Two famous city hotels are celebrating after both were awarded prestigious environmental certification.
Glasgow hotels voco Grand Central and Kimpton Blythswood Square have been awarded Green Key certification, an internationally recognised accolade, highlighting the hotels’ commitment to the environment.
Green Key certification is a mark of excellence in the tourism industry, awarded to establishments that adhere to strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
IHG Hotels & Resorts, which owns both hotels, said that achieving Green Key status means voco Grand Central and Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel are "dedicated to minimising environmental impact and promoting sustainable tourism".
Located in the heart of Glasgow, voco Grand Central has plant-based, vegan-friendly ingredients in its refillable bathroom amenities, energy-efficient lighting, comprehensive recycling programs, and water conservation measures like filtered and refillable glass bottles.
READ MORE: Increase in travel for gigs as Taylor Swift forecast to contribute £1bn to economy
The hotel bedding is made from 100% recycled materials.
voco Grand Central is also working with Trees For Life to plant trees at a protected site in the Highlands. The hotel has pledged to plant one tree for every delegate attending corporate events hosted at the hotel.
Meanwhile, Kimpton Blythswood Square's flagship restaurant iasg is committed to sourcing ingredients from local suppliers who demonstrate sustainable practices, like hand-dived or creel caught shellfish, and fish which is line caught and sourced in waters where there is a healthy supply of fresh produce.
Furthermore, the hotel donates £1 from every bill to the Firth of Forth Lobster Hatchery, who hatch, rear and release lobsters to help maintain a healthy lobster population in Scottish waters.
iasg only uses MSC Certified suppliers who have a traceable supply chain and is committed to revisiting and investigating ways to reduce waste and enhance its sustainability credentials.
The hotel also promotes green transport options by offering rental bikes in the lobby so guests can explore Glasgow by pedal power.
Marcello Ventisei, cluster general manager for Kimpton Blythswood Square and voco Grand Central, said: “We are incredibly proud to have achieved the prestigious Green Key certification. The eco-label certification sets rigorous standards and requires clear demonstration of sustainable excellence to be achieved.
"This accomplishment reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability and our dedication to creating positive environmental and social impacts.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here