When you have one of the world’s busiest airports on your doorstep, you can’t help but be very aware of the climate crisis and the need for businesses to play their part in protecting our precious planet.
Focus Hotels has managed DoubleTree by Hilton Heathrow since 2012 and we’re particularly proud of how driven the team there is – perhaps influenced by their near neighbour – to drive their ESG (environmental, social and governance) and sustainability policy.
The hotel is working with Hilton to drive the Travel with Purpose initiative, the ESG strategy aimed at driving responsible tourism and travel.
The strategy is built around a commitment to doubling investment in social impact and cutting the hotels environmental footprint in half by 2030.
There’s a drive to operate and grow sustainably, reducing the hotel’s consumption of natural resources. The commitment to combating climate change is evident through carbon reduction targets which are aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
The hotel has EV charging points in the car park, and when it comes to private hire taxi’s, its provider guarantees that all vehicles are ULEZ compliant.
There are a number of different categories of waste which are sorted for recycling, and discarded food doesn’t go to waste either – it is sent to a plant where it undergoes a process called anaerobic digestion, which converts it into energy.
Single-use plastics are being phased out; mineral water is offered in glass bottles or cans, there are no plastic straws in the bar and restaurants, and takeaway coffee cups are made out of recycled cardboard.
In terms of trying to not waste water, in the past 12 months, the DoubleTree by Hilton Heathrow has reduced this so much that the water it has saved would fill six Olympic swimming pools.
In 2023, the hotel has reduced waste equivalent to the level produced by 36 households and has seen a 2.3% watts energy reduction.
All light bulbs have been replaced by LED ones, air-handling units are controlled with variable speed drives to optimise heating, ventilation, and air conditioning according to demand, and the hotel even generates its own electricity, by converting excess heat from its boilers.
Understandably, the team at the hotel are proud of their efforts to be more sustainable – but they don’t confine their efforts to the hotel itself – they want to inspire cleaner, greener spaces for everyone, which is why they arrange monthly litter picking patrols in the area around the hotel.
The hotel is keen to encourage others to think responsibly, too, which is why meeting organisations can receive a bespoke report which estimates the carbon, energy, water, and waste that will be produced from a meeting, event or stay, which can then be offset for a small fee.
Devin Grosse, CEO of Focus Hotels, said: “The team at DoubleTree by Hilton Heathrow are exceptionally good at driving their ESG and sustainability policy, and we’re very proud of them for all they have achieved.
“We’ve all got a responsibility to help protect our planet.
“Many have been identified at the DoubleTree by Hilton Heathrow and implemented with great effect. Creating a greener, cleaner workplace that staff take great pride in helps create a warmer, more welcoming, environment for guests, too, so it’s a win-win situation.
“As the Doubletree by Hilton Heathrow proves, it is good to be green.”