Hotel Cateys 2022: Sustainable Hotel of the Year – Heckfield Place

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This year the standard of entries for the sustainable hotel category was particularly high, but judges said Heckfield Place stood out for its unique efforts.

The luxury 45-bedroom Hampshire hotel occupies a building that was once a Georgian family home and employs 151 people across its 438-acre estate. The property dates back to the 1760s and, upon reopening in 2021, the hotel team was on a mission to ensure the business was sustainable for the next 250 years.

This ‘war on waste' has seen surplus food taken from the hotel restaurants and served in the staff canteen, ultimately creating healthier meals for the team and reducing the amount that would have gone to landfill by 50%. Since June 2022 the hotel has used an ECO300 processor to dehydrate food waste and turn it into a protein-rich byproduct that can be used to enrich garden soil. Now, 100% of food waste is used as a soil additive or compost, a reduction of up to 700kg a week.

In the past year, Heckfield Place has begun converting all its surplus kitchen oil into biodiesel on-site to be used in its vehicles and farm equipment. This has saved approximately 1,700 litres from going unused and being disposed of. All lighting has been switched to a central system that uses timers and motion, and 90% of the hotel bulbs are now LED, resulting in a 35% reduction in energy consumption per room per night year-on-year.

Over 70,000 litres of water a day are extracted from the hotel's bore hole and rooms have low-flow taps to ensure efficient usage by guests. Timers have been installed on the bathroom underfloor heating to reduce run-time by a third, which has saved the hotel over £14,000 per year, and thermostats have been installed on towel rails to reduce their electricity consumption by 50%, saving £27,508 per year.

The on-site organic Home Farm and Market Garden have helped the hotel take a more holistic approach to food production. In January 2021, the Market Garden achieved biodynamic certification from the Biodynamic Association, which saw the completion of a three-year conversion to create a "closed loop" approach to farming.

In the past year alone, the team has planted around 4,400 metres of mixed native hedging to prevent soil being lost from the garden, but to also promote biodiversity, while 385 sq m of wildflowers have been planted in its fields.

Staff are also looking at ways to reuse items and the housekeeping team has used old linens to create shower caps, cot protectors and laundry bags, which has so far saved 40 sheets and nine duvets from going to landfill. The hotel is also looking at bringing in a resident glass blower to turn bottle waste into art.

What the judges said

"The winning entry was of an exceptionally high standard and has been long associated with sustainability. In the last three years, the business has taken this to another level, which sets it apart from the competition."

Zoe Jenkins

"We applaud their housekeeping team for their creativity and its unique initiative of turning old linen into shower caps – we would like to try this!"

Debra Patterson

The shortlist

Heckfield Place

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Room2 Chiswick

Past winners

2021 Raithwaite Sandsend

2019 The Langham, London

2018 Jonathan Kaye, Cedar Manor Hotel

2017 The Oakley Court, Windsor

2016 Battlesteads, Wark on Tyne

2015 Hub by Premier Inn, London

2014 Red Carnation Hotels

2013 The Savoy, London

2012 Lancaster London

2011 Battlesteads, Wark on Tyne

2010 Langdale Hotel & Spa

2009 One Aldwych

2008 Bedruthan Steps Hotel

2007 Novotel London West