The Conservatorium Hotel Amsterdam has been given its Green Globe recertification for the fourth consecutive year.
Roy Tomassen, General Manager at the hotel said: “Over the past four years of being a Green Globe member, the most impressive part of the journey is seeing the growth in our sustainability practices and the constant drive of colleagues to come up with new ways to reduce our environmental impact. All the positive work they have done has resulted in innovative solutions that have not only directly lessened our ecological footprint but will continue to make a difference in our operations and community for years to come.
“Since the initial certification in 2012, the Conservatorium is proud to announce that with an 82% compliance score we continue to push our boundaries and seek new ways to comply with sustainable standards whilst engaging with our community and continue to incorporate our heritage in our guests’ journey,” added Mr. Tomassen.
Cost savings
The Conservatorium has implemented initiatives to reduce energy and water consumption, and reuse organic waste. In terms of energy costs, the Conservatorium continues to see a decrease from year to year. In 2015, it was noted that energy costs had dropped by €18,000 from the previous year. And it is predicted that this year there will be a further drop of €28,000 from 2015.
In the last two years, the hotel has been engaged in several energy saving projects. Air-conditioning units use a system that runs through the entire building heating and cooling the air by using stored energy from the constantly turning rotary heat exchanger. The returning air is then used to either heat up or cool down the circulating air supply. This means CO² is not recycled and results in a building with 100% of fresh air using renewable energy. In addition, all guest rooms have motion sensors that are programmed to switch off lights and air-conditioning after forty minutes when a hotel room is occupied, and two minutes when the room is vacant.
The Conservatorium has replaced almost all light bulbs in public areas with LED and T5 lights in the past year. This accounts for 85% of all bulbs in the hotel which will result in substantial energy savings in the coming years.
To minimize water usage low flow aerators and showerheads have been installed in guest bathrooms. The hotel focused on finding the right balance between reducing the amount of water flowing through shower and sink taps without sacrificing the comfort of guests. This resulted in a reduction from 20 liters of water per minute to 7-10 liters per minute.
Reuse initiatives are in place at the Conservatorium where a certified waste company collects 100% of the hotel’s organic waste. This refuse along with that from other properties is utilized by 18,000 different greenhouses in The Netherlands.
For further information, please see the hotel’s Sustainability Management Report (www.conservatoriumhotel.com/sites/default/files/SMP_Conservatorium_hotel%20ENG_0.pdf ).
