Countdown to CH Awards & So Much More!
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26/02/2014 16:07
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Tuesday 26th February 2014
Tuesday 26th February 2014 111 Days to the CH Awards (13 June), 55 Days to the Entry Deadline (18 April), Rooftop Allotments, Battlesteads – a leading light, Glowing Praise for Askham Hall, CH moderates and Radisson takes the bus.
The Considerate Hotel of the Year 2014 Awards We make no apologies for producing a countdown to the CH Awards. Why are we doing it? To create some pressure of course but more importantly we don’t want you to wake up one morning realising your chance of CH Award glory has disappeared for another year. From here on in you will be able to follow the countdown weekly on the CH website home page and below you will find details of one of the categories available for you to enter. Is your Considerate Champion ready for the challenge?
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Countdown to CH Awards & So Much More!
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Allotments are in, Window Boxes get the elbow There was a time in cities and towns when the lack of a garden meant that if you wished to grow a geranium or chives, a finely balanced window box was the answer. No more! Vegetable grower Ben Simpkins has transplanted 18,000 wild rocket plugs into rich compost for early spring salads. Soon this will be followed by tomatoes and aubergines planted 4 floors up on the roof of a former industrial site alongside the Grand Union Canal at Brentford Lock in west London. Eventually there will be 30 rooftop allotment plots providing tomatoes, chillies, salads, herbs and melons for local residents. “We have two years grace before the slugs find us, even four floors up so we will make the best of what time we have, says Ben. On the roof of an office building in King’s Cross, the first of 100,000 honey bees are waking from their winter rest above the skyline of cranes and the new glass roof of St Pancras. Next door’s rosemary flowers will provide their first food, but next door also sports beds of alpine strawberries, Swiss chard and onions which will be used by the cooks in the office canteen below. Greening cities and towns is the buzz phrase for 2014. Green roofs, walls, walkways and the much-anticipated Garden Bridge across the Thames which will be seeking planning permission this year are all in response to the growing understanding of how “green infrastructure” can help reduce vulnerability to flooding in urban areas.
Battlesteads – A Leading Light in Sustainable Gardening Former Considerate Hotel of the Year Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant in Wark, Northumbria has not only gone undercover to grow fresh salads and herbs, but under lights as well. Using the residue heat from their biomass boiler, owner Richard Slade has planted seedlings in mini troughs and then positioned LED lights over them, and voila (sorry, Raymond!), within days he is harvesting fresh produce to place before his delighted restaurant clientele. Taking inspiration from the International Space Station, the hotel have introduced low energy LED lighting to simulate sunlight, enabling them to extend their growing season, and harvest produce for 12 months of the year. Speaking of the LED light installation, Richard Slade, says: “Adding the LED lighting to our existing horticultural set up has enabled us to be self-sufficient in terms of our supply of fresh herbs, salad, micro salads and edible flowers. The use of redirected ‘waste heat’ recycled from the hotels biomass heating system provides year round warmth, and the newly installed LEDs ensure that we have enough simulated sunlight to grow whatever the weather or season. Now, with components more widely available, http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dde11f98e5ce03d93968ee089&id=5121c53fa6&e=[UNIQID]
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and advances in technology, this once space age solution now offers a viable option for sustainable crop growing around the world. In Mr Spock’s words, ‘It’s gardening Jim, but not as we know it!”
Praise Indeed for Askham Hall The visit of a hotel critic whether announced or unannounced can be quite stressful, until of course one sees the outcome. In the case of CH member Askham Hall however, they had absolutely nothing to worry about it seems. Reviewed by Fiona Duncan in the Sunday Telegraph travel supplement, she gave them a 9/10 rating. The week’s Bravo Zulu then goes to Charlie and Juno Lowther, proud owners of Askham Hall. If the answer to the question, what do we want from a hotel these days is excellent beds, contemporary bathrooms, honest, local produce and no formality and fuss, then Askham Hall which opens fully on 10th April apparently has it in spades.
News from the World of Sustainable & Socially Conscious Hotels - Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, London With the help of our lovely guests and staff Radisson Blu/Park Inn have raised enough money to buy the first Sunshine Coach for Variety, the Children's Charity! The North Ridge High School in Manchester is now the happy owner of that Sunshine Coach. This will definitely make a difference to the school and its pupils and we couldn't be happier about that! Macdonald Hotels & Resorts: our commitment to using only the finest, freshest ingredients from local suppliers is just one of the reasons we were awarded AA Hotel Group of the Year 2013-2014. IHG Planet CR: while all eyes have been on Olympic gold, the Russian IHG Academy team has won a great award of their own. They’ve been named “Best Hospitality Education Programme” by the Moscow City Government.
CH moderates at Hospitality Technology Earlier in February, Considerate Hoteliers' Sustainability Consultant, Chris Burgess moderated a panel discussion on sustainable innovations in the hotel industry at Hospitality Technology Europe in London. The event drew on the experience and expertise of various industry leaders to discuss what sustainability means in their organisation and how it is used to achieve cost savings, increased guest appeal and brand differentiation. We saw how http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dde11f98e5ce03d93968ee089&id=5121c53fa6&e=[UNIQID]
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accommodation, both large and small can adopt technologies and practices, not at the detriment of a guest's experience, but in fact to its improvement. Fran Hughes from the ITP explained how the hotel industry has collaborated to develop a standardised carbon reporting methodology. All the presentations resonated with the message of Jeremy Smith, the final speaker, who underlined the fact that a sustainable holiday often brings guests into closer contact with the communities and environments in which they are staying and that has huge appeal.
Hotelympia Looms.. Will you be there? This year’s Hotelympia at ExCel in London Docklands will be held from 28th April until 1st May and Considerate Hoteliers will be putting on workshops on the following subjects: reduce food waste and save money, in association with WRAP, Sustainable technology use in design and refurbishment, Using technology to improve your sustainability performance, Catering / kitchen equipment and behaviour energy saving advice. There will be more information as we move closer to the event but in order not to miss out register your full details indicating your attendance and send to Hotelympia shortly. For further details about the workshops and to register your attendance at them, please contact Chris Burgess.
The Considerate Hotel of the Year 2014 Awards Each week we will be featuring a category and the criteria for entry. We will also be contacting member hotels individually to encourage participation. This week we are homing in on this year’s new category – Considerate Housekeeping Team of the Year. More details can be found in the Awards section of the CH website but just to give you a taster, here are a few pointers - A new category for the Considerate Hotel of the Year Awards, recognizing the importance of the work of the housekeeping teams in various establishments. In almost every survey on hotels, guests invariably place cleanliness/hygiene as the most important factor when staying. Housekeeping forms a major part in the successful running of a hotel of that there is no doubt. In this category we want to feel that success and hear about the sustainable methods used to maintain the cleanliness and the fabric of the establishment. Let's hear it for the housekeepers!
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Reminders Climate Week is upon us (3rd March to 9th March). Fairtrade Fortnight – 24th February to 9th March: Time to go bananas!
Your News? If you keep us informed of your news, then we can pass it on. Please also keep us informed of management changes so we can keep our data base updated. Thank you! May 2014 bring you business success in every form, perhaps with a generous spoonful of honey!
Finally Keep an eye on the CH website for the latest news. Contribute and trumpet your own news – we would love to hear from you. Our aim is to make the CH website a pleasure to read for all the right reasons. That objective can be best achieved by all members contributing whatever and whenever they can. Many thanks. Don’t forget to share this with your colleagues – please! John Firrell jfirrell@consideratehoteliers.com
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