Sustainable stay
Travelling remains an important part of today's pastime and is essential in many industries. At the same time, however, people are becoming more aware that this is not without its consequences. The very nature of travelling abroad means that it leaves a large ecological footprint.
It is precisely because of this that travelling is becoming a more conscious activity for consumers, seeking solutions to maximise the sustainability of not only the trip itself but also the stay so as to minimise their ecological footprint.
The emergence of tourism solutions like Airbnb, eco-tourism like treehouses and other green accommodation options are giving the hotel sector food for thought to jump on the sustainability bandwagon in this battle for the consumer and become a future-proof hotel.
A-Stay Antwerp is the first hotel of a future hotel chain that is completely on board with this way of thinking. A product of Belgian origin that, as a hotel of the future, wants to meet the need for sustainable short and long stays. As part of this endeavour, they promote tips from local traders, prioritise efficiency through the use of new technologies and use sustainable materials.
For the construction of a second hotel in Diegem and a third in Moldova, Encon was called in for the complete BREEAM supervision from design to construction and its eventual certification. BREEAM is an independent international certification system that measures the sustainability of buildings. The aim is to achieve an Excellent rating, the second-highest rating.
At that time, there was also a question as to whether the hotel in Antwerp, which was already in the construction phase, could still go for a BREEAM certification. As Encon entered the project at a later stage, certain sustainability scores were no longer feasible. This was due to the fact that certain parameters within the BREEAM score relate to the design, construction method and choice of materials, which could no longer be altered at that time. Nevertheless, their many efforts helped them obtain a BREEAM Very Good certificate. Among other things, this was achieved by focusing on acoustics, air quality, lighting and reducing their CO2 emissions.
Guests have ever-increasing demands and expect to be welcomed in a pleasant and sustainable way. COVID-19 has made sustainability and safety even more important to consumers. Allow this to inspire what you can do to be among the frontrunners in the hospitality sector and be part of the future. Cater to this growing demand and go for sustainable accommodation and recreation.
