Greening Savoy Hotel makes others green with envy

See video of exclusive interview with Debra:

Green ambassador Debra Patterson says why

Three years and UK£220million restoration later the iconic hotel shows the world colour of luxury and style is green

London’s Savoy Hotel has re-opened after its mega restoration, and after three years and £220million, it’s certainly changed a lot.

Well, not a lot on the surface. Rather like an old master painting, the biggest part of the surface of the scheme was to recreate the original colours of the fabulous hotel just like it was – in its glamorous cutting edge years.

And it shows. Entering the Savoy is like being welcomed in to a jewel box. The staff in their new uniforms, the entrance hall, the magnificent gilded hall, all look as good as new.

However, has all that money been spent sustainably under the surface, where it counts too?
Of course the deals have been done and the green offers are now available:

There is an environmental stay package called ‘Elements’ promotes all aspects of sustainable tourism and includes 3hr walking tour, travelcard, bike hire, organic menus, biodynamic cocktails and a Green Butler. The Green Butler is on hand to offer advice on London’s best green restaurants, shops & attractions for the eco-conscious tourists. There is a Eco-Meet and Conferencing Option for event planners

There are even BMW bikes available for hire, jogging maps, nature walks, cycle routes and Royal Park details.

And the Savoy has even gone so far as to support ‘Green Experience Map of London’ sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in partnership with VisitEngland

Plus, of course there are the green ‘greens’ including a Herb Garden with over 16 herbs used in the hotel’s culinary dishes and cocktails, a range of organic wines and teas and biodynamic options soon to be available and support for local growers and promotion of organic and seasonal menu options.

But then we start getting below the surface of the Savoy and see that 96% of all waste is diverted from landfill, reused or recycled, all natural cork is collected, granulated and used as a mulch.
Green technology could reduce the hotel’s energy bills by up to 50 per cent and an annual carbon reduction of up to 3,000 tonnes.

A new combined heat and power (CHP) plant will reduce the hotel’s reliance on the National Grid by approximately 50 per cent, costing £2.7 million, but the calculated payback is within four and half years.

A new central refrigeration plant with a heat exchanger was also installed, which will reclaim the exhaust heat from all kitchen appliances and reuse it as energy to preheat domestic hot water.
To further reduce energy consumption, smart thermostats in all bedrooms and suites are designed to control lighting and room temperature and use natural ventilation to regulate the temperature inside the room. Low energy light and low flow water systems have also been introduced where possible.

The list goes on…waste, energy, community commitment a great deal of time, effort and money has been spent in an effort to make the Savoy as sustainable as an traditional five star, iconic, city centre hotel can be.

Driving it all is Debra Patterson who just won the Considerate Hoteliers Association Green Champion of the Year Award.

And the hotel itself? It’s waiting for a gold accreditation from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, but already in the bag are 4 green keys from HAC green key.

Let’s hope that the Savoy Hotel leads the pack in the same way as it did when it opened. The first hotel to offer electric lights and an electric lift, the first hotel to offer bathrooms and hot and cold running water, the first hotel to bring cocktails from the USA – may yet become the trailblazer in the fashionable and sustainable green arena.

Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite – special offers HERE