The results of COP15 (the UN Climate Change in Conference in Copenhagen) last month may have been rather opaque, but as the travel industry has been seen as a soft target for carbon emissions campaigners since the phrase ‘climate change’ was coined, the concept of sustainable tourism will be top of the agenda when we travel from now on. Both Sweden and Spain have since pledged 50% more funding specifically for sustainable tourism and no doubt other developed nations will follow suit . But what does this buzz word du jour actually mean? According to the UN World Tourism Organisation, the objective of sustainable tourism is to “retain the economic and social advantages of tourism development while reducing or mitigating any undesirable impacts on the natural, historic, cultural or social environment.”
Blythswood Square, a brand new, boutique, design hotel in Glasgow from The Town House Collection opened a year later than planned, but it was certainly worth the wait as it ticks all these boxes and could teach the hoteliers of the future a thing or two about sustainability.
Sleek, designer interiors appeal to the sensibilities of the modern traveller and a renewable energy supply, rain water harvesting and eco-friendly appliances have reduced carbon emissions by 43%. But it also goes that extra mile for those all-important credentials in terms of sustainability. The hotel is housed in the former Royal Scottish Automobile Club, one of Glasgow’s most iconic and historic buildings which dates back to 1821 , preserving the city’s built heritage. Harris Tweed, the traditional Scottish textile brand that has come close to bankruptcy of late, has been used for the curtains, chairs and light fittings.
The restaurant uses locally sourced, seasonal produce to support local farmers, and the spa even offers bespoke natural treatments using Scotch Thistle extract and Scottish seaweed. The only element missing is that all-important link to the local community, but as the Edinburgh properties in The Town House Collection contribute to the Fareshare charity which distributes surplus fresh food from supermarkets to the homeless, the addition of this all-important credential will no doubt just be a matter of time.
