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The 12-bedroom Blanch House in Brighton’s Kemp Town – one of Brighton’s most iconic boutique hotels which re-opened under new ownership in July – has proved its green credentials by being accepted into membership of the prestigious Considerate Hoteliers Association (CHA).
CHA is a nationwide association of like-minded hoteliers, whose purpose it is to encourage, assist, cajole and motivate fellow hoteliers to adopt sustainable, environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices. Blanch House joins such illustrious CHA establishments as Combe House hotel and restaurant at Gittisham, near Honiton, Devon; Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons at Great Milton, Oxfordshire; Strattons Hotel and Restaurant in Swaffham, Suffolk; The Cavendish London; and The Savoy, London.
Commenting on Blanch House’s successful application for CHA membership, the Association’s Director and Secretary John Firrell said: “The Considerate Hoteliers Association is delighted to welcome Blanch House into its membership. The hotel’s ethos and avowed intent to run their business along strictly sustainable principles is highly commendable. That intent was put to early good use via their recycling policy regarding building materials and waste. I have little doubt that in time to come Blanch House will very quickly establish itself as a leader in sustainable and considerate hotel-keeping. I wish them every success!”
Blanch House Proprietors Jeremy Ornellas and Kerry Turner are delighted to have been accepted into CHA membership. “We are passionate at the hotel about sustainability and supporting the local community, and are honoured to have become a member of this august organisation,” said Jeremy Ornellas. “We look forward very much to contributing both to the CHA and learning from the extensive experience and achievements of its members.
“With our major refurbishment programme prior to reopening in July, we have developed further Blanch House as a top class venue with a ‘green’ ethos for weddings, civil partnerships, private functions and celebrations, conferences, meetings, training, product launches and art exhibitions.”
Kerry Turner added: “A good example of our ‘green’ ethos can be seen in our high quality breakfast – one of our key selling points at Blanch House. All our main breakfast ingredients are locally sourced in Sussex – from those used in the preserves made by our chef Sean Dickens, to the smoked salmon served with free range eggs and the sausages. It is not only important to give your guests an authentic taste of the region, but also to support your local community and county wherever possible, whilst reducing food miles to an absolute minimum.”
During the hotel’s recent major renovation programme, Jeremy and Kerry – together with their local builder Gary Gahan – collaborated with Cat Fletcher, a ‘GreenCycleSussex’ volunteer, to minimise their waste. Instead of filling up endless skips with unwanted fittings, fixtures and building materials, Gary made sure that materials were reused onsite wherever practicable. He then ensured that almost everything removed from the site found a new home via the online Freegle (Free Giving Locally Easily) group ‘GreenCycleSussex’ – thus not adding to landfill. Items that found a new home include the interior doors, sheets of glass, paving slabs, mirrors, timber, DIY leftovers and upholstered booth seating and wall features. In addition to this, all the old paper found onsite – which filled an entire van – was given to Magpie Co-op for recycling. This action earned enough credit points for four local people to have their food scraps collected for three months each, enabling their food waste to be composted rather than going to landfill.
This was a great example of how a little good will and the smart use of technology provided very positive results. It involved collaboration between tradesmen and entrepreneurs with the community as well as the voluntary sector and local people – making it possible for the radical reduction of waste whilst helping to lower Brighton’s carbon footprint. The initiative saved everyone money – redistributing usable resources and building community spirit along the way; and all for free.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
