törn 21/ 23 I ATLANTIC-HOTELS.DE GREENSIGN 03 STELLVERTRETEND FÜR VIELE GLÜCKLICHE GESICHTER DER NACHHALTIGKEIT Links freuen sich Vanessa Brosig, Empfangsleitung und Maike Reinken, Direktionsassistentin ATLANTIC Hotel Vegesack, Mitte, mit Christin Saalbach, Qualitätsmanagerin ATLANTIC Hotels Management, rechts und Marion Köhlbach (GreenSign Institut) Foto unten: Armin Wolff (GreenSign Institut) mit Florian Schönwetter, Hoteldirektor ATLANTIC Hotel Wilhelmshaven, Christin Saalbach, Hilke Kleemann, Sales & Marketing, ebenfalls Wilhelmshaven und Marc Rohe, Leiter Entwicklung und Projekte ATLANTIC Hotels Management (v. l. n. r.) Representative of many happy faces of sustainability On the left, Vanessa Brosig, Reception Manager, and Maike Reinken, Management Assistant, of the ATLANTIC Hotel Vegesack; in the centre, Christin Saalbach, Quality Manager of ATLANTIC Hotels Management; on the right, Marion Köhlbach (GreenSign Institut). Photo below: Armin Wolff (GreenSign Institut) with Florian Schönwetter, Hotel Manager of the ATLANTIC Hotel Wilhelmshaven, Christin Saalbach, Hilke Kleemann, Sales & Marketing, also in Wilhelmshaven, and Marc Rohe, Head of Development and Projects of ATLANTIC Hotels Management (from left to right) müssen sich auch die Hotels weiterentwickeln und dabei unterstützten wir sie selbstverständ- lich. Verraten Sie den LeserInnen, welches der ATLANTIC Hotels Sie besonders beeindruckt hat? SH: Am meisten hat unser Auditor Armin Wolff vom ATLANTIC Hotel Sail City geschwärmt. Das Bremerhavener 4-Sterne Hotel lebt die Nach- haltigkeit in allen Abteilungen mehr als vorbild- lich! Das Konzept wird von den Ideen und dem Engagement des gesamten Personals getragen. Das Hotel schafft es, so viele Ressourcen wie nur möglich einzusparen, ohne dass dabei die Qualität, das Angebot oder das Gästeerlebnis zu kurz kommen. Sehr inspirierend sind die Maß- nahmen besonders im Restaurantbereich. Umfassend nachhaltig! COMPREHENSIVELY SUSTAINABLE Das ATLANTIC Hotel Sail City in Bremer- haven war in Sachen Nachhaltigkeit der Pionier innerhalb der ATLANTIC Hotelfa- milie. Was in Bremerhaven vor 15 Jahren seinen Anfang nahm, ist inzwischen in der ganzen Gruppe angekommen: Der Green- Sign-Zertifizierungsprozess unter Projekt- leiterin Christin Saalbach wurde Ende Juni abgeschlossen. Alle Hotels haben mit Level 4 das zweithöchste Level erreicht. Inzwischen ist das Konzept fest in der Firmenphilosophie verankert und nimmt in allen Bereichen immer mehr Fahrt auf. So gehören in mehreren Häusern wie z. B. in Heidelberg und Münster Fahrradstellplätze zum Standardangebot und 15 Hotels verfü- gen über eigene E-Ladestationen oder einen direkten Zugang dazu. Auch ist die Koope- ration mit Initiativen wie united against waste e.V. gegen Lebensmittelverschwen- dung in vielen Häusern Alltag. Der Neubau des ATLANTIC Hotel Heidelberg setzt eben- falls neue Maßstäbe: Es ist das weltweit erste und einzige Hotel-Hochhaus nach Passivhaus-Standard und zeichnet sich durch besonders sparsamen Wärmever- brauch aus. Gute Isolierung bei Wänden, Dach und Bodenplatte, Wärmerückgewin- nung wie z. B. Abwärme elektrischer Geräte, Körperwärme der BewohnerInnen und Sonnenwärme und Ablufttausch durch eine SUZANN HEINEMANN GREENSIGN INSTITUT 4 QUESTIONS FOR SUZANN HEINEMANN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GREENSIGN INSTITUT GMBH 16 hotels in the ATLANTIC Hotels Group have been GreenSign certified since June 2023. GreenSign Institut GmbH has set itself the goal of showing hoteliers and guests that sustainability in the hotel industry does not mean a restriction of comfort, but rather is about offering guests a sustainable and high-quality experience with attractive innovations. Suzann Heinemann, the founder of GreenSign Institut GmbH, answered some questions from our editorial team. How did the GreenSign concept come about? What is your motivation? Suzann Heinemann: Everything began with my hotel cooperation initiative GreenLine Hotels more than 20 