Radisson Blu Bengaluru, Outer Ring Road, supposedly, is the first hotel in India to be awarded the prestigious LEED V 4.1 Platinum Certificate (for Operations & Maintenance of an Existing Building).
Issued by the US Green Building Council, this top-level certification is reflective of Radisson Blu Bengaluru, Outer Ring Road’s outstanding commitment and dedication to sustainability.
The hotel has taken many impactful steps, including investments in renewable energy and innovation, to ensure a consistent reduction of its carbon footprint.
In an interview with Hotelier India, Austin Roach (Chairman, Radisson Blu Bengaluru, Outer Ring Road – A venture by Roach Lifescapes), says, “At Radisson Blu Bengaluru, Outer Ring Road, sustainability is not about following a trend, but is a sincere way of life. For over a decade, we are deeply committed to the environment and we are acutely aware of the impact that the hospitality industry alone can have on our planet. We are honoured to have been awarded LEED Platinum certification, which is a recognition of our efforts and impetus for us to do even more, to continue creating a positive environmental impact.”
Excerpts from the interview:
Sustainability in hospitality is becoming increasingly important. How has Radisson Blu Bengaluru’s approach to sustainability evolved over the years?
Solar energy is the future, it is sustainable, pollution-free, and also has financial benefits to the organization. It contributes towards the reduction of global warming and related climate change. Initially, we used diesel generators for hot water, but as the electric heat pumps entered the market, we started our journey towards sustainability. We had solar-powered water heaters on our rooftop and heat pumps. We completely stopped using diesel.
We also found that using solar energy was cheaper in terms of tax than electricity. That is when we decided to invest in sustainable energy and not buy from others. We collaborated with M/s Clean Max Pvt Ltd to put up our first solar plant in Bellary district. We benefited from depreciation and were able to recover our costs within three – four years.
More importantly, when there was no cash flow in the time of the pandemic, we were lucky to have reasonable electricity bills and only pay minimum charges as compared to others in the industry. At that time, the benefit of sustainable energy seemed huge and comforting.
With the benefits in mind, we extended our solar journey with a place called Jagaluru where we installed another 1 MW to make sure we don’t buy power at all from the government and that we generate our own power for both our hotels, i.e., Radisson Blu Bengaluru, Outer Ring Road and RBD Sarovar Portico, Outer Ring Road. We modernised every piece of equipment in the hotel to become electric, to therefore save on the energy cost. This is directly showing on the bottom line of the company.
This is renewable energy and long-term sustainability/ long-term financial benefit to the organization. Every day our solar plant generates 15,000 – 18,000 units of green power and our consumption is an average of 12,000 units per day. Our building is a zero CO2 emission building. This green power is generated by our solar plant and net zero energy building, allowing us to save Rs5.50 crore in a year only on electricity. This directly impacts on reduction of carbon footprint on the environment.
We already have five electric cars and by next year we will be having only electric cars which will be using our own electricity and thereby making it more affordable and better on the balance sheet.
What challenges did you encounter in aligning hotel operations with sustainability goals, and how did you overcome them?
Once we took the decision to reach a truly significant sustainability goal, we started this discussion with the team that manages our hotel. They were, at the time, not very adept or knowledgeable about what holistic sustainability entailed, but they were very enthusiastic. We then took up this journey with the aim of saving costs on energy. As you know, in a hotel there are very few areas where you can really cut costs. Energy was one where I could cut substantial costs and add to the bottom line, with our share of investment, of course. On the journey to sustainability, we found the costs to be about 10%-15% and the returns—after going solar and using our own water from the water plant we installed at our hotel—turned out to be much higher than the cost of the money we invested to become sustainable. For example, with a full hotel now, we are using hardly 50% of water that we used to use before with much lesser occupancy in the rooms and in the banquets.
How do you think achieving LEED V4.1 Platinum status will impact the guest experience at Radisson Blu? Are there any guest-facing sustainability initiatives that have been particularly well-received?
It was only a matter of time before we could align the whole thought process of the engineering and the management company and us to go the sustainable way. The savings and the potential benefits to the bottom line did not need any more coaxing for us to go the whole hog. It was at the back of my mind for a long time to become sustainable and this we took up as a mission from last year and went on the journey to get our certification done.
This made us all the more resolute to go and achieve this. The journey was a bit long as the council had a lot of questions and compliances. We were able to achieve most of the things and achieve a high mark of 84, and thus we got the Platinum rating.
I can proudly say that we are the only hotel as of now in India to have 4.1 LEED certification for Operations and Maintenance: Existing Building.
Some of the initiatives well received and appreciated by our guests are the linen change options given to guests, and our in-house bottling plant where we bottle our own drinking water in glass bottles hence cutting down significantly on single-use plastic. The same is communicated to the guests by placing communications inside the room and common areas.
In your opinion, are today’s travellers more conscious of a hotel’s sustainability efforts? How do you communicate these initiatives to them?
We constantly educate our guests by informing them about our various sustainability initiatives and also presenting the product of our initiatives. We also constantly give out communications through our media vehicles of promotions. We have a poster communication in our guest elevator doors and various touch points saying ‘THIS BUILDING IS POWERED BY GREEN ENERGY’. We educate our staff through town hall meetings and orientation programs, informing them about the various initiatives.
We also encourage our guests to be more mindful of the environment by actively participating in everyday decisions which can help us meet our green goals. For example, we encourage our guests to request their linen to be changed minimally and on a need-basis. This helps our sustainability goal by using less water and allowing us to recycle that water for further use in gardening, flushing, cooling towers, etc. What’s more, the hotel has an in-house water bottling plant where it refills the glass water bottles to avoid using single-use plastic bottled water. The plant comprises a water treatment plant, a bottle washing system, and an automated filling and packaging system. These water bottles are used in the guest rooms, restaurants, and banquet facilities. This system alone has allowed the hotel to avoid at least more than a tonne of plastic waste every year.
As a hotel leading the way in sustainable hospitality, what advice would you give to other properties aiming to achieve similar sustainability goals? Do you foresee this certification becoming a trend in the Indian hospitality industry? How do you think the industry can further contribute to environmental conservation?
I really hope so. As we know, the energy costs have been going up consistently. So, going the sustainable way makes business sense. I therefore do think that more and more hotels will adopt this sustainable method of running their hotels.
We are continuously looking into green initiatives. Our initiatives have contributed towards environmental sustainability creating a positive environmental impact. We have reduced our dependence on fossil fuel energy by introducing EV cars. We have ensured energy security by harnessing natural resources (sun, water, and food waste) and, while doing so, have also created job opportunities for multiple organizations. Our initiatives have helped to save overall costs and contribute towards improved public health. Our in-house biogas plant helps us to recycle approximately 400kg – 500kg of food waste daily and the gas generated is, in turn, used for cooking meals for about 300 staff members in the staff cafeteria. Our system of ‘Reduce-Reuse-Repair & Recycle’ has contributed to all natural forms of energy and can be used to replicate a better and environmentally friendly lifestyle.
