Values
Towards a sustainable future
A stay at Hotel Kong Arthur is, first and foremost, a comfortable bed to sleep in and friendly and welcoming hosts in the lobby. But it is also a little more than that. We want to make the world a bit better tomorrow than it was yesterday, and that is why we are committed to work towards sustainable solutions for our hotels. We have done so for many years, and we will continue to do so in the years to come.
To do so, we have made sustainability a central part of our daily functions, incorporating sustainable alternatives into as many aspects of our hotels as possible. We have been Green Key certified since 2009, and the certification tightens its regulations every year, ensuring that we stay up to date with new industry-specific implementations.
We love being Green Key certified, but it is not quite enough for our sustainable ambitions., so we make sure to actively work towards other goals beyond Green Key.
From vision to action: Our work with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
To organize our efforts, we have selected four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals that provide perspective and guidance for our sustainability goals. These goals have been chosen with input from all employees, and four sustainability groups with a mix of employees, managers, and directors have been established to work on the selected goals. Each group focuses on a specific goal, but they also collaborate since the goals are interconnected.
SDG 17
Out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), we have chosen to start with the last one. SDG 17 is about forming partnerships for sustainable development, and we start with this goal because we believe it is the most crucial goal we can contribute to, and it also connects with the other goals we work on. With two hotels and everything that comes with them, such as a breakfast restaurant, lobby bars, change of bedding, and much more, we believe that we are in a position where our choices of suppliers —and especially partnerships— make a noticeable difference.
To keep ensuring a sustainable business we carefully select our distributors and business partners and we evaluate them continuously. We choose the best of the best – in terms of the product and the taste they deliver, but equally as much to the responsibility they take in the health of our planet. Some are replaced, while others, such as our associated cleaning company, have followed our example and now incorporates sustainable means into their business. Suppliers who are already committed to sustainability have helped us find sustainable solutions in their deliveries to us. It is crucial for us to gain new knowledge from our partnerships while also sharing our knowledge with them. When that happens, it is natural for us to elevate our suppliers to true partnerships.
SDG 7
SDG 7 highlights the use of clean energy consumption, and that is essential for us to focus on as we are open 24/7 and use a considerable amount of electricity, water, and heat. Non-renewable energy resources harm our planet, so by supporting renewable energy sources and choosing LED bulbs for our lamps, we can reduce our CO2 emissions. At the same time, we generate waste that needs to be handled appropriately. We (of course) sort our waste so as much as possible can be recycled.
To get a realistic estimate of how much electricity and heat we use and which areas of the hotels require the most energy, we have installed remote meters on our electricity meters and thermostats.
SDG 8
We aim to be an attractive workplace and a supportive space for everyone. Therefore, we work actively on SDG 8 to sustain decent work and economic growth. For us, this means doing a lot to attract employees who fit our hotels profiles, without giving other parameters like e.g. being able to work less hours a significant impact.
For our employees, we do a lot to continue being a pleasant workplace. We are all passionate about our jobs, but that is only possible if we can have fun at work — without losing our professionalism. Employee well-being is also supported by factors such as high individual flexibility, summer employee yoga, and a Care Group that provides extra support if an employee has gone through periods of high activity.
SDG 12
The whole world consumes like never before, and unfortunately, it is not realistic to stop completely. But, of course, it should be done responsibly, which is why it makes sense for us to focus on SDG 12 about responsible consumption. When choosing a new supplier or renovating an entire hotel wing, it is important for us to select materials that are made to last, and suppliers who share our worldview.
As a result, none of the items you see, taste, or use at the hotels are arbitrary. The soap, the towels, the umbrellas — everything is the best of the most sustainable. The same goes for our breakfast restaurant, which is based on the principles of new Nordic cuisine and exclusively serves local and preferably organic ingredients. That is simply what our guests (and our planet) deserve.
An on-going commitment
Implementing significant sustainable initiatives takes time, and even though we would like to, we do not have the resources to do it all at once. But our experience tells us that continuous work on sustainability is a good path to take: It leads us towards a better world, and that is the whole point.
In fact, CEO Kirsten Brøchner and CCO Pia Schmølker have long had visions of doing something extra to ensure a sustainable future for our planet. In 2007, a lot was done to create an energy-neutral company. At that time, both Hotel Kong Arthur and the sister hotel Ibsens Hotel were recognized as CO2-neutral. In 2009, the then Technical and Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, Klaus Bondam, visited to discuss sustainable possibilities and challenges as well as to test Hotel Kong Arthur’s electric cars, which were rented out to the hotel’s guests for several years. That was the same year we became Green Key certified, and we have not looked back since.
On this page, you can read more about some of our sustainable partnerships and why we have chosen to collaborate with them.
CleverCoffee
More than just a good cup of coffee
The staff in the breakfast buffet brew 200 kilos of coffee beans every month for the guests at the hotel. Due to this we see it as our obligation to make sure the coffee isn’t just delicious, but also has a positive impact on our planet and the farmers who grow and harvest the coffee. We get our coffee from the Danish coffee roastery called CleverCoffee that has made it their mission to make coffee more sustainable – for the planet and the farmers. If you are tempted to try something new, go for a light roast. Of course, you can always get a dark roast as well.
Njord
Gin with a hint of nature
When you are offered a gin and tonic, the gin will most often be made of a blend of juniper, coriander seeds and a few other herbs. The Danish gin distillery called Njord is set out to challenge the original recipe and create interesting variants with the taste of nature at the core. The distillery has a base assortment with the most popular variants of gin as well as more seasonally inspired variants with handpicked berries and plants from the local area. Because the gins are so full of flavor by themselves, they taste amazing with a good tonic. However, we do like to challenge the traditional cocktail recipes, so we are happy to serve the gins with ginger beer or maybe elderflower soda.
Original Beans
Authentic cocoa
Have you heard about the company Original Beans? They produce the best cocoa based on rare cocoa varieties sourced from small plantations. We work closely with Mark Hermann who is a former pastry chef at the Danish Michelin restaurants Geranium and Søllerød Kro. Mark makes the best chocolates and chocolate milk with Original Beans. If you are at Hotel Kong Arthur in business context, you will also get a taste of the chocolates in the meeting rooms and the meeting lounge.
Quilt of Denmark
Soft duvets and soft values
Is the bed the most important thing for you when staying at a hotel? It is for many people. A good night’s sleep is essential for your functioning during the day, and we want to do as much as we possibly can to create the best sleeping conditions for our guests. Our duvets are extra-long (220 cm) and produced in Denmark by Quilt of Denmark. They are certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Oeko-tex, Asthma Allergy Nordic, and Downpass. You can then sleep tight knowing that the blankets and pillows are made in accordance with the highest standards of environmental, allergy friendly and animal ethics.
