The term “carbon-neutral” is by no means new; in fact, in the United States, it was New Oxford American Dictionary’s “Word of the Year” in 2006. Here at the venue booker, one of the leading venue finding agencies, we have been working hard to support clients in their quest to source sustainable venues. We maintain what we believe to be the largest database of sustainable venues available in the UK, see HERE.

We work hard to maintain a database of up to date advice on sustainability in venues and hotels, be it blogs on how to track your carbon footprint or a guide to net zero. We are the leading UK venue finder specialising sourcing sustainable venues for our clients.

The Best Sustainable Venues & Hotels in London

Next year sees the opening of what’s purported to be the world’s first carbon positive venue, the 265 room urban village in Detroit.

Hilton Bankside, 2-8 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0UG

Tucked into the same area that houses Shakespeare’s Globe, the Millennium Bridge, and Tate Modern, Hilton London Bankside is a hub of activity for culture vultures and entertainment enthusiasts. Alongside their rooms, the hotel offers a heated indoor pool and fitness centre, as well as famed bar The Distillery Bankside.

The hotel’s onsite restaurant, OXBO Bankside, is the place to go for grill classics, adventurous cuisine, and a cracking brunch. What makes Hilton London Bankside a keep, however, is their commitment to sustainability.

The design-led hotel recently announced the launch of a Kitchen Garden as part of this pledge. Created to combat food waste, reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint, and cut down food miles, the garden will sustainably enhance the hotel’s current food and drink menu with homegrown vegetables and herbs.

When heading down for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, guests will be able to find little cards that showcase the ingredients carefully handpicked from the garden by Executive Chef Ollie Couillard and his team.

One Aldwych. 1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ

An impressive Edwardian building situated in the heart of the West End, One Aldwych is an opulent family-friendly – and now dog-friendly – luxury hotel. Rooms and suites are sumptuously snug, featuring a series of plush furnishings and warm pastel tones. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of dining options to choose from.

Restaurant Indigo focuses on cooking up delicious dairy and gluten-free dishes, whilst Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar serves up exceptional Basque cuisine. Note: the delightful Charlie & Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea is an absolute must.

As for social responsibility, the hotel states that it has had “the environment and sustainability at its core” since its 1998 beginnings, and has since been awarded the Luxury Eco Certification Standard as well as the Green Tourism Business Scheme’s gold accreditation.

Effective measures include sustainable food sourcing, bio-degradable packaging for hotel room amenities, whilst food waste is composted on a farm in Kent – in fact, the same farm in which the hotel sources its own vegetables. The hotel even has its very own rooftop beehives and bee-friendly garden.

Treehouse Hotel, London, Marylebone, 14-15 Langham Place, London W1B 2QS

As eco-friendly hotels in London go, Marylebone’s Treehouse Hotel makes for a one-of-a-kind sojourn. One of London’s quirkiest establishments, the eccentric five-floor hotel has been designed to resemble that of a rustic, childhood treehouse – but with a rooftop bar and terrace for the adults to enjoy, of course.

Sustainability plays a key part at this unconventional hotel, with eco-friendly practices intertwined throughout. Single-use plastics are out, whilst refillable amenities and water bottles are in, with numerous water stations dotted around the premises for ease. For an unforgettable stay with green living guaranteed, this whimsical hotel is your ticket.

The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA

Boasting an enviable location (just minutes from Hyde Park) and the award-winning Lanesborough Club & Spa, this opulent hotel is one of London’s finest. Also home to Michelin-starred restaurant Céleste, the hotel is a haven for discerning diners – think lobster ravioli and confit duck leg terrine – with emphasis placed on locally sourced ingredients. But the hotel’s eco-credentials extend outwards of the kitchen too.

