…
The Considerate Hoteliers Association (CHA) is delighted to announce the launch of a series of ‘Best Practice Events’ at exemplary CHA member hotels nationwide, beginning this autumn at environmental award-winning hotels in the Home Counties and the West of England.
Open to members of the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry, the first environmental ‘best practice’ event will take place on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, at Beales Hotels’ West Lodge Park at Hadley Wood in Hertfordshire (nearest tube: Cockfosters). Beales Hotels recently beat off the challenge from bluechip companies – including Sainsbury’s, Royal Mail, GlaxoSmithKline and Avis Rent a Car – to win the overall top prize, The Sustainable City Award Trophy, in the City of London Corporation’s national 2008 ‘Sustainable City Awards’. The second will be staged on Wednesday, 18 November 2009, at the independently owned Bedruthan Steps Hotel at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall, which won the Caterer & Hotelkeeper’s coveted 2008 Hotel Catey award for ‘Green Hotel of the Year’. Both events will commence at 10am for a 10.30am start, and end at 3pm.
The events, which include a buffet lunch to facilitate networking, have been designed to give hoteliers the opportunity to view a leading environmental best practice hotel to see how ‘sustainability’ can not only benefit the local community and the planet generally, but also bottom-line profits. Hoteliers will also have an opportunity to learn more about the Considerate Hoteliers Association.
Commenting on the autumn ‘Best Practice Events’, CHA Association Secretary John Firrell said: “We are extremely grateful to both pioneering CHA member hotels for their help and generosity in hosting these two events. For the West Lodge Park visit, we have put together – with the assistance of Beales Hotels Managing Director Andrew Beale – an exciting and informative environmental agenda, providing participants with an insight into the initiatives that have delivered the greatest environmental benefits, as well as offering an invaluable opportunity for networking and debate. We are currently finalising a similar one-day programme with the Bedruthan Steps Hotel – details of which will be announced shortly.
“Both events will illustrate how ‘Environmental Best Practice’ can not only benefit business performance through reducing costs, but equally important, can also give responsible hoteliers a crucial marketing cutting edge over their less than environmentally considerate competitors in these straitened times."
The familiarisation visit to West Lodge Park on 13 October will include presentations and tours comprising:
– An introduction to CHA and its people
– Introductions to the environmental approach of Beales Hotels
– The identification of best cost saving actions recently taken
– A guided tour of the property, demonstrating all environmental innovations, techniques and technologies that have saved money and benefited the hotel’s bottom line
– A tour of West Lodge Park’s arboretum, with 800 species of trees, and external areas
– The chance to meet some of Beales Hotels’ key suppliers and understand how the relationship with the group’s suppliers works
– The opportunity to meet CHA specially selected suppliers
– The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility – especially now!
– An open session/clinic, providing the opportunity for delegates to meet specialists – such as carbon management expert Carbon Clear and suppliers – to discuss environmental issues currently being faced (such as carbon reduction commitment) and the means to resolve them.
The cost of attending each of the events at the West Lodge Park and Bedruthan Steps will be £75 per person for non-CHA members. In addition, generous 10% and 20% discounts – depending on the number of bookings taken from any one particular business/organisation – are available for members of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), the Institute of Hospitality, BAHA (British Association of Hospitality Accountants), Green Tourism Business Scheme, The Tourism Society, CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers); VisitEngland; VisitLondon; Tourism South East; South West Tourism; Cornwall Tourist Board; and CoaST.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
