The Rezidor Hotel Group first hotel company worldwide to offer all guests carbon offsetting possibilities

In a unique partnership between the Rezidor Hotel Group and The CarbonNeutral Company, guests are offered the opportunity to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their stay at a Rezidor hotel, including their travel, thus making their entire trip CarbonNeutral®.

To offset, all that is needed is to join Rezidor’s free loyalty programme, goldpoints plussm. One night at a Radisson SAS hotel collects on average 3,000 Gold Points. Only 2,000 Gold Points is needed to offset 270 kg of carbon dioxide – which corresponds to 1 to 2 stays at a hotel, including travel by car. The offsetting scheme will offer a wide variety of offsetting possibilities depending on mode of transport. The initiative is part of Rezidor’s award-winning Responsible Business programme and will be launched 1st of March.

Travel and hotel stays are part of business life. However, climate change and global warming are very much a reality and travelling is one of many contributors. Energy is used in hotels to ensure the guests’ comfort through lighting, heating, cooling, etc. To minimise the impact on global warming, the Rezidor Hotel Group has an energy management programme in place since 2001, which includes:
• quarterly measuring and reporting of energy consumption at hotel and corporate level - in 2006, the energy consumption per m2 for Rezidor was reduced by 8% compared to 2005
• energy efficient lighting, sensors and timers have been installed, as well as key card switches in the rooms in more than 70% of all Rezidor hotels
• work to find alternative energy solutions; some hotels have already installed solar panels and others incorporate renewable energy solutions

Rezidor has already offset the carbon dioxide emissions of its recent hotel managers’ annual conference, as well as of its corporate offices through tree-planting and renewable energy projects.

The CarbonNeutral Company has measured the amount of greenhouse gases produced from Rezidor’s operations, including fuel, energy consumption and waste, as well as travel. The CO2 equivalents will be balanced by donating money towards carbon reducing projects which save the equivalent amount of CO2. Projects chosen include a wind power project in India, energy efficiency projects in Jamaica and methane capturing projects in the US. To learn more, go to www.carbonneutral.com.