We strongly value sustainability at CUBICK and have hand-selected the following hotels in Barcelona who are going the extra mile to integrate sustainable development into their daily routines.
HOTEL BARCELONA 1882, winner of the CEHAT Corporate Social Responsibility Award, and the Environmental Quality Guarantee Emblem from the government of Catalunya is committed to the sustainability of tourism, seeking the day-to-day integration of values and principles associated with sustainable development, on an internal and community level.
This hotel has obtained the Biosphere certificate, which guarantees the hotel meets international sustainability requirements, and LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the highest worldwide certification granted by the council of sustainable buildings in the USA. This guarantees that it has been built under parameters of energy efficiency and responsible consumption, with an energy rating B. The 1882 Barcelona is, in fact, the first hotel in the Peninsula to obtain this GOLD certification, thanks to:
- The use of recycled materials in construction
- Thermal insulation
- Use of renewable energy
- Reduction of energy consumption and limited resources.
Hotel 1882 adds social value to the community by teaming up with non-profit organizations in the fight against food waste, and empowering people at risk of social exclusion or those involved in solidarity projects. The 1882 Maintenance Hours Bank is an incredible initiative in which the hotel maintenance staff dedicates two hours a month to visiting the homes of people in need of resources to assist them at the technical level. The hotel has also signed the “Barcelona + Sustainability” citizen commitment to the network dedicated to a more sustainable city and have defined an action plan with objectives to be achieved.
PROMOTING LOCAL
In order to promote local suppliers and products, Hotel 1882 chooses priority suppliers of km 0 that work with social and sustainable values. In fact, 70% of the products used are KM 0 or Kilometre 0, part of the global Grassroots Slow Food Movement, a philosophy committed to providing a minimum of five courses with at least 40% of ingredients sourced from local products (within a 100 miles away). This “good, clean and fair” philosophy promotes local, organic products, as well as the rejection of GMOs. Source
Their AMED accreditation stands for the promotion of Mediterranean food as a model of healthy consumption and spreading local cuisine and traditions. By offering guided cultural walks in the neighborhoods to clients, free of charge, they can further promote the local culture.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
When it comes to waste management, the hotel selects waste and recycles it, collaborates with local organizations to give the waste a second life, and employees receive environmental training to participate in their Corporate Social Responsibility action plan.
SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
The promotion of public transport and availability of bicycles and bike lane information, offering bicycle parking for employees and electric car chargers to customers all help with their sustainable mobility efforts.
Next, we have selected local hotels within the Marriott Hotel Group, including the Meridien Hotel, Renaissance Hotel and Hotel Arts.
The Meridien Hotel Barcelona has put a fun and rewarding spin on sustainability initiatives through the Make A Green Choice (MAGC) program which is a global program, that incentivizes all guests staying a minimum of two nights to “actively participate in reducing their environmental footprint” by accumulating Marriott Bonvoy loyalty points. Each day a guest passes up Housekeeping, they are given the option to either to earn sustainability 500 points (for a maximum of three days) or to donate to planting a tree. The objective of this project is to reduce water and emissions by reducing the use of detergent in laundry services. It also allows a more thorough recycling by the hotel’s internal service. This program serves for the conservation of resources such as water, energy or others, as beneficial for the environment as for guests.
The RENAISSANCE HOTEL is, “committed to integrating leading environmental and social practices into Some of their goals is to reduce their environmental footprint by 15% (water), 30% (carbon), 45% (landfill waste), 50% (food waste), and achieve at least 30% renewable electricity use by the year 2025. Some of their reduction achievements between 2016 and 2018 include: 2018 Progress: HOTEL ARTS BARCELONA has implemented social responsibility through energy, water, waste, meetings, and local products. When it comes to energy, the hotel uses LED bulbs in areas of high usage, energy-saving light sensors in designated employee zones, light sensors outdoors, and the outdoor swimming pool is unheated to reduce consumption. All guest bedrooms are equipped with low-flow shower heads, guests can opt to reuse their linen and towels, paper towels have been replaced with cloth in public bathrooms, and hand dryers have been installed in employee restrooms. Hotel Arts is strongly committed to recycling through waste selection, donating used mattresses and furniture, and recycling used cooking oil for biodiesel production. Meeting rooms are prepared with large glass bottles instead of individual plastic ones. Some tangible waste reduction facts include the 41.478 tonnes of CO2 avoided from 2015-2018 thanks to their participation in “Barcelona comparteix el menjar” powered by Nutrition Without Borders. They place a strong emphasis on sourcing local products from local suppliers, and especially organic foods. The hotel has its very own urban veggie patches in its garden to supply its restaurants with home-grown herbs, fruit and vegetables. For more information on Marriott Hotels 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals visit https://serve360.marriott.com/ IN CONCLUSION… Sustainability is crucial to tourism remaining one of the main economic engines in the world.
