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Zeal Hotels is planning a new hotel concept which will follow sustainable principles for its whole journey, from the build through to its operation, in a bid to create a carbon net zero property.
The hotel brand is in the process of acquiring a site for a 140+ room new build hotel. The new development, which is backed by a private investor, will be operated by a third-party management company. It comes as the group is in talks over opening further sites in the UK.
For this, the group is looking at provincial locations with land, in order to accommodate space for a herb garden as well as car parking and EV charging points.
Tim Wheeldon, managing director, Zeal Hotels, said that the concept has been welcomed “with open arms” by planning authorities and the group is in discussions regarding several opportunities at the moment.
He said: “We have been working on the idea of a sustainable hotel for over three years. The hotel sector is way behind other industries in terms of addressing the issues we face around carbon emissions, around our consumption and activities and we must recognise that, by 2050, we have to operate on a carbon net zero basis.
“As an industry, we have a lot of work to do and it’s going to be a lot easier and more cost effective to operate a new-build hotel at carbon net zero if the property is designed and constructed to carbon net zero in the first place”
The hotel’s F&B offering will also strive to be sustainable.
Wheeldon said: “The majority of us are eating less red meat than we did 5 years ago and we will be adopting a more sustainable menu, which turns around the current thinking on the typical F&B offering. Over the last 10 to 15 years most menus have been split into 70% meat and 30% vegetarian and vegan food. We are going to reverse this in favour of non-meat dishes, while also ensuring that as much as possible is locally sourced, including drinks.
“Eating out is an event and it’s always good to experience local produce. The restaurant will be a destination in its own right and part of the concept will be eating outside, which is something people have embraced over the past two years. You will be able to sit out on a patio deck area, or next to the herb garden; there will be a number of options to enjoy al fresco dining.”
The planning application for the first Zeal Hotel will be submitted within the next few weeks and the group will provide further information at that stage.
