Newcastle Hotel Gains Coveted Green Key Sustainable Tourism Certification

A Newcastle hotel is celebrating a major sustainability milestone after achieving Green Key certification in recognition of its commitment to environmental excellence.

The four-star Sandman Signature Newcastle Hotel has implemented a number of initiatives which have improved the ecological footprint of its operations. A Green Key task force, pulling together team members from across the hotel’s various departments, has been created to ensure the hotel is future-proofed from a sustainability perspective.

Specific initiatives introduced to date include water saving restrictors on all bedroom taps and showers and refillable toiletries, saving tens of thousands of single use plastic bottles. A new centrally controlled system operates the heating in guest bedrooms, ensuring it isn’t accidentally left on when rooms are unoccupied, helping to reduce energy consumption. Regularly used items have been swapped for more sustainable products where possible, such as recycled paper, bamboo tissues and paper straws, and recycling dividers have been added to guest bins to help them recycle their rubbish. Bird boxes have been installed to support wildlife in the area, despite the hotel’s city centre location meaning it has limited outdoor space.

Green Key sets the standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism sector, operating in 30 countries across the world. During the rigorous judging process each establishment is assessed against 150 criteria, in line with guidelines from the UN Tourism. The aim is for businesses to achieve year-on-year environmental improvements and reduce climate-change-causing greenhouse gas emissions. It is one of the leading ecolabels recognised by the Google-powered booking engine Google Travel as part of its ‘Sustainability Labelling’.

Katie Lowery, General Manager of the 170-bedroomed hotel said: “We have worked hard to become a more environmentally conscious hotel, and we all felt it was a key priority not just for guests but for us as a team.

“Having a dedicated Green Key task force has helped us really zone in on areas where we could cover off both easier wins and longer-term aspirations to be greener. Achieving the Green Key certification is something we’re very proud of. We know it’s not easily gained, so that makes it all the more valuable. But this is just the beginning – we look forward to finding new ways to save energy, waste and water and to improve our carbon footprint over the months ahead.”