HOTEL VERDE: A CASE STUDY IN CLIMATE-CONSCIOUS CONFERENCING

Net-zero targets are gaining popularity among corporates, and the MICE industry needs to find ways to support these goals. This is why Hotel Verde’s bold offering for complimentary carbonneutral conferencing is a stroke of genius.

Every conference or stay at Hotel Verde Cape Town Airport is guaranteed to be 100% carbon-neutral. This means that every guest’s greenhouse gas emissions are automatically offset through certified carboncapture projects. This added value – at no added cost – is unheard of in the MICE industry. It sets the property apart as one that is truly committed to sustainable events and ethical business practices. No surprise, then, that it has earned the title of Africa’s Greenest Hotel.

Caron van Rooyen, GM of Hotel Verde, explains, “As a predominantly corporate hotel, we pride ourselves on being able to offer our guests a sustainable conferencing experience alongside sustainable accommodation. To this end, we teamed up with carbon offsetting specialists who audited the carbon emissions produced by guests during their time at Hotel Verde. We now purchase certified carbon credits for all our hotel and conferencing guests based on this data, which is directly invested into sustainable farming and reforestation projects.”

Every Hotel Verde guest receives an audited carbon-neutral certificate at the end of their visit, which corporates can use in their sustainability reporting and towards their own company’s offsetting efforts.

“The more time you spend with us, the more you earn!” adds Caron.

What makes this an ethical and affordable strategy for Hotel Verde is that guests and events create minimal carbon footprints in the first place, due to its green building design and sustainable operations.

From efficient temperature control technologies to wind turbines and a greywater recycling plant, the infrastructure promotes sustainability in myriad ways. As a result, the hotel runs with 70% more energy efficiency than any other Cape Town hotel and has won numerous awards for its water and energy saving technologies.

Caron adds that sustainable choices define all their day-to-day operations. For example, all conferences benefit from the following:

• state-of-the-art AV equipment and chalkboards rather than white boards and flip charts

• video conferencing supports business meetings, helping to decrease travelrelated emissions

• recycled notepads and pencils are kept aside for those delegates who request them (keeping notepads ‘out of doodle reach’ attributes to significantly less wastage)

• all delegates receive a complimentary mineral water, bottled on-site, as opposed to conventional PET bottles

• fresh fruit bowls are readily available to encourage healthy eating habits, while healthier snack options are served during breaks and lunch

• clearly labelled recycling bins are prominently placed in the venue to encourage delegates to support the property’s recycling goals.

With all these strategies in place, Hotel Verde truly is a best practice case study for venues of the future. “Together, we can end climate change,” concludes Caron.