Red Carnation moves to 100% renewable energy

As a family-owned business, we know it's never been more important to put sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Travel has the power to change lives: opening up a world of possibilities and creating lasting memories. However, we also know that travel can have a detrimental impact on communities and ecosystems around the globe. For this reason, our commitment to sustainability is vital in order to help preserve the world’s treasures for the next generation. 

With this in mind, Red Carnation Hotels has partnered with Businesswide Solutions to eliminate energy waste, using only 100% renewable energy in all UK hotels. We spoke with Paul Scarborough, Chief Marketing Officer at Businesswide Solutions, about the impact of this switch and how this partnership will develop our sustainability initiatives further over time. 

Can you tell us about how Red Carnation Hotels are partnering with Businesswise Solutions? 

Essentially, Red Carnation are partnering with Businesswise Solutions to improve the way they manage their energy and carbon. Businesswise Solutions will handle energy procurement for Red Carnation’s hotels through a flexible traded strategy, by purchasing 100% renewable electricity for all UK sites. 

Energy monitoring devices are also being installed in all UK hotels, which will give Red Carnation complete visibility of all energy consumption in real time. Businesswise Solutions will additionally be leading a number of energy efficiency projects with the UK hotels, in order to reduce the carbon footprint further. 

What does the partnership mean for our guests? 

When compared to a hotel not being powered by renewable energy, the carbon footprint of Red Carnation guests will be lower. In addition, because of Red Carnation's efficiency schemes, guests will be less affected by rising energy costs. These savings will ultimately be passed onto guests in the form of lower room rates. 

In layman's terms, what are the benefits of green energy procurement? 

The supplier will buy Red Carnation's electricity from renewable sources; this means that no fossil fuels will be used to power any of Red Carnation’s hotels. This, in turn, will save over 100 tonnes of carbon emissions per year from entering the atmosphere. 

Where do you think the future lies for hospitality and sustainability? 

Ultimately, hotels will have to move towards being NetZero to meet government targets. We’ve seen that consumers are already starting to vote with their feet, and we will start to see more customers searching specifically for low carbon credentials when looking for a place to stay. This trend is coming on the heels of changes in other areas of sustainability and Environmental Social Governance in a wider context; this includes things like single-use plastics, waste, labour, and corporate governance. 

What will switching to this contract mean statistically? 

Essentially, what we're looking at is electricity consumption that creates over 100 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. To offset this amount of carbon you would need to plant 6,500 trees every year or 17 per day. Across the seven Red Carnation hotels in the UK, this would amount to 2.5 new trees planted per hotel per day. By moving to a 100% renewable tariff, these offsets are not required. 

To learn more about our sustainability initiatives and eco commitments, please visit our sustainability page.