7 sustainable city stays for business events groups

Since opening their first hotel in 2018, Australia’s Crystalbrook Collection has made waves in the sustainability space with their #ResponsibleLuxury philosophy which aspires to develop sustainable practices that enhance the guest experience. Most notably, Crystalbrook was the first hospitality group in Australia to achieve 100 per cent waste-free bathrooms by ensuring that all bathroom amenities – right down to corn-starch toothbrushes – are biodegradable or recyclable. On a local level, the 166-room Crystalbrook Vincent in Brisbane is working closely on sustainability with Howard Smith Wharves, the entertainment and lifestyle precinct in which it operates. Together, the two entities are working towards a zero-waste goal for the entire precinct, which houses several venues that provide a range of options for a Brisbane-based business event.

Recognised in the Top 40 Sustainable Destinations by the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), Melbourne is constantly delivering new environmentally responsible products and experiences for business events. In the hotel space, InterContinental Hotels Group’s voco Melbourne Central, which opened in April 2022, has been green from the get-go. The team has cultivated plant life throughout the hotel with the help of local ecological garden specialists Fytogreen, which helps with cooling of the building. There’s an impressive soaring vertical garden on the pool terrace, and a herb garden from which the chefs source ingredients. Every one of the 252 bedrooms has at least one window that opens - some have three – reducing the need for air-conditioning and subsequent energy consumption. This Melbourne hotel ticks a lot of sustainability boxes, making it the perfect place to accommodate a business events group whilst leaving a light environmental footprint.

Australia’s capital city of Canberra is renowned for innovation, so it’s no surprise that it boasts one of the country’s most environmentally thoughtful hotels. Each of Ovolo Nishi’s rooms and apartments is furnished with locally salvaged and restored vintage furniture, and on completion, the building had the largest array of photovoltaic solar panels of any building in Australia. There are operable windows on every floor providing guests with access to fresh air, and two 10-storey atriums allow for cross ventilation. It’s not just about the building, either – the hotel’s sustainably-driven Monster Kitchen and Bar dishes up contemporary Australian fare that champions locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. The dining room, Monster Salon, can be hired exclusively for up to 200 guests.

Located in the heart of South Australia’s capital city of Adelaide, Eos by SkyCity is one of the city’s sustainability frontrunners. Part of the A$330 million SkyCity entertainment precinct, this impressive five-star, 120-room hotel has been carbon-neutral since opening in December 2020. Its bespoke façade is designed to control natural light and glare, reducing heat loads and energy costs, and the hotel lowers its energy consumption, water wastage and chemical usage by minimising unnecessary use of linen such as tablecloths for conferences. Furthermore, following a site wide uniform refresh, more than 13,000 obsolete garments were donated to three local charities. SkyCity’s culinary approach is sustainable, too – the precinct’s kitchen teams collectively source local produce to reduce the need for transport, refrigeration, and packaging.

The Ritz-Carlton brand may be synonymous with glamour and glitz, but as The Ritz-Carlton Perth demonstrates, opulence can be achieved sustainably. Groups can feel good about staying at this five-star hotel, which embraces sustainable technology like automatic sensors to control blinds, lights, and heating if guests leave any of the 205 rooms for more than 45 minutes. The use of recycled materials to adorn the hotel’s walls is impressive, most notably the six-metre-long installation in the lobby made from fragments of old pottery unearthed in the excavation of Perth’s Elizabeth Quay site. And when it comes to dining, the onsite restaurant – Hearth – embraces the traditional method of cooking over fire and aims for zero waste by using the hearth to grill vegetable peelings for jus and to smoke fish frames for stock. 

Owned and operated by Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga is kicking big sustainability goals. The Retreat falls under the Zoo’s overarching sustainability strategy which is centred around the ambitious target of net zero emissions and 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030. The Retreat’s sustainable design features 62 elegant rooms housed in five environmentally sensitive lodges built into a native bushland setting. Designed to blend into the existing landscape, the buildings are clad in reconstituted timber and metal, with native planted green screens to integrate them into the surrounding bushland.  Rooftop mounted solar photovoltaic systems provide a local and clean source of electricity, and the Retreat uses recycled water from Taronga’s onsite water treatment plant for toilet flushing and irrigation.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is strict on sustainability and Tasmania’s Crowne Plaza Hobart is no exception. Opened in July 2020, the 241-room hotel uses IHG’s Green Engage System—an innovative online platform that helps monitor and manage its environmental footprint. IHG’s hotel teams can choose from over 200 ‘Green Solutions’ that are designed to help them reduce their energy, water and waste. Crowne Plaza Hobart has chosen to undertake initiatives such as bulk amenities in bathrooms, LED lighting, no plastic straws or water bottles, no paper compendiums, bamboo key cards and 219 solar panels. In addition, the conferences and events team offer a sustainability beverage package to clients to reduce waste.