A picturesque hotel in the Scottish Highlands which sources power from the River Ness and the sun has won a prestigious global green energy prize.
The four-star Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness, which runs on huge water source heat pumps and solar panels, was hailed for “setting a benchmark” for sustainability at the first ever World Sustainable Travel and Hospitality Awards. The prize was presented at a special ceremony held in the rainforest of Belize, Central America on Friday.
The 126-room hotel, also incorporating Uile-bheist Distillery and Brewery, was given a special commendation award in the World’s Leading Sustainable Energy Efficiency Initiative category. It had also been shortlisted in the World Leading Sustainable Water and Waste Innovation and World’s Leading Sustainable Employer categories.
Judges said the accolade recognised how the Glen Mhor was leading the path towards a green future for the industry after launching a pioneering £8million energy centre in 2022. Co-Owner and Sustainability Director, Victoria Erasmus, attended the ceremony to collect the prize in San Ignacio, Belize.
She said: “The judges and hosts were impressed by how sustainability was embedded in what we do, across the business, and the sheer scale of that; how committed we had been in transforming the business around sustainability, Fair Work and inclusion. It was a real honour to represent a family business amongst some of the leading names in hospitality in the world, as well as representing Scotland and the UK.
“Personally, it was an amazing learning experience,and there is so much to bring back from it. Some of the initiatives going on around the world are truly remarkable and I am even more determined, now, to use that experience to adapt our own climate action plan and to take that to the next level.”
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Situated on the banks of the River Ness, Glen Mhor Hotel, which has 146 employees, removes an estimated 250 tons of carbon per year from the atmosphere through its use of renewables, which also powers the production of single malt whisky and craft beer. With the introduction of solar panels in addition, the business is aiming to be completely gas-free by the end of this year.
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