Bolton Hotel Receives Qualmark Green Rating

News Release 3 November 2008

Bolton Hotel Receives Prestigious Qualmark Green Rating; Local Charities Benefit

The Bolton Hotel, Wellington’s only five-star, boutique hotel, is one of the first accommodation providers in New Zealand to be awarded the Enviro-Gold logo, a new environmental accolade, from Qualmark.

Qualmark, New Zealand tourism’s official mark of quality, launched their green programme in May as an extension of the criteria that forms part of their accreditation system. The Bolton Hotel is the only five-star hotel with the Enviro-Gold logo in Wellington.

The Bolton Hotel’s Business Development Manager, Kylie Nicholson, said: “We are really proud of the environmental and social sustainability policy that we have implemented at the hotel, and that we have been recognised by Qualmark as being worthy of the Enviro-Gold logo. Our guests have responded to the environmental programme in an overwhelmingly positive way, which shows that we are successfully delivering top quality, five star accommodation, in a sustainable manner.

The Bolton Hotel’s sustainability policy provides hotel guests with the ‘choice to conserve’. Guests can elect to not have their linen and towels changed each day, reducing the amount of water, energy, and chemicals used by the hotel. In addition, each room has recycling facilities, energy efficient light bulbs, dual flush toilets and locally sourced wines and water.

The programme also benefits the local community. Local products, including wine and food, are chosen, and the guest related savings (from less laundry) are donated quarterly to local charities selected by the Bolton Hotel – the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, the Wellington City Mission, and the hotel’s neighbour, the Bolton Memorial Park.

Kylie Nicholson said: “The selection of the charities was made by the hotel’s staff, and interestingly, we were mostly in agreement on who we should donate the savings to. It makes sense to help out local organisations, as a way of recognising and minimising our impact on the local environment.

"The three organisations chosen represent the conservation, community and charitable sectors, which we feel is a good fit with our hotel. It is a great feeling knowing that we are contributing to these three organisations, helping our local community and environment, and we have projected that we will be able to donate around $2,000 each quarter with the hope that this amount will grow with more guests choosing to reduce their carbon footprint.”

The Bolton Hotel’s sustainability policy does not end there; all aspects of the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra are applied, and include the donation of products to the Wellington City Mission.

Warwick Angus, Director of the Bolton Hotel said: “We are delighted that we have been awarded this Enviro-Gold rating as part of our overall five-star rating. Receiving industry recognition for our sustainability programme is an endorsement of our attempt to adopt ‘best practice’ in all that we do.

“This award shows that we are successfully striking a balance between being environmentally aware and sustainable, and our delivery of an incomparable level of accommodation in a friendly and professional setting. We know that receiving this accolade is only going to get more difficult in the future, but we are committed to this programme and our community, and will continue to up the ante on our sustainability programme.”

ENDS

About The Bolton Hotel
The Bolton Hotel is Wellington’s only five-star, boutique hotel. Centrally located at the junction of the capital city’s central business district and political heart, the Bolton Hotel is also the only five-star hotel in the city awarded Qualmark’s coveted Enviro-Gold logo, based on it’s commitment to sustainable environmental practices. The Bolton Hotel also received the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller Gold Listing for accommodation in 2007.

The hotel’s site, on the corner of Bolton and Mowbray Streets, is adjacent to Parliament Buildings and within walking distance to the city’s many theatres, restaurants, cafes, bars, and its retail hub. If guests don’t feel like venturing out, the hotel’s award winning restaurant, Bisque on Bolton, provides elegant dining complemented by an extensive New Zealand-based wine list. Chef Stephen Morris, formerly of Huka Lodge, has won the Chef of the Nation title three times and has cooked for the Queen.

Bisque on Bolton, which recently won the Formal Dining Category at the 15th Annual New Zealand Culinary Fare, is also available for functions, including weddings, with a private dining room available. Café Brioche, in the hotel’s lobby, serves a range of coffee and snack food, available to be enjoyed in the comfortable surroundings or to go.

With 142 fully air-conditioned guest rooms and suites furnished in a contemporary style, all of the hotel’s rooms are fully equipped with Sky Television, movies on demand, high speed internet and a personal bar. Suites have separate bedroom(s), dining and living areas, laundry and kitchen facilities. All guests are able utilise the fully-equipped gym, heated swimming pool, spa and sauna, and there is valet parking and 24 hour reception and room service for added convenience. Accommodation packages are also available.

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