Village Hotels launches new ESG strategy

Village Hotels, a collection of 33 hotels across the UK, has launched a new ESG and sustainability strategy.Following a consultation with key stakeholders and a review of where Village Hotels can “make the most significant contribution towards a greener future”, the group established a framework entitled ‘Village Green’. The framework is split into three pillars: Environment, People and Community, and priority areas have been broken down into a series of work streams that run across the business and aim to tackle decarbonisation and social impact. Through the ‘Stay Green’ pillar, Village has undertaken an extensive environmental programme, whilst educating and encouraging guests and employees to make more sustainable choices. The strategy focuses on the group’s impact on the environment and its planned reduction in consumption and carbon emissions. In terms of building optimisation and monitoring, five Village Hotels have achieved a BREEAM rating, and a further five hotels are due to achieve BREEN accreditation in 2024. All of its hotels now operate on 100% renewable energy, and proactive initiatives have reduced waste and increased recycling, with 98% of waste from Village Hotels now diverted from landfill through back-of-house recycling and third-party sourcing. Village is also encouraging its guests, members and employees to switch to electric vehicles powered by renewable energy. It has also entered into an agreement with Ionity to roll out super-fast Ionity chargers to all hotels, while employees have access to an EV finance scheme to further encourage use of EV cars. Secondly, its ‘People’ pillar focuses on the wellbeing of guests, members, and employees to “ensure the group maintains its inclusive culture”. This also encapsulates its My Village employee programme, which includes a range of sustainability-focused benefits for employees, including volunteering opportunities. Finally, the ‘Community’ pillar “defines Village’s role as a vibrant hub that supports the community” through charity partnerships and local events. For 2024, Village has partnered with Carefree, Sue Ryder and Sense as its national charity partners. These initiatives are overseen by a quarterly Sustainability Steering Group, attended by the Village executive team and chaired by Kelli Turner, Director of ESG. Village Green is led locally by the hotel’s general managers, with the support of on-property Sustainability Stars. Kelli Turner, general counsel and director of ESG at Village Hotel Club, said: “We know sustainability matters – our guests and members want to know that Village is a sustainable choice, with values that match their own. “Our teams want to feel proud of where they work, knowing it is a responsible business. Our communities want Village to be on their side. Our corporate partners and clients want to know Village is a responsible corporate citizen. That is why Village Green sits at the heart of Village Hotels and is helping to propel the business forward.”