26/02/2014 16:07Countdown to CH Awards & So Much More!

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CH News Bulletin Tuesday 26th February 2014

Tuesday 26th February 2014 111 Days to the CH Awards (13June), 55 Days to the EntryDeadline (18 April), RooftopAllotments, Battlesteads – aleading light, Glowing Praisefor Askham Hall, CH moderatesand Radisson takes the bus.

The Considerate Hotel of the Year 2014 AwardsWe make no apologies for producing a countdown to the CHAwards. Why are we doing it? To create some pressure of coursebut more importantly we don’t want you to wake up one morningrealising your chance of CH Award glory has disappeared for anotheryear. From here on in you will be able to follow the countdown weeklyon the CH website home page and below you will find details of oneof the categories available for you to enter. Is your ConsiderateChampion ready for the challenge?

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26/02/2014 16:07Countdown 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 gardenmeant that if you wished to grow a geranium or chives, a finelybalanced window box was the answer. No more! Vegetable growerBen Simpkins has transplanted 18,000 wild rocket plugs into richcompost for early spring salads. Soon this will be followed bytomatoes and aubergines planted 4 floors up on the roof of a formerindustrial site alongside the Grand Union Canal at Brentford Lock inwest London. Eventually there will be 30 rooftop allotment plotsproviding tomatoes, chillies, salads, herbs and melons for localresidents. “We have two years grace before the slugs find us, evenfour floors up so we will make the best of what time we have, saysBen. On the roof of an office building in King’s Cross, the first of100,000 honey bees are waking from their winter rest above theskyline of cranes and the new glass roof of St Pancras. Next door’srosemary flowers will provide their first food, but next door also sportsbeds of alpine strawberries, Swiss chard and onions which will beused by the cooks in the office canteen below. Greening cities andtowns is the buzz phrase for 2014. Green roofs, walls, walkways andthe much-anticipated Garden Bridge across the Thames which will beseeking planning permission this year are all in response to thegrowing understanding of how “green infrastructure” can help reducevulnerability to flooding in urban areas.

Battlesteads – A Leading Light in SustainableGardening Former Considerate Hotel of the Year Battlesteads Hotel &Restaurant in Wark, Northumbria has not only gone undercover togrow fresh salads and herbs, but under lights as well. Using theresidue heat from their biomass boiler, owner Richard Slade hasplanted seedlings in mini troughs and then positioned LED lights overthem, and voila (sorry, Raymond!), within days he is harvesting freshproduce to place before his delighted restaurant clientele. Takinginspiration from the International Space Station, the hotel haveintroduced low energy LED lighting to simulate sunlight, enablingthem to extend their growing season, and harvest produce for 12months of the year. Speaking of the LED light installation, RichardSlade, says: “Adding the LED lighting to our existing horticultural setup has enabled us to be self-sufficient in terms of our supply of freshherbs, salad, micro salads and edible flowers. The use of redirected‘waste heat’ recycled from the hotels biomass heating systemprovides year round warmth, and the newly installed LEDs ensurethat we have enough simulated sunlight to grow whatever theweather or season. Now, with components more widely available,

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and advances in technology, this once space age solution now offersa viable option for sustainable crop growing around the world. In MrSpock’s words, ‘It’s gardening Jim, but not as we know it!”

Praise Indeed for Askham HallThe visit of a hotel critic whether announced or unannounced can bequite stressful, until of course one sees the outcome. In the case ofCH member Askham Hall however, they had absolutely nothing toworry about it seems. Reviewed by Fiona Duncan in the SundayTelegraph travel supplement, she gave them a 9/10 rating. Theweek’s Bravo Zulu then goes to Charlie and Juno Lowther, proudowners of Askham Hall. If the answer to the question, what do wewant from a hotel these days is excellent beds, contemporarybathrooms, honest, local produce and no formality and fuss, thenAskham Hall which opens fully on 10th April apparently has it inspades.

News from the World of Sustainable & SociallyConscious Hotels - Radisson Blu Portman Hotel,London With the help of our lovely guests and staff Radisson Blu/Park Innhave raised enough money to buy the first Sunshine Coach forVariety, the Children's Charity! The North Ridge High School inManchester is now the happy owner of that Sunshine Coach. Thiswill definitely make a difference to the school and its pupils and wecouldn't be happier about that! Macdonald Hotels & Resorts: ourcommitment to using only the finest, freshest ingredients from localsuppliers is just one of the reasons we were awarded AA HotelGroup of the Year 2013-2014. IHG Planet CR: while all eyes havebeen on Olympic gold, the Russian IHG Academy team has won agreat award of their own. They’ve been named “Best HospitalityEducation 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 sustainableinnovations in the hotel industry at Hospitality Technology Europe inLondon. The event drew on the experience and expertise of variousindustry leaders to discuss what sustainability means in theirorganisation and how it is used to achieve cost savings, increasedguest appeal and brand differentiation. We saw how

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accommodation, both large and small can adopt technologies andpractices, not at the detriment of a guest's experience, but in fact toits improvement. Fran Hughes from the ITP explained how the hotelindustry has collaborated to develop a standardised carbon reportingmethodology. All the presentations resonated with the message ofJeremy Smith, the final speaker, who underlined the fact that asustainable holiday often brings guests into closer contact with thecommunities and environments in which they are staying and thathas huge appeal.

Hotelympia Looms.. Will you be there? This year’s Hotelympia at ExCel in London Docklands will be heldfrom 28th April until 1st May and Considerate Hoteliers will be puttingon workshops on the following subjects: reduce food waste and savemoney, in association with WRAP, Sustainable technology use indesign and refurbishment, Using technology to improve yoursustainability performance, Catering / kitchen equipment andbehaviour energy saving advice. There will be more information aswe move closer to the event but in order not to miss out register yourfull details indicating your attendance and send to Hotelympia shortly.For further details about the workshops and to register yourattendance at them, please contact Chris Burgess.

The Considerate Hotel of the Year 2014 AwardsEach week we will be featuring a category and the criteria for entry.We will also be contacting member hotels individually to encourageparticipation. This week we are homing in on this year’s new category– Considerate Housekeeping Team of the Year. More details can befound in the Awards section of the CH website but just to give you ataster, here are a few pointers - A new category for the ConsiderateHotel of the Year Awards, recognizing the importance of the work ofthe housekeeping teams in various establishments. In almost everysurvey on hotels, guests invariably place cleanliness/hygiene as themost important factor when staying. Housekeeping forms a majorpart in the successful running of a hotel of that there is no doubt. Inthis category we want to feel that success and hear about thesustainable methods used to maintain the cleanliness and the fabricof the establishment. Let's hear it for the housekeepers!

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Reminders Climate Week is upon us (3rd March to 9th March). FairtradeFortnight – 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. Pleasealso keep us informed of management changes so we can keep ourdata base updated. Thank you! May 2014 bring you businesssuccess in every form, perhaps with a generous spoonful of honey!

FinallyKeep an eye on the CH website for the latest news. Contribute and trumpet your own news – wewould love to hear from you. Our aim is to make the CH website a pleasure to read for all the rightreasons. That objective can be best achieved by all members contributing whatever and wheneverthey can. Many thanks.Don’t forget to share this with your colleagues – please!John Firrelljfirrell@consideratehoteliers.com

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