Griffin Hotel Group focuses on eco strategy

The Griffin Hotel Group is actively reshaping the future of its hotel operations and the group’s environmental impact with significant investment in a multi-year “Next Generation” environmental programme for Monart Destination Spa, Ferrycarrig Hotel and Hotel Kilkenny.

Detailed in the 2018 company accounts, which have been recently filed with the CRO, the group invested €453,000 in energy-efficiency projects across the group in 2018, yielding a net benefit in the first year of just over two million kWh of energy saved.

Its strategy of continued investment over the next decade will “allow the Griffin Group play its role in significant carbon reduction, supporting electrification of transport and the continued removal of single-use plastic from its business ecosystem”, according to CEO of the Griffin Hotel Group Michael Griffin.

To reduce the energy footprint of each property, the Griffin Group contracted Connected Energy to create a tailor-made design for each property, including LED lighting retrofits, boiler upgrades, new room heating control management, chiller optimisation, air-conditioning system upgrades and building management control system upgrades.

The group is also rolling out high-quality 22kW EV charging capabilities at each of its hotels, facilitating customers to migrate to electric vehicles.

Also detailed within the 2018 company accounts the hotel group’s business shows continued growth in 2018 with turnover increasing by 2% to €24.5 million.

Hotel Kilkenny.

The group earlier this month opened a new venture in the UK, Monart Day Spa located at Queen Mother Square, Poundbury in Dorchester, a partnership with the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Prince of Wales officially opened Monart Spa - Poundbury to the public.

This investment formed part of the company’s 2018 accounts which also detail the hotel group’s business shows continued growth in 2018 with turnover increasing by 2% to €24.5 million.

The group contributed 75% of this turnover, approximately €18 million, back into the local economy through staff wages and direct suppliers within Wexford and Kilkenny. In 2018 the group had an average of 470 employees for the year increasing this figure to over 500 during peak periods.

The Profit before taxation for the Group decreased by €265,000 (13%) to €1.75 million as the directors invested significantly in these environmental initiatives.

The company in 2018 also continued to re-invest in ongoing refurbishment projects, upgrading IT infrastructure in the light of GDPR regulations introduced in 2018 and launched multiple health and safety initiatives.

“2018 was a very positive year for the group, we focused on enhancing our services, our practices and on plans for our business to operate within the environment as a long-term and sustainable enterprise,” said Mr Griffin.

“We are delighted to see such a significant reduction in our energy consumption within the first year of investment and we are all collectively looking forward to the challenge to continue to find new ways of enhancing our business sustainability, continuously improve our carbon footprint while enhancing protections for our environment and accepting that short-term profits will and must take a second chair role in order for us to succeed.”