Sustainability by the Sea
Living with the Nature Park of Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft
With numerous environmentally friendly measures, its own block heat and power plant, its own pig breeding as well as a regional breakfast buffet with many homemade products, the team of the Best Western Plus Ostseehotel Waldschlösschen in Prerow wants to contribute to a better environment. One highlight: the hotel's own chicken hotel with its clucking residents who provide fresh breakfast eggs on Sundays.
A Chicken Hotel and Eleven Feathered Guests
The Best Western Plus Ostseehotel Waldschlösschen in Prerow not only offers vacationers and business travelers space for relaxation and a break from everyday life – even chickens have their own hotel here. What started in 2016 when the first animals arrived as a gift for the 20th anniversary of the hotel, is now an integral part of the family-run hotel. A total of ten chickens and one rooster of different breeds have found a comfortable home on the Darß, in the middle of the hotel grounds. Here the feathered residents can enjoy the fresh air of the Baltic Sea and move freely among the guests.
During the week, the flock lays eggs diligently, and for Sunday breakfast, each guest receives a boiled egg directly from the hotel garden. In addition, the chickens are especially popular with the younger guests. To meet the needs of its feathered inhabitants, the chicken hotel is continuously being expanded.
Feeding is a top priority: Hotel owner and head chef Michael Jahncke looks after his chickens, which live on the grounds of the Best Western Plus Ostseehotel Waldschlösschen in Prerow.
Homemade Organic Breakfast from the Chef
Even apart from the breakfast eggs produced on site, the morning breakfast buffet is all about regionality and organic quality. Hotel guests will find more than 70 products here, ranging from hot dishes such as eggs or sausages to regional cheeses and fresh rolls and sweet baked goods from the bakery. Purchasing and processing regional foods are a matter of course at the hotel: Michael Jahncke, owner and head chef of the family-run business on the Darß, sources almost all of his ingredients from the region, many directly from local, smaller producers without middlemen. He and his team also make some breakfast products themselves, for example liver sausage, granola, jam and homemade chocolate milk with fresh milk from the farmer around the corner – all according to season and availability. After all, homemade food still tastes best.
"In the hotel industry, the careful management of resources is particularly important and a major challenge. We have taken this on and would like to increase our guests' and employees' awareness of the issue of sustainability. Climate, environment and nature on the Darß are particularly important to me - after all, we are located here in the middle of the nature reserve Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft," Michael Jahncke says. "As a chef, I pay attention to regionality and seasonality at breakfast as well as for my menus in our two restaurants Titania and CP-1. In cooperation with small and local traders, we are able to keep the delivery routes short - for example, we source our beer from the nearby Störtebeker brewery in Stralsund. A wonderful taste without the products having to travel all over Germany. Together with a farmer from the region, we breed Duroc pigs and support regional producers," explains the Prerow host.
„In the hotel industry, the careful management of resources is particularly important and a major challenge. We have taken this on and would like to increase our guests' and employees' awareness of the issue of sustainability. Climate, environment and nature on the Darß are particularly important to me - after all, we are located here in the middle of the nature reserve Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft.“
Michael Jahncke Owner Best Western Plus Ostseehotel Waldschlösschen
Green Ways at the Ostseehotel
The Best Western Plus Ostseehotel Waldschlösschen in Prerow, located just 300 meters from the beach and directly opposite the nature reserve Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft, has been implementing numerous sustainable strategies for several years now, which are documented, evaluated and controlled in a detailed environmental program. And this is done quite transparently under the eyes of the guests.
Among other things, charging stations for e-cars are available to travelers on the Darß. The electricity for these is generated by the hotel's own gas-fired combined heat and power plant, which also produces energy to heat the hotel. In addition, environmentally friendly packaging or none at all is used in daily operations, as well as environmentally compatible cleaning agents. Furthermore, it is a concern of the hotel team to make travelers and employees aware of the need to use resources such as water and energy sparingly and to actively implement this in the hotel. Michael Jahncke also involves his employees in the further development of the environmental concept for his family-run hotel. The Best Western Plus Ostseehotel Waldschlösschen has already received several sustainability awards for its commitment.
The Fact Check
Sustainable Hotel at the Coast of the Baltic Sea
Own chicken hotel: In addition to an important contribution to the continued existence of the various old chicken breeds, there are fresh breakfast eggs for the guests every Sunday.
Regional products from the surrounding area save a lot of CO2, because they are delivered on a short way. Suppliers in the region are supported and the quality is excellent.
Do-it-yourself instead of supermarket: Hotel owner and chef Michael Jahncke is always creating new treats from seasonal ingredients for the breakfast buffet and the CP-1 store.
Particularly environmentally friendly cleaning agents are used for room cleaning.
Together with a farmer from the region, the hotel breeds Duroc pigs - you can't get more regional than that.
The hotel's own combined heat and power plant supplies heat and electricity...
...among other things for the hotel's own charging stations for e-cars - for climate-friendly travel.
Those who forgo room cleaning for a day for the sake of the environment receive points in the Best Western loyalty program Best Western Rewards.