Caterer and Hotelkeeper – 30434

hotel goes green

ONE of Edinburgh's leading hotels claims to have reduced its total waste output by 15% following the implementation of an environmental programme.

The Sheraton Grand Hotel, whose parent company was one of the original signatories of the International Hotels Environment Initiative, has reduced the amount of waste it produces from three skip loads a week to two.

An environmental committee meets regularly to review current practices. Its latest initiative involves guests being asked to place only used towels in the bath for washing, to save on hot water and detergents.

The other green changes introduced at the 261-bedroom hotel include:

lmetal coat-hangers are returned to the hotel laundry for recycling;

llaser printer and fax toner cartridges, drums and developer units are given to the Action Aid recycling unit;

lused guest soap is passed to the Salvation Army;

lbreakfast jam jars are recycled;

lonly environmentally friendly cleaning materials are used.

As a further boost to the programme, hotel general manager Michael Wale regularly offers cash prizes for the best new ideas.

Hilton leisure deal

HILTON has signed up Milton Keynes-based company LivingWell Health and Leisure to run leisure facilities at 26 of its UK hotels.

The centres, based at Hilton International and Hilton National hotels across the UK, will be operated and marketed by LivingWell for three years, starting next month.

The chain of centres, five of which the leisure company already runs for Hilton, will be branded as LivingWell at Hilton. They will be open to the public on a membership basis.