Special Report: Radisson targets 100 ‘verified net zero’ hotels

Radisson Hotel Group opened the first two of 100 refurbished ‘verified net zero’, city-centre hotels it plans to operate by 2030 this year and aims to open another 10 in 2026.

 

The first, the Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre, opened in May as a Verified Net Zero property having achieved the 2040 zero-carbon requirements for hotels this year following an extensive refurbishment.

 

The 252-room hotel, with a bar, restaurant, spa and pool, runs on 100% renewable energy, with low-carbon menus, minimal emissions – residual emissions are compensated by nature-based carbon credits – and minimal waste. The hotel does not use gas but utilises heat pumps.

 

A second net zero hotel, the Radisson RED Oslo City Centre, opened in August.

 

Radisson Hotel Group chief sustainability and security officer Inge Huijbrechts told Travel Weekly: “We’re moving ahead with the next 10 hotels, mostly European city-centre hotels.

 

“All hotels need to be net zero so it’s a programme we can grow.”

 

She explained: “The programme focusses on existing buildings [because] new hotel building stock tends to be efficient, so I’m not worried about that.

 

“The scope 1 [direct] and scope 2 emissions [indirect from purchasing energy] are zero. We measure scope 3 emissions [by third parties including suppliers] in accordance with industry methodologies endorsed by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and World Travel & Tourism Council.

 

The emissions are verified by auditor TUV Rheinland.

 

Huijbrechts said: “We want to measure the impact on guests and on revenues, so we’re measuring the reaction of customers. We ask in the guest survey if they know it’s a net zero hotel and 80% say ‘yes’. The more guests know about it, the more it helps to drive the business case.”

 

She estimates this drives 15%-20% of bookings, saying: “Awareness is high and both are city-centre hotels so they have a B2B clientele which resonates more with this. I’m not sure it would have the same attraction in a leisure context.”

 

The programme is distilled down to three simple messages for guests focussed on 100% renewable energy, low-carbon menus and minimal waste.

 

Huijbrechts added that when selecting hotels for the net-zero programme: “We analyse the hotel’s technical capability – it has to be efficient already. We look at the market, and we look at the hotel owner. Is it a stable ownership? Are they of the same mind?”

 

She said: “This project has catalysed the understanding of net zero across the company.”

‘Everyone in Europe is worried about the EU scaling back’

A new-build Radisson Collection Hotel in Brussels which opened in November also runs on a heat pump. But Huijbrechts points out new-build hotels are rare in traditional markets.

 

She said: “The owner has really invested. Not all owners are that forward thinking.

 

“We have a sustainability baseline for new buildings, which helps asset owners make buildings more efficient. [But] our hotels are managed or franchised, so we have to inspire owners, share expert advice [with them] and give them the belief that it is possible.”

 

Huijbrechts noted “100 of our hotels run on 100% renewable electricity” and added: “We managed to reduce our CO2 footprint by 33% since 2019.”

 

She does not share concerns that the European Union has retreated on its sustainability requirements, but she conceded: “Everyone in Europe is worried about the EU scaling back its climate ambitions.”

 

Huijbrechts insisted: “I don’t think they are. Regulations are coming into play which will help, and the original Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) was overkill.

 

“I’m not worried for our industry. There is a recognition that ESG [environmental, sustainability and governance reporting] needs to be part of a company’s competitiveness.”

 

By comparison, she said: “The regulations are not there in emerging markets. If we get in early enough [to a market] we bring our own practices, but that doesn’t happen all the time.”

 

Huijbrechts added: “Institutional investors and insurers typically have a long-term horizon [for investment]. They’re well aware of climate change and its impacts.”

 

She warned: “We shouldn’t forget the community dimension [of sustainability] because we see a backlash against tourism particularly in summer. There are plenty of places – for example in Asia – where, if we don’t pay attention, it will go in the same direction as in Barcelona, Venice and Santorini.”