A sustainable hotel from day one
How is it possible that our hotel was sustainable from day 1? Well the special thing about our property is, that it was a former office building of the San Francisco warehouse, which in 1930 was the largest port warehouse in the world, after the renovation in 2020, the warehouse has been given a new purpose under the name Fenix 1. The building is now used for more than 200 homes, a theatre, dance and circus school, several restaurants and our hotel Bed, Bites & Business. Following the building’s renovation, Fenix 1 has received several architectural awards.
We are therefore very proud to have been able to contribute to preserving the building so that its history is not lost. On the outside, the part that used to be warehouse is clearly recognisable.
Inside the hotel, the concrete walls and ceilings are still clearly visible and have been unified with new walls and doors that were needed to create separate rooms.
When preparing our boutique Hotel Bed, Bites & Business, we intensively searched for sustainable solutions in various areas for our bedrooms but also in the reception/lunch area. During the renovation, a cold/heat storage system was created to make water available in an economical way. Air conditioning is therefore not needed in summer, thanks to the cooling of the floors, the rooms have a pleasant temperature.
In everything we do, we strive to have as little impact on the earth as possible. Thinking and acting sustainably is of the utmost importance to us, so re-using and recycling is the common theme of our actions in our hotel. But we also want our hotel to take a social function from the environment. We want guests to get to know the benefits of a sustainable hotel and experience it as a pleasant, quiet but also inspiring place where you can meet others or retreat to unwind.
For hotel Bed, Bites & Business, sustainable means “more than once”. We are alert to what we do, buy, use and throw away. When designing the bathrooms, we not only consider the material (toilet holder/waste bin/dispenser) but also the contents for this. However, we also think it is important to first experience whether what we buy is really necessary and only then make decisions, to make sure it adds value and that we can use the good for a long time.
Sustainable hotel design
The well-being of our guests comes first. Therefore, it is a constant challenge for us to find the right balance between sustainability and luxury. One part of this is the coating of the stairwells; this coating (Flotex) consists of a high-quality unique construction and is indicated as the most hygienic textile floor covering in the world.
Other components, which we think enhance enjoyment, can be found in the rooms, for example: you will find a different bed in each room. The beds are from Auping Netherlands (a great company that values circularity). In every room, you will find a different bed from Auping. Should you consider an Auping bed, this might be an idea to spend the night in one of the rooms. All rooms are decorated with attention and diversity. So staying overnight in the same location can still provide a special experience every time.
Inside the hotel and in a few rooms, you will find various works of art, some of which have been created entirely in a sustainable way, such as Ronald Bonte’s coffee grounds sculptures. Some hotel rooms have drawings on the wall and at others you will see pictures of the Katendrecht of the past.
The artists who have displayed artworks with us are mainly from Katendrecht (Rotterdam). Our boutique hotel gives them space to exhibit and should you find a work you like, you can always buy it. In this way we help each other, the artist has free exhibition space and we have beautiful pieces within our hotel that we are proud of.
Circular hotel furniture
You will also find several pieces of furniture in our hotel that have been given a second life, such as Georgetti chairs, Gispen chairs for the meeting and/or dining table, shelving units adapted to be used as tables. A metal coat rack that was actually on the verge of going to scrap has been put back into use by us – after some repair work.
Green key Gold Award for hotels
Green is beautiful and cosy. Because we are located in the city, you won’t find green meadows or forests here but we are constantly looking for opportunities that contribute to preserving and, where possible, expanding our green surroundings.
Our hotel has a facade terrace and a terrace on the quay of the Rijnhaven. Around the terrace you will find various plants in pots and near the quay we have three tree plane trees. Opposite our terrace, we have a small bee hotel ensuring that this protected species also has its place among the flowers.
Furthermore, we are very enthusiastic about our plants that can be exchanged on the terrace called “the Kaapse Stekkies”. An initiative of one of the Fenix Loods’ residents that we sponsor. A box with various cuttings of plants, which acts as a library where anyone from the immediate area can place cuttings or, if they see a nice cutting, take it with them.
We see the Green Key as a nice and recognisable recognition, so you know that we treat our environment carefully and intensively. Every year, we will always look to further optimise our working methods and the use of our products. This is a challenge, but we are proud when our efforts for this are rewarded again with the award of the Green Key Gold.
100% green energy
Biological food
Local suppliers
environmental products
Bee hotel
Waste separation
Cold-heat storage
sustainable furniture
Sustainable facilities
AND MUCH MORE
Corporate social responsibility
Running a sustainable hotel requires constant thinking about how to do business in the most responsible way and not just now, but also in the future. We like to involve you in that and let you enjoy it. Of course, if you have any questions about this, we will be happy to tell you more about how we have taken up business and how we want to continue to nurture our environment in the future.
To show you what has been taken up so far, we briefly summarise below. Corporate social responsibility is incredibly fun and exciting. So come see into our world and perhaps you too will be inspired to take things up a certain way so that we can all contribute to a beautiful living environment.
Biological & sustainable hotelproducts
- We aim to reduce the use of energy as much as possible so that it has a positive impact on the environment.
- We want to continuously improve, so we also pay attention to our suppliers who produce/supply sustainable goods and services, preferably with a recognised environmental and/or sustainability and/or social label
- We use equipment in the kitchen that are classified as energy-efficient.
- We serve organic cold cuts
- We serve organic dairy products, eggs and bread
- We offer our guests organic coffee (Royal Dutch) and tea (Art Tea)
- The used coffee cups (Nespresso) in the rooms are re-offered to Nespresso for reuse of materials.
- We serve organic cane sugar, organic coffee milk or soya milk (also for the lattes and cappuccinos)
- Our bathroom products are made of organic products brand FaircosmEthics
- Sweet spreads are organic, Fair Trade or locally produced whenever possible
- We serve sustainable table water Bleu Made, you will also find this water in “the cool box or minibar” in the hotel rooms. We are ambassadors for Made Blue. Through our contribution, we ensure that developing countries also have more access to clean drinking water.
- We do not have a minibar but a playful coolbox. The coolbox is painted by Marcel Labrie. We use cooling elements for this and thus save a bit of energy.
- Organic wine and whisky
- Organic soft drinks and juices
- Organic apple juice (Maasdam)
- Sustainable meetings in our rooms
- We sponsor the tree beds around our premises.
- We have two insect hotels in the green zone
- We give furniture a second life
- Our beds & mattresses are made entirely by Royal Auping Netherlands, a company that also values circularity.
- 100% Green electricity from Dutch soil
- Energy-saving lighting (LED) everywhere
- We use eco-labelled products for cleaning the rooms
- All rooms are individually heated and cooled by the heat/cold storage system. This provides pleasant temperatures on both hot and cold days
- No air conditioning but cooling through the heat/cold storage system
- Energy-saving glass everywhere
- Water saving according to Green Key standards
- Sustainable paper and responsible paper use (quality mark and active paper reuse)
- Environmentally friendly cleaning agents
- Anti-allergenic PVC flooring
- Waste separation of GFT/plastic/paper/glass/residuals.
- Staff are committed to our vision and are aware of what sustainable business means.
- We are open to new ideas to improve and expand our sustainability efforts.
- We actively keep abreast of CSR developments within our profession and share our knowledge with our employees.
- We inform our guests, employees and suppliers in various ways (website/TV information/hotel rooms) how we operate in a socially responsible manner.
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We maintain the property using sustainable materials.
- We hope to see you soon at our sustainable hotel Bed, Bites & Business on Katendrecht in Rotterdam.