of net zero accreditation . But fast forward 2 years , and our industry now has specific targets . We ’ re always in pursuit of progress and driving our industry forward . In Belfast we are aligning to the WELL accreditation which is more commonly seen in offices but it ’ s about enhancing wellbeing in environments . So we ’ re excited to align with that .
How do you vet your supplier sustainability and ESG credentials ?
We have a supplier checklist including 5 different standards . For example , we looked at purchase to pay systems recently . There was one which uses teams in India to outsource invoicing and because of concerns over welfare , we didn ’ t proceed to engage them .
Bottom line : if they ’ ve got no ambitions or road map towards an improved sustainability positioning , we just won ’ t look at them . Shortly , we ’ ll be consolidating our entire supply chain to only suppliers who share similar visions .
Top tip to easily implement something sustainable in a serviced apartment offering ?
Well what ’ s the low hanging fruit ? Recycling . We have them at home , so why not in apartments ? The answer is : because it ’ s easier to just chuck rubbish out . So the first tip is be prepared to do more work and also that it will cost more , then hope that at some point someone will be willing to pay a little bit more for it .
Other than that :
• Fitting LED lights is pretty easy .
• Use water restrictors .
• Align to renewable energy supplies generated from green sources .
Are all room2s build projects or refurbishments ?
Southampton was a refurb . It was an office building which was converted .
Chiswick was a new build . Belfast and York are new , and Manchester will be a mix of new build and an old building .
Lamington openings over the next 12 months ?
Room2 Belfast opening in October 2023 will be 175 keys with meeting and event spaces , gym , laundry , all day café & bar , coworking , tea shop and concession space supporting local suppliers .