A dedicated corporate social responsibility team, ‘The Green Pearl Team’, maintains that the hotel is working to be as sustainable as possible. Positive changes have included the likes of plant-based menus, the use of hybrid cars, eco-friendly waste management and the introduction of Tata Harper products (100 per cent organic and biodegradable) to the spa. The hotel even offers a ‘green stay’ where guests can delight in a selection of sustainable amenities and their very own tree planted in Hyde Park.

The Beaumont, Mayfair, 8 Balderton Street, London W1K 6TF

From partnering with hotel soap and toiletry recycling charity Clean Conscience to sourcing local and seasonal produce, London’s The Beaumont Hotel has put a number of sustainability efforts into practice. The reduction of single-use plastics (from stirrers to cotton buds) is of key importance, as is the minimising of food, energy and water waste. With this in mind, the hotel has employed LED lights throughout, has fitted solar film on all windows to lessen energy consumption, whilst hot water is generated by energy efficient CHPs.

The Zetter Townhouse, Clerkenwell, 49-50 St John’s Square, London EC1V 4JJ

There’s much to love about this boutique Clerkenwell hotel, from its resplendent cocktail lounge to the lavish interiors designed by Russell Sage (see also The Goring and The Fife Arms). Featuring just 13 unique and elegantly decked out bedrooms, the townhouse – designed to feel like a ritzy ‘home from home’ –  is part of The Zetter group, an independent hotel and restaurant collection which champions sustainability.

The company – which states via its website that sustainability is ‘the only way to operate’ – is committed to reducing its environmental impact, championing local suppliers and partnering with those that share the same values, meanwhile understanding that there is always more that can be done: ‘Never stop: Don’t rest on your laurels. Keep questioning can we do better?’

Carbon-Negative Upgrades

Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba has been carbon-neutral since 2018, the only one in the Caribbean and the first in North America; but, fittingly, on Earth Day the 104-room property announced plans to go carbon-negative later in 2022.

According to a press release by the property, its carbon-negative initiative, Invest in Our Planet, will include the following:

• To continue the reduction of fossil fuel-dependency, Bucuti & Tara provides employees with loans for electric bicycles, electric automobiles and solar panels for home use.

• Guests and staff have complimentary use of the resort’s electric charging stations for vehicles and bicycles.

• Administrative offices are being removed from the resort’s overall grid and placed on a self-sufficient microgrid, which will reduce electricity use up to 15%.

• Beef items are being reduced on guest menus and will be 100% reduced in employee meal offerings, which are praised for their healthy items.

• A new rooftop system is being installed to increase efficiency and further reduce energy consumption by 10%.

• Replacement rooftop solar panels will continue heating water to meet most of the resort’s hot water demand.

• Kitchen stoves will be 100% induction burners (currently 75%), which deliver 80-90% of its electromagnetic energy to the food pan versus a mere 38% with gas stovetops and 70% with electric ranges. Bonus: Since the kitchen is not as hot, less air-conditioning is consumed.

• Interiors and exteriors are almost completely repainted with state-of-the-art insulating paint that draw up to 25% less of current energy consumption, a major feat in tropical climates.

If you are a bit confused by the terminology, you’re not alone. “Carbon-positive” and “carbon-negative” mean the same thing in terms of what they’re designed to accomplish, which is to move beyond just cutting emissions and to offset carbon production by various means, which in Populus’ case, is planting trees.

Just how importantly venues and venue finding agencies take sustainability was highlighted in a recent IACC report, see HERE. However, its hard to know if its all words, or greenwashing? To try and dispel some of the mystery a wealth of accreditation schemes have sprung up, some good some bad, see HERE for a guide, or HERE for a guide as to how to choose a GREEN VENUE.

Why Use A Venue Finding Agency

In this environment using a venue finding agency such as the venue booker will save you time and money. The rates venues charge are divulging hugely, some are increasing rates some decreasing. Not only do we have the largest database of conference venues available anywhere, we are taking to them all day every day. We can place your event in the most appropriate venue, plus we can leverage our buying power to find the best possible rate, see HERE for how we work. Contact the venue booker today.