The entire team here at the Lowry Hotel has been working hard to reduce our carbon footprint, having set this as one of the key business objectives at the start of the year.
Jason Harding, General Manager, the Lowry Hotel
The business case
The Lowry Hotel was one of the first five-star hotels in greater Manchester. Employing over 200 staff, it has 165 bedrooms and suites, as well as a restaurant, spa, gym, sauna and health suite, and event space for up to 400 people
In 2007, the hotel explicitly wrote energy awareness into its working practices, setting a business objective to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% year on year. But it was keen to avoid familiar tactics such as asking guests to opt out of having their towels washed each day, which it saw as diminishing the hotel’s standards. Instead, it asked the Carbon Trust for advice on possibilities it might otherwise have overlooked.
The Carbon Trust predicted that, with a few adjustments, the Lowry Hotel could significantly reduce its carbon output and in turn, its energy costs. Now that the Lowry Hotel has put these recommendations into action, it saves 363.5 tonnes of CO2 a year, making an annual financial saving of £37,498.
"It’s not about the money, although that’s an incentive, particularly given the increased cost of energy,” says PR and marketing manager Helen Hipkiss. “It’s really about doing whatever we can to help the environment, without compromising the guest experience. The survey from the Carbon Trust made us realise how we could do this.”
Actions taken
As a result of the recommendations made in the carbon survey, the hotel created a new green committee to oversee carbon reduction initiatives. The first project was to put in place a building management system, allowing the Lowry Hotel to monitor energy usage and turn off lighting and air conditioning in areas which are not in use. This system has resulted in savings of 207.5 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Secondly, the hotel began changing all the light bulbs throughout the building, to energy efficient alternatives. Although this process hasn’t yet been completed across the entire hotel, the installation of new energy lights has so far saved the Lowry Hotel 78 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Boilers have been fitted with a control system making them more energy efficient, saving 30 tonnes of CO2 a year while improvements to the efficiency of the air conditioning system have resulted in the saving of a further 34 tonnes of CO2.
Staff are also encouraged to consider how small changes to their own behaviour can have a broader environmental impact – bike parking points have been installed and a number of staff have begun cycling to work as a result. The increase in staff cycling to work has in turn resulted in a 14 tonne annual reduction of the hotel’s carbon emissions.
Waste away
Thanks to a new waste management control programme, the Lowry Hotel has included recycling points in every office, making it easy for glass, paper and plastic to be recycled appropriately. They are currently looking at possibilities for the environmentally friendly disposal of food waste
A greener reputation
The hotel’s new focus has also had an impact on its appeal to businesses. The Lowry Hotel’s role as a conference venue has been given a boost by its increasingly green image, which is demonstrated by its recycling facilities and provision of tap water, as well as bike parking points.
“A lot of big companies now have a green agenda,” says Helen Hipkiss. “They want to show that they’re doing their bit, and the fact that we’re focusing on reducing our carbon footprint makes us more attractive to companies with the same aims.”
As confirmation of this, the Lowry has been awarded Bronze recognition by the Green Business Tourism Scheme, and aims to work its way up to Gold.
Did you know?
The hospitality sector is responsible for over 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The Carbon Trust estimates that energy savings of up to 20%, equivalent to more than £200 million, are possible across the sector.
Surveying the scene
The Carbon Trust offers carbon surveys to businesses that want to better understand their energy usage and identify ways to reduce it. We provide consultancy and tailored recommendations to help you lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon emissions, whatever your size or sector.
Find out more about our on-site carbon survey, call the Carbon Trust Advice Line on 0800 085 2005 or apply below.
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