Northern Ireland’s largest hotel group is leader in sustainability with green awards

Green Tourism promotes greener ways for businesses and organisations to operate. The awards certification programme recognises the commitment of tourism businesses which are actively working to become more sustainable.

Green Tourism are thrilled to share a new report, co-authored by Visit Belfast and the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement), that documents Belfast’s sustainable tourism success story and offers key learnings for any destination.

Vicky Green, associate director of Andras House, said: “Sustainability is at the forefront of our daily conversations with our team, our guests and stakeholders. It has been fantastic to watch the enthusiasm of the team grow. Holiday Inn guests now enjoy fresh vegetables and herbs form their garden whilst Hampton by Hilton are creating an outdoor staff wellness area.”

The Andras Hotels portfolio includes the Crowne Plaza at Shaws Bridge Belfast, Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre, Holiday Inn Express Belfast City, Hampton by Hilton Belfast City and two Ibis Hotels in the city. The inclusion of the 1,000 bedrooms of Andras Hotels to the Green Tourism programme means that 75% of hotel bedrooms in Belfast are now accredited.

Jac Callan, senior manager sustainability and impact from Visit Belfast, explained: “The team at Andras House Group have shown incredible commitment to sustainability over the past two years. Not content with simply gaining accreditation last year, they have continued to raise the bar and increase their sustainable practices across the whole of the Group, which has resulted in their richly deserved silver accreditations.

"We know visitors are increasingly looking for green and sustainable hotels and Andras House group has worked hard to meet this growing expectation. Their ambition aligns with the city-vision to be a leading sustainable destination of the future and having their support will help us attract new visitors to Belfast.”

Green Tourism awards are acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally friendly practice and are a great way of progressing on a green journey as well as acting as a hallmark of ‘green quality’, attracting custom from increasing numbers of eco-minded visitors. Their technical experts offer practical advice and lots of support – this means that saving energy and changing dated and unsustainable ways of doing things can be much more straightforward.

Vicky added: “We look forward to continuing our green journey and have recently begun the process of putting our corporate head office and Bodyscape Health Club based at Crowne Plaza Belfast, including our latest venture “Bodyspa” through the Green Tourism accreditation programme.”