Wake up in a beautiful city, and feel good about yourself!
Last year I attended the Delice Network annual meeting in the city of Stavanger, Norway. I was excited that my first meeting as member of the Executive Committee of the Delice Network was going to happen in Norway. When my friend and colleague May Endersen sent us the invitation to Stavanger, she told us that the host hotel was a property whose owners had implemented unique and creative sustainability practices: the Comfort Hotel Square. To be honest, I was surprised that it was a Comfort Hotel, but I trust my friend May, and I said to myself “when in Stavanger, do like the Stavangerians“ (I am sure that is not the correct word to refer to natives of that beautiful town, so hopefully someone can send me the correct term).
Let me share with you that May was right. The Comfort Hotel Square is now one of the properties I reference when talking about simple and effective ways to be sustainable, while still being fun.
Arrival and Check Inn
After an easy short walk from the airport bus stop to the hotel, I entered this modern and hip hotel. The main doors opened and I found a bar in front of me and a young girl attending another customer told me she will help me shortly. I was thankful she offered help, but I was not sure I was ready for a drink at 10:30am. After a couple of minutes, she welcomed me and told me if I had a reservation. I thought WOW a bar that you need a reservation at 10:30am? this is a cool place! Then I realized that the bar was also the front desk, and that the bartender can pour me a beer, or check me in. So I went through an easy and fast registration process. For the rest of my stay, I started to discover many sustainability programs that are creative and easy to implement.
Room
After checking in (and no beer by the way) I noticed a sign outside of the elevator suggesting to save electricity by using the stairs rather than the elevator. Since I was on the fourth floor, and was carrying my luggage, I opted for the elevator. After dropping my bags in the room, I followed the recommendation to save energy and used the stairways (well...most of the time). My room was nice, simple and modern. From my window I could see part of the Stavanger Kommune (City Hall).
What impressed me the most about the room, were the different sustainability practices. First of all, cleaning service is only done every 4th day, unless you request otherwise. Towels are also not changed daily, but if you need a fresh one, you can get one from racks outside in the hallways. Recycling bins are also available in the hallways. Toiletries in the shower are not in individual plastic bottles, but rather in a self dispensing container attached to the wall.
Breakfast
The food selection at the breakfast buffet included a nice spread of locally sourced products. From bread to cheese, to good fair trade coffee, the Comfort Square Hotel in Stavanger does a great job on implementing sustainability practices in food. And to remind guests about food waste, every day, after breakfast is served, they update a sign highlighting how much food was left over on dirty plates and have gone to waste. Good reminder to serve yourself only what you are going to eat....
My Recommendation
If you are traveling to Norway, make sure to stop by Stavanger (I will do a blog post later on about this beautiful and forward thinking city). There are many options for lodging, but give the Comfort Hotel Square a chance. Believe me you will get some rest, while feeling good you are doing something to take care of the environment.
Reservations: Comfort Hotel Square
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