Green from Top to Bottom
Hotel with a "Green Path"
The Best Western Plus Palatin Kongresshotel in Wiesloch makes an active contribution to sustainable business with its environmental protection measures. Guests can find out more about the hotel's various environmental projects via the "Green Path". This leads symbolically from the underground car park to the hotel and illustrates the engagement of the four-star hotel, reinforcing the important issue of sustainability among employees and visitors.
Sustainable Progression Driven by the Green Team
To focus on sustainable actions, the "Palatin Green Team", a committee of committed employees, has been installed a few years ago. The team has since then been working on important subjects to make their hotel a bit greener step by step. They have implemented measures for saving energy and water, reducing CO2 emissions, avoiding waste, recycling, photovoltaics, and energy-efficient lighting, to name just a few. With these strategies, the Best Western Plus Palatin Kongresshotel is aiming to secure future competence and innovative strength. The overall goal is to permanently improve the environmental friendliness of the hotel or event center, to comply with legal requirements, and to promote social commitment. The whole range of actions is shown by the "Green Path", a symbolic path with exhibits and information boards, leading from the underground parking garage through the public spaces of the hotel. The exhibits inform about all sustainable measures in the congress hotel. In reality, the hotel's commitment does not stop on the first floor, but rather extends throughout the entire building and up to the roof. Here, large photovoltaic system that produces solar power for the whole building, while a colony of bees is tending to their hive and all sort of insects dwell in the so-called “insect hotel”.
Photovoltaics: An Investment in "Clean" Electricity
The photovoltaic system on the roof of the Palatin was already put into operation in 2013 and, with 220 solar modules, generates around 55,000 kWh of electricity a year, all of which is used by the hotel. A combined heat and power plant with an electrical output of 5.5 kW and a thermal output of 15 kW generates electricity which covers the needs of the whole building as well as the appendant Boardinghouse. The surplus electricity is fed into the public grid. Three additional cogeneration units in the hotel's main building make an important contribution to climate protection and to the city's heat supply thanks to their high energy efficiency and compact design. In this way, the Best Western Plus Palatin Kongresshotel supplies heat to a newly built part of the city, and 100 percent of its own electricity requirements are covered by its own power plants. Also, the heating pumps were replaced with high-efficiency pumps. Since these are only active when they are really needed, the annual turnover of the high-efficiency pumps is usually only a quarter of the previous consumption.
Even More Sustainable Details
Saving energy is key in a building as big as a hotel, so the Best Western Plus Palatin Kongresshotel uses LED technology and energy-saving lamps in all areas. The use of motion detectors in the underground car park as well as the hallways can save around 30,000 kWh of electricity per year in the corridors alone, which corresponds to a reduction of around 15 tons of CO2.
Regarding their F&B outlets, the hotel increasingly uses Fairtrade products and organic products from the region. Guests directly benefit, for example, from the young coffee brand "Café Intención ecologico", the organic Fairtrade coffee by J. J. Darboven. For this Fairtrade coffee from recognized organic cultivation under natural conditions, the coffee farmers refrain from using synthetic chemical sprays and fertilizers such as pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers.
The Fact Check
Step by Step on the “Green Path”
Since 2013, around 55,000 kWh of electricity per year have been generated by the photovoltaic system on the roof, consisting of 220 solar modules.
The hotel's own micro combined heat and power plant has an electrical output of 5.5 kW and a thermal output of 15 kW, generating clean energy.
The Palatin Green Team has been working on topics such as CO2 reduction, waste avoidance, recycling and renewable energies for many years and has to date put together an extensive program for hotel operations.
With the "Green Path", which shows the hotel's sustainable commitment on several information boards, the team wants to inspire its guests to act in an environmentally conscious way.
E-charging stations in the underground parking garage facilitate climate-friendly travel.
A beehive and an insect hotel on the rooftop contribute to the preservation of biodiversity.
Motion sensors and timers save energy.
For a good indoor climate, many windows are fitted with blackout films that absorb the sun rays and thus make air conditioning almost obsolete - this also saves a lot of energy.
Waste separation and waste avoidance are implemented in everyday life.
Regional, organic, and fair-trade products are used in the kitchen.
The entire environmental program is aligned with the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
LED technology and energy-saving lamps are evidently part of the sustainable repertoire.