years ago. Bit by bit, we began dealing with the environmental, economic and social impacts of tourism and transformed ourselves into the first sustainable hotel group in 2014. We developed the GreenSign with the aim of implementing this in a transparent, scientifically sound and practical way and communicating it to the guests. moderne Lüftungsanlage führen zu einer Ersparnis an Heizwärme von bis zu 90 % im Vergleich zu unsanierten Altbauten und von 30– 45 % bei normalen Neubauten. The ATLANTIC Hotel Sail City in Bremerhaven was the We then opened the GreenSign up to the global hotel market in 2015, and it quickly pioneer in the ATLANTIC Hotels family where sustainability became the market leader in Germany. More than 600 companies in 18 countries was concerned. What began in Bremerhaven 15 years ago have already been certified. has now spread throughout the whole group. The GreenSign How is GreenSign different from the many other certifications? certification process, project-managed by Christin SH: Our unique selling point is a five-level certification system for the hotel industry. Saalbach, was completed at the end of June. All hotels We achieved international GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) recognition a year achieved Level 4, the second-highest level. ago. With our certification, hotels can determine their current status in the first step and The concept is now firmly anchored in the corporate then systematically and continuously improve it in the second step. At the recertification philosophy and gaining more and more momentum in all after three years, the aim is to improve the sustainable positioning of the business and areas. In several hotels, for example in Heidelberg and the level awarded. In the sustainability analysis, the hotel industry’s daily routine is Münster, bicycle parking stations are part of the standard mapped in a practical and detailed manner on the basis of eight core areas including offering, and 15 hotels boast their own e-charging stations Environment, Purchasing, Regionality & mobility and Social responsibility. or direct access to them. Cooperations with initiatives like How does the process continue once all levels have been reached? united against waste e.V. to combat food waste are also Is it a question of maintaining the standard or is further improvement possible? part of everyday life in many hotels. The new construction SH: Sustainability is not a state, but rather a continuous development process. Our of the ATLANTIC Hotel Heidelberg is also setting new GreenSign certification process, which now has more than 120 criteria, has already been standards: it is the world’s first and only high-rise hotel expanded and updated five times since 2015, as the demands placed on and also the built in accordance with passive house standards and opportunities available for sustainable business are constantly changing. Just like us, impresses with its particularly eco-friendly heat the hotels also have to evolve and, of course, we offer them support to do so. consumption. Good insulation in the walls, ceiling and Would you share with our readers which of the ATLANTIC Hotels particularly ground slab, heat recovery such as waste heat from impressed you? electrical appliances, body heat of the occupants and SH: Our auditor Armin Wolff raved the most about the ATLANTIC Hotel Sail City. The 4-star solar heat and exhaust air exchange through a state-of- hotel in Bremerhaven is a prime example of how sustainability can be successfully the-art ventilation system allow heat energy savings implemented in all departments. The concept is supported by the ideas and dedication of up to 90 % compared with unrenovated old buildings of the whole team. The hotel manages to save as many resources as possible without and 30–45 % compared with standard new builds. compromising on quality, the service offering or the guest experience. The measures in the restaurant area are particularly inspiring.