Responsible Business - Let's take responsibility

Responsible Business in Cologne – Let's take responsibility
Taking responsibility for the environment and local community has been an important part of Rezidor's broader commitment to sustainable development for many years. In 2001, this commitment was fortified and placed within the scope of a programme called Responsible Business (RB). Each hotel has a unique RB Action Plan covering areas such as community outreach, environmental improvement, employee well-being and health and safety. And that standard continues with Responsible Business in Cologne at the Radisson Blu Hotel. To read more about the RB programme, please go to www.responsiblebusiness.rezidor.com.

Rezidor hotels are engaged with local charity groups and Rezidor's corporate international charity organisation, the World Childhood Foundation. The mission of Childhood is to defend the rights of the child and to promote better living conditions for vulnerable and exploited children at risk all over the world.

The following are some examples of activities and achievements as part of the Radisson Blu Hotel's Responsible Business in Cologne:

• Cuddly toys for Nepal
  In 2006, the hotel staff took heart and donated 150 cuddly toys to orphanages, hospitals and refugee camps in Nepal. Through this donation, the hotel contributed to an activity by the German consumer brands company Henkel, which – for the sixth year in a row – delivered goods and medical supplies to Kathmandu. Detailed information about the campaign can be found via www.bal-balika-nepal.de.
• Christmas decoration
  The Alexianer Service Betriebe in Cologne, a sheltered workshop for persons with mental challenges, decorated the hotel lobby and the restaurants with six Christmas trees in December 2006. The tallest tree (six metres) was erected in the 15-metre glass atrium at the main entrance, and altogether around 3,500 ornaments were used. By taking the team of eight employees out of the workshop environment and into the hotel, the team leaders gave them an impression of the "real" job market, preparing them for a possible future re-entry into the employment market. This was the second local project in which the hotel paired with the company.
• Waste management
  The aim for 2006 was to reduce the production of waste/garbage. This was a challenging goal for the hotel, as the main goal is to increase occupancy, which leads to more packaging for food purchases, more confirmation print-outs for reservations, and more garbage collected from the guest rooms. By year-end, the number of total guests remained the same and, although the hotel did not reach the waste reduction goal, it is committed to meet future goals.
• The paperless office
  Re-using copy paper on the backside for internal use has always been a common practice at the hotel. In 2006 we wanted to reduce the purchase of copy paper even further-by only printing e-mails when necessary. The nature of the business, however, does not always allow for this method, as reservations correspondence still requires back-up copies in the invoicing and accounting processes, as well as guest requests received by fax. The hotel's purchase of copy paper increased by 20%, compared to 2005. The hotel has since joined forces with sister properties to outsource the accounting procedures to a shared service centre, making the correspondence process completely digital. The hotel is now on track to create a paperless office to help the environment.
• Environmentally friendly supplies
  In order to maintain a balance of cleaning the guest rooms and public areas of the hotel according to the highest standards, while burdening the environment as little as possible, the hotel has switched supplies accordingly. Preferably, departments within the hotel purchase products bearing environmentally friendly labels such as the Blue Angel, or detergents with natural ingredients, such as the Frosch brand. These are our efforts to least pollute the 57.600 cubic litres of wastewater the hotel produced in 2006.
• Keeping our grounds tidy
  In order to relieve the communal cleaners to keep our grounds and the hotel surroundings tidy and free from litter and to be a good neighbor to our community, the hotel team of apprentices makes regular patrols around the property. Equipped with trash bags, the team searches the driveway and sidewalks and picks up any litter, creating a more appealing entrance for guests and staff alike.
• Energy-conscious
  Light bulbs are one of the largest consumers of energy at the hotel, and are a big target of the Radisson Blu Hotel's Responsible Business programme. The underground parking garage has been outfitted with a motion detector, saving energy as lights turn off in times of low traffic flow. Through this energy-saving feature, the hotel aims to reduce the use of electricity by roughly 30%. Likewise, the hotel's three kitchens have been outfitted with these detectors in order to avoid energy waste when some areas (e.g. production kitchen) are not continuously used. This effort saves about 20% of power used by the hotel.