Hotel Indigo in the heart of Brussels features 284 rooms and suites. It is part of the IHG Group, which has more than 6,000 hotels worldwide. "Yet they are all unique, as the local environment is always the starting point for the design," Elena explains. At Indigo Brussels, the rooms are decorated in a tropical, floral and herbaceous theme. The birdsongs can be heard in the hallways and a gardener maintains the 200 (real!) plants spread throughout the building.
Hotel Indigo is living proof that attention to sustainability and hospitality can go hand in hand. "The group is strongly committed to sustainability. That is why we have recruited a Sustainability Coach and identified some focus areas where we can make a difference, including energy and water consumption, food waste, waste, use of chemicals and washing bed linen. In fact, 25% of all managers' bonuses are linked to those sustainability efforts," Elena says.
Many steps have already been taken. For cleaning the rooms, housekeeping does not resort to chemical products but uses an innovative solution based on ozone water, all lights have been replaced by LED lighting and in the 'Garden kitchen' restaurant, vegetables form the basis; fish and meat are side dishes. "We are the first in the Benelux to be able to boast with 100% vegan meat, which looks and tastes like real meat. Our other restaurant 'Urban Picnic' also uses organic, natural ingredients from Belgian farms and from a Brussels urban farm. The kitchen has been equipped with a system that automatically weighs and categorises food. A weekly report compiles all the data. Based on that analysis, we are able to take steps. Maybe we can incorporate the peel of vegetables into cocktails, or should we serve fewer eggs at breakfast?".