The importance of sustainability increases in the travel industry – more and more hotels in the Lapland Hotels chain to use zero-emission district heating

Press release | Fri Dec 01 09:00:00 2023

The city hotels Lapland Hotels Oulu and Kuopio, part of the biggest private hotel chain in Finland, have used zero-emission district heating since the start of November. In December, Lapland Hotels Tampere will also join them in using district heating. Lapland Hotels invests heavily in sustainability as it is an important criterion for tour operators and customers while choosing accommodation.

The Area General Manager of Lapland Hotels city hotels Leena Turunen says that the climate impacts of the hotel properties in Oulu, Kuopio and Tampere will decrease significantly with the transition to zero-emission district heating.

“Annually speaking, this means that the CO2 emissions of these hotels will decrease the equivalent of 1,060 Helsinki–Phuket return flights, so the impact is significant. We are extremely glad that the owner of the properties, CapMan Hotels II Fund, allows this act of sustainability.”

“We are glad that Lapland Hotels is committed to decreasing their environmental impact and making more responsible choices. In hotel environments, where energy consumption is high, the transition to district heating decreases the total emissions of the property significantly. This transition makes it possible to offer more sustainable stays for the hotel guest. We are proud of the fact that together with Lapland Hotels we can create more sustainable solutions in the Finnish hotel market,” says the Investment Director of CapMan Real Estate Noora Kuvaja.

Turunen says that sustainability is increasingly important, for example, for companies when they are choosing accommodation. More and more companies have ambitious sustainability goals and sustainability is also expected of all of their affiliates.

“The same trend can also be seen in the choices of private people, of course. Many pay attention to sustainability, whether they are choosing accommodation, a meeting venue or a restaurant. I believe that sustainability will be an even more important criterion in the future.

Recycling and reduction of losses are part of everyday operations in hotels

The transition to zero-emission district heating is just one part of the sustainability in the Lapland Hotels. Turunen reminds that the whole chain has already been using 100% green electricity since 2020. Sustainability is also considered in the everyday operations of the hotels.

“We have invested in the improvement of the recycling rate of plastics and, for some time now, our restaurants have been working on reducing food loss during breakfasts.

Sustainability has also become an important aspect in recruiting. According to Turunen, professionals appreciate a sustainable employer, and this plays a role in the choice of employment.

Image copyrights: Lapland Hotels & Safaris

For further information and interview requests, please contact:

Leena Turunen, Area General Manager, city hotels, Lapland Hotels Oy, +358 445450545, leena.turunen@laplandhotels.com

Noora Kuvaja, Investment Director, CapMan Real Estate Oy, +358 40 522 8272, noora.kuvaja@capman.com

Travel enterprise Lapland Hotels & Safaris offers Northern experiences for all senses. It consists of Finland’s largest private hotel chain, Lapland Hotels, the largest experience service company in the Nordic countries, Lapland Safaris Group Oy, and Lapland Ski Resorts. The group has approximately 1,700 employees in total.

Lapland Hotels has 19 hotels, more than 2,400 rooms and apartments as well as over 10,000 restaurant seats around Finland: in Ylläs, Levi, Saariselkä, Rovaniemi, Olos, Luosto, Kilpisjärvi, Pallas, Hetta, Helsinki, Tampere, Oulu and Kuopio.

Lapland Safaris offers unique outdoor activities in five destinations in Lapland: Rovaniemi, Ylläs, Saariselkä, Levi and Luosto.
Lapland Ski Resorts comprises five ski centres located in Ylläs, Luosto, Olos, Pallas and Rovaniemi.

www.laplandhotels.com, www.laplandsafaris.com