The Crown at Wetheral Leads the Way in Sustainability
The Crown at Wetheral Leads the Way in Sustainability
2023 is a big year for the Crown Hotel in Wetheral, Carlisle. Following the completion of three phases of a multi-year £2.6 million refurbishment programme including a full refurbishment of all hotel bedrooms, many public areas & its new green initiative.
April 2023, saw the hotel launch an additional 8-bedroom expansion to the hotel stock, using local designers, Jo & Jo from Wild Rabbit Interiors and Cumbrian architects, contractors and tradesmen. Together with the 10 rooms that were added in 2020 the hotel now boasts 67 bedrooms, a 40% increase.
In parallel, a combination of multiple initiatives has meant that The Crown Hotel is nearing completion of its next project and by spring 2023, it will have reduced its carbon emissions the equivalent of 38 households per year.
Substantially reducing their carbon footprint through this sustainability & environmental focus, as well as increasing room stock by 40% evidence the balanced focus on environment and growth. This huge advancement to the area has also created new jobs, with the team growing to accommodate the new bedrooms.
So how have they done it?
A Combined Heat & Power Unit (CHP) machine has been invested in & installed, which effectively converts gas into electric energy to be used to power the hotel and run their fitness facility, Riverside Fitness.
In April, The Crown installed 60 KW of solar panels for renewable energy, guaranteeing a green energy source for electricity & improving the hotels’ efficiency.
Smart energy sensors have been installed to prevent unnecessary use of energy throughout the hotel public areas to include smart lighting.
Installation of additional electric car charge points. The hotel already has an electric car point, but in wanting to improve accessibility of these points are installing an additional 6 charge points and in particular installing a rapid charge point for customers with electric cars.
Smaller measures such as installing a swimming pool cover, reducing waste plastic, recycling and a food wastage plan, are just some of the many steps taken to contribute to this huge success project.
General manager Chris McLaughlin said
‘Environmental focus is a huge topic and something top of everyone’s mind. We feel it is important in this current climate that we do our bit. Last year, working with the Cumbria LEP, we undertook a de-carbonisation audit which gave us insight as to how we could reduce our carbon footprint. This enabled us to put a plan in place to make gradual but significant improvements to our business and operation.
We are now thrilled to let everyone know that having completed our £2.6m refurbishment, the Crown Hotel is better positioned than ever and we are celebrating this success.
We are proud that following this investment, we have reduced our carbon emissions so exceptionally and hope that it encourages others to consider their own carbon footprint’.
Investment in People
No amount of investment in a hotel will be successful without a dedicated management team and staff. In recognising this, not only has The Crown recently added two further senior members to its management team completing a two-year reorganisation. In addition to investing a significant sum in its refurbishment, they have also rolled out a new employee benefit programme for 2023, with significant perks for employees when they reach milestones and beyond. Substantial investment has been made in advancing the team and recruiting the best in the industry to help drive the business forward. Having grown their team by 20% to keep up with high demand and the expansion of the business, the future is very bright for the Crown team.
Keeping it Local;
Working with a number of local suppliers across all channels of the hotel, from local meat from the butcher, locally grown vegetables & eggs to sustainability sourced & organic toiletries for their bedrooms not helps the local economy to thrive, but is also more sustainable and greener overall by reducing their carbon footprint. A win – win we think.
2023 will see The Crown implement the above as well as many more plans to contribute to this huge shift – to find out more and to discover the raft of offers and events coming up at The Crown in Wetheral – visit The Crown in Wetheral
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