'Greenery contributes to guests' well-being'

Corporate market increasingly selects for sustainability

There will be few hotels left where sustainability is not a high priority. To make sure it does not remain empty promises, sustainability labels exist. Chrissy van Meersbergen's Green Label Service advises and guides hotels on how to become more sustainable and meet the requirements of these labels. So did Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam. That cooperation also led to a very special garden in an otherwise petrified environment. 

The Flower Masters
Jelle Koot Garden Design is a member of De Bloeimeesters. This is a cooperative of green professionals such as growers, garden architects, designers, gardeners, garden and landscape architects and planting and tree experts. The Bloeimeesters are committed to making both business and private gardens more beautiful and climate-proof. Together, they possess an impressive amount of plant knowledge, but also a distinct vision of how greenery and the built environment reinforce each other. Biodiversity, sustainability and the health of people, animals and nature are of paramount importance.

On the outside, Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam looks somewhat ordinary. The building with its entrance on Amsterdam's Koningslaan and located a stone's throw from the Netherlands' most famous park will not easily qualify for an architecture award. But appearances are deceptive. Anyone looking a little further will soon notice the artfully landscaped garden. With unusual African riparian plants such as the Zantedeschia, as well as proliferating Bedroom Happiness here and there, a beautiful pond along the entire frame, a secret garden with various species of ferns and even a half-hidden yellow Fiat 500 at the entrance of restaurant Tozi. Especially for a hotel located in the middle of a busy city, all that greenery has a calming effect. Not for nothing do photos of the garden regularly appear on social media like Instagram. 

"At many hotels, greenery is still a neglected child," says Jelle Koot of the eponymous garden design studio. "At Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam, on the contrary, it is an integral part of the experience. And you see and experience that result." Koot was therefore involved at an early stage and largely allowed to go his own way. "I tried to make the greenery and the pond really part of the entrance and the walking route. People who have just checked in stop to take photos of the garden and the fish. And in turn share that on social media. In this way, the garden also contributes to the marketing of the hotel." 

Two parts

The garden at Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam is basically in two parts, Koot explains. "Around the entrance and the Italian restaurant there is a Mediterranean atmosphere while the secret garden, which is only accessible to guests, is a bit more mysterious. With more shade, white birch trunks and white flowering plants creating a fairytale environment. I have taken into account conditions such as soil moisture and shade and I experiment with different plant species for the surprise effect."

The garden designed by Koot requires little maintenance. Water is retained as much as possible in the borders and the pond so that hardly any watering is needed during drier periods. The plants have been selected with these conditions in mind.

Koot finds that hotels are increasingly giving attention and budget to greenery in, around and even on hotels. "You see roof gardens more and more often. Or vegetable and herb gardens that are then also used for cooking in the restaurants. And that's where we really need to go: we should try to green every inch. Green gives tranquillity and increases the well-being of guests. Moreover, it enhances the concept of a hotel."    

'Sustainable encompasses more'

The extraordinary garden surrounding the Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam is no fluke. It has been well thought out. Not least because of the involvement of Chrissy van Meersbergen, founder and owner of Green Label Service. With her company, Van Meersbergen advises and guides a selection of hotels, including Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam, in making their operations more sustainable. "For many hotels, it really is an eye-opener when they see that becoming more sustainable is about more than just saving energy," says Van Meersbergen.

"Increasingly, working sustainably includes supporting charities, community involvement and social enterprise. And what do you put on your menu? Everything organic and locally sourced, for example. Ultimately, we take a close look at the entire operations together with the hotel. So sometimes right down to the garden."

All these different measures ultimately contribute to a higher sustainability score and whether or not a hotel is awarded a sustainability label such as the well-known Green Key or Green Globe certification. Van Meersbergen helps hotels meet the requirements set by these labels. "A label like Green Key or Green Globe prevents it from remaining just fine promises and gives the guarantee that a hotel is really working on sustainability. Moreover, it provides a handle for the hotels themselves. A label gives structure and makes it very concrete what exactly you have to comply with."  

And that is necessary, she argues. "The business market increasingly demands a sustainability label. More and more organisations are implementing their own sustainable procurement policies and will no longer come to stay overnight or hold meetings if a label is lacking." 

Review rankings

For the ordinary tourist, according to Van Meersbergen, other criteria apply when choosing a hotel. Price, locations and amenities are considered more important than sustainability. "But hotels with a hallmark do invariably end up higher in the review rankings. Apparently, leisure guests also want to travel more and more consciously." 

Even more than the actual steps hotels eventually take to become more sustainable, Van Meersbergen insists on awareness. "The first step in my work is getting people on board and inspiring them. At first, sustainability is often seen as a 'must'. But when you dig a little deeper, it turns out that a lot of employees have been annoyed by the amount of waste around a buffet for some time. Operational pressure often prevents them from doing anything about it. By keeping it manageable and manageable, people get motivated and take more and more steps. And it is very important to get all employees to think along in solutions." 

Guests at Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam can, for example, choose to have their room cleaned less often. As a reward, they can then choose to consume in the restaurant or support a good cause. "If guests experience more examples like that, it will positively influence their perception of the hotel," Van Meersbergen thinks. "Just like the garden. In itself, that doesn't even earn many points and guests won't book specifically because of that garden. But it inspires and besides, greenery is proven to contribute to people's well-being. So it is indeed an integral part of the overall concept."   

Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam
Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam has been certified at the highest level: Green Key Gold, with the help of Green Label Service by Van Meersbergen. "We believe that hospitality is perfectly compatible with the most environmentally friendly operations possible," says hotel manager Maaike Slok about this. "We adopt a sustainability policy because we are aware of the impact of our business activities on the natural environment and society. A hotel is a major consumer and we believe that we should conduct our business operations as responsibly as possible, so that our environment is preserved and available for future generations. To achieve this, we make conscious choices. The beautifully landscaped garden is just one example of this. We also buy as sustainably as possible, will install a heat pump this year, support Bird Protection Netherlands and participate in 'Oma's Soep Actie'. Moreover, we offer refillable water bottles to our guests and no pesticides are used in the maintenance of the garden. To ensure that our sustainability policy is observed during daily activities, Park Plaza Vondelpark has set up a 'Green Team'. This team is responsible for investigating and raising sustainability opportunities within the hotel."