Here at Bay hotels we as a company are committed to environmental sustainability recognising that everyone has an important role to play. To this end over the last 3 years we have had a major drive to improve our Environmental Sustainability and doing what we can to help reduce our carbon footprint. In this blog post I will highlight some of the latest projects we have embarked on to help reduce our carbon emissions.

Reducing our Carbon Footprint

We have put more focus into training all of our staff on “Environmental Sustainability ” which is now part of our induction training courses and “Sustainable Tourism” is now one of the topics on an annual training calendar.

Moving on from training we looked at our recycling and waste management and by working closely with Biffa, our waste disposal company, we have been able to increase the amount of waste that got recycled since last year with 34% of our total waste now getting recycled. This 34% equated to an increase of 1.6 million litres of waste being diverted from landfills in to recycling plants.

Recycling and Waste Management

It is not only our refuse that we recycle but we also have a contract with 3663, one of our main food suppliers, whereby the oil we use in the kitchens currently is collected and recycled through Convert 2 Green. This oil is then used to fuel some of the 3663 fleet that deliver to our hotels.

Looking at some of the hotel projects that have been undertaken there is a new more efficient electrical heating system at the Valley of Rocks, New energy efficient gas boilers at the Eden Arms, New timed heated towel rails and LED lighting have been fitted at a number of hotels helping to reduce our energy output. Since this energy reduction drive consumption has been reduced by 17%.

Energy Efficient Lighting

It is not just energy that we have been able to reduce as since 2010 by improving awareness across our hotels and updating water controls where possible we have lowered our water consumption by nearly 8%

Lower Water Consumption

Moving further into 2013 we are continuing to improve these projects but also taking on some new ones as we have already installed more than 200 bedrooms with new LED lighting and have over 400 more planned and its only April. Also new heating systems in various hotels will be installed to help decrease their energy output.

All of the benefits implemented above have helped us achieve a much better energy efficiency score in the governments CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) league tables where we now stand at 303 out of 2097 submissions against the 926 we previously scored. This means that our actual Carbon Dioxide emissions decreased by 14.7%, which was a whopping 2,869 Tonnes all of which helps us to with our ongoing environmental sustainability mission.

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We feel that the Hotel refurbishment work that has been undertaken over the 2 weeks has made a vast improvement to the look and feel of the room creating a much more modern, contemporary, light and airy feel to the rooms. This was phase 1 of a 2 part refurbishment project covering 12 rooms being renovated to the new specification of bedroom and bathroom decor which will be complete by the end of this week.

Some of the work that goes into a hotel refurbishment of a room and bathroom means completely gutting the rooms as you can see down to the bare minimum from removing furniture to the carpets, tiles, curtains and bathroom units. From then the contractors are able to do the necessary plumbing and electrical work needed before any structural works are carried out (as in 417’s bathroom). Following the hard renovations they start work on the soft furnishing with the paining, laying of new carpets, installing the new furniture and lighting etc finishing with the pictures, curtains, appliances and amenities. After all this is complete and the housekeeping staff have put the finishing touches to the room it is ready for you to move in and enjoy your comfortable stay.

Day 8 308
Day 11 308
Day 14 308
Day 8 417
Day 11 417
Day 14 417

As we start looking ahead, over the coming months there are another 19 hotels with 256 rooms that are going to be refurbished as well as some public areas and a ballroom so ther will be a lot to look forward to over the coming months!

The post Torbay Hotel Refurbishment Project Part 2 appeared first on Bay Hotels Blog.

Day 1 of the project room 308 looked like this
Day 3 308
Day 5 308
And 417 looked like this
Day 3 417
Day 5 417

As work carries on I will continue to document progress and will soon upload the 2^nd and final instalment of the refurbishment so watch this space for the finished product.

What do you think about the refurbishments? Do you have any ideas you would like to share with us, if so you can have your say below in the comments box. We would love to hear from you.

The post Torbay Hotel Refurbishment Project Part 1 appeared first on Bay Hotels Blog.

Example of Refurbished Standard Room

During the month of January we have been busy maintaining our hotels as part of our ongoing commitment to improving our facilities and giving guests the best experience possible. One of those items that makes your short break more enjoyable is your room. In January we have put a lot of work into our refurbishment projects including guests rooms at a number of hotels…

Bay Glenburn Hotel, Rothesay
In total 12 standard bedrooms have been refurbished

Bay St Ives Hotel, St Ives
We have refurbished 16 standard bedrooms

Bay Esplanade Hotel, Paignton
16 standard bedrooms have been refurbished along with 2 bathrooms. A new lift has been fitted into the hotel as well as a new carpet in the restaurant

Bay Beresford Hotel, Newquay
16 standard bedrooms have been refurbished and 8 bathrooms have been refitted

Bay Valley of the Rocks Hotel, Lynton
A total of 16 standard bedrooms have been refurbished

Bay Dilkhusa Grand Hotel, Ilfracombe
8 standard bedrooms and 8 bathrooms have been refitted

Our workmen are all ready to go on February’s projects, check back later in the month to see what has been happening.

Did you know we also have Premier and Superior Rooms, if not take a look here?

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