SUSTAINABILITY | CASE STUDY
Battlesteads also provides a free shuttle bus from the neighbouring town of Hexham for the elderly residents .
Battlesteads also supports the local village school ; most pupils there travel from quite far away and when the school kitchen closed , they approached the hotel to provide hot meals every day . Battlesteads provides this for £ 2 for two courses and the uptake has now risen to around 95 % of the children .
Results Richard and Dee Slade set out to create a sustainable tourism destination that didn ’ t compromise on luxury or comfort , and this is what they have achieved .
Since building the five new eco lodges , occupancy levels have risen to 80 % throughout the year and the dark sky observatory has helped the business be more sustainable throughout the year , by helping boost winter tourism as this is when the skies are at their darkest . The observatory brought an additional 15 % of turnover into the business during its first season of opening and Battlesteads is the only hotel in the UK with an observatory on-site .
Battlesteads has achieved a 14.4 % reduction in energy over a five-year period , despite a 17 % increase in occupancy . One of the key objectives in recent years has been to reduce the hotel ’ s carbon footprint , with progress being monitored through ConServe using the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative .
Since 2012 , the hotel ’ s carbon footprint has been reduced by 77.5 %, from 23.24kg
CO 2 per room , per night to just 5.23 CO 2 per room , per night – including doing all laundry on-site . This is considerably lower than the industry average of 31.1kg CO 2 and Battlesteads is setting the standard for sustainable hotels across the country .
The hotel ’ s renewable heat initiatives and carbon reduction payment set against the initial set-up costs has evened out , resulting in an exceptionally low energy bill .
Guests respond positively to the hotel ’ s sustainable initiatives – even those who haven ’ t given much thought to eco-friendly practices before they visit appreciate the efforts that are being made and the passion of the team .
Business partners also benefit as Battlesteads ’ local sourcing policies and emphasis on reducing food miles means local communities are supported and custom is given to local suppliers .
Going forward , Battlesteads is continuing to build relationships with other local businesses , helping to support the local economy as well as providing more activities and reasons to visit for guests , such as teaming up with a local birds of prey centre for falconry and offering courses in smoking meats and fish with the local smokers .
Battlesteads has been recognised on a national stage for its sustainability , in the past year alone winning the Hotel Catey for Sustainable Hotel of the year , AA Hospitality Award for Eco Hotel of the Year and the VisitBritain Award for Excellence Gold Award for Sustainable Tourism Business .
24 www . hotelowner . co . uk July 2017