Environment and Sustainability Strategy

"Equal opportunity is not that everyone can pick an apple, but that the dwarf gets a ladder." (Reinhard Turre) 

At the Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen Vienna, sustainability and the conservation of resources are not simply empty words: they are an important part of our daily work. As a member of VERKEHRSBUERO HOSPITALITY, we are part of a large-scale corporate environmental management programme. As a result of diverse measures and specific priorities in all areas of our hotel, we are succeeding in making a significant contribution to its implementation.

For our commitment we are certified with the Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism. This means that we not only adhere to existing measures, but also regularly review these and constantly seek to set new targets.

The following themes are important to us in this regard:

Management and communication

We involve all of our employees, suppliers and visitors in the implementation of our environmental policy: 

• We communicate our measures and objectives in writing and our in-house environmental team is extremely vigilant regarding their implementation. We increase awareness in this area through ongoing training sessions.
• Environmentally-friendly procurement by way of the conscious selection of our suppliers, in close cooperation with our purchasing department, and consequently the simultaneous integration of our partners into our daily endeavours to preserve the environment.
• We regularly review energy, water and chemical consumption figures as a basis for continual improvements.
• Consideration of environmental consciousness and sustainability with regard to new investment projects
• We assume social responsibility. For our employees we prepare a fresh breakfast daily. They can also have lunch or dinner at the hotel. Furthermore, we offer a comprehensive training programme, measures aimed at promoting work-life balance as well as free on-site medical consultation if required. We enable our employees to get involved in charitable activities and support tourism-related training facilities through joint projects.
• We don't offer promotional gifts - unless they are demonstrably sustainable. 
• We operate our hotel as a non-smoking hotel out of consideration for the health of our visitors and employees.
• Our hotel is accessible - we offer guests with limited mobility rooms which are equipped appropriately for their needs. 

Conservation of resources

The conservation of resources is a central theme of our environmental policy since many of our raw materials are not infinitely available:

• We save paper and reduce daily waste by: 
  • dispensing with printed materials to a large extent. 
  • using reusable containers where possible (food, drinks).
  • offering waste separation systems in the public area of the hotel.
• We implemented water-saving measures in our showers, baths, taps and toilets to keep the amount of water flow as low as possible.
• We regularly clean and maintain our appliances at the hotel to reduce our energy consumption. When it comes to new purchases, we make a conscious effort to select the most energy-efficient appliances. 
• Active involvement of employees and guests in the separation of waste and the recycling of valuable raw materials
• We constantly strive in our F&B outlets, aided by the preparation of precise F&B calculations, to determine in advance as accurately as possible the amounts of freshly-prepared drinks and meals in order to waste as little food as possible.

Environmentally-conscious use of cleaning products and materials

• We have switched a large proportion of our cleaning products to an eco-certified range. In order to prevent waste, we buy these in bulk packs or refillable bottles. 
• Where possible, we avoid using disposable hygiene products.
• Both our bed linen and our pillows and duvets are sourced from controlled organic cultivation and have been tested for harmful substances. 
• Our laundry supplier demonstrates its commitment to the environment with an environmental management system certification in accordance with the international standard ISO 14001.

Quality enhancement through high-quality food

• In order to reduce the amount of waste we produce we avoid - where possible and based on prevailing circumstances - using portion packs for food and we use reusable containers.
• When making food selections, we put the focus on locally-sourced produce. In this way, we avoid long transportation routes and are able to offer seasonal produce. 
• When purchasing food, we make it a priority to increase the proportion of organic food and are constantly striving to expand our focus on locally-sourced produce. 
• All of our dishes are freshly prepared and naturally we avoid using imitation food.
• Our food leftovers are disposed of properly. Furthermore, we are advocating saving food with the initiative Too Good To Go.
• Our food leftovers are professionally collected by organic waste disposal specialists and converted into environmentally-friendly energy with the help of biogas plants.

Saving the environment through green cleaning agents

• Our hotel laundry supplier is ISO 14001 2015 certified. In this environmental management system, all environmental regulations are recorded, evaluated and continuously monitored.
• At our hotel we use environmentally compatible cleaning agents and continuously work on minimising the use of chemicals.
• We try to avoid the use of disposable hygiene products as far as possible.

Environmentally friendly mobility

• We reward our guests, if they have travelled to our hotel in an environmentally friendly way.
• In addition, electric filling stations are available to our environmentally conscious guests all over Vienna and are continuously expanded in cooperation with our energy provider.

Looking to the future

We continually review, analyse and make improvements to the measures stated above and record these in an action plan. By working together with all employees, visitors, partners and suppliers we are contributing to a better future.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions. We are looking forward to welcoming you at our hotel, wish you a nice stay and thank you for your assistance.

The team of the Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen Vienna