Dolce by Wyndham La Hulpe Brussels

Dolce Hulpe Brussels has concerns about the environmental problems and has decided to act on different levels, in order to reduce as much as possible, it’s harmful impacts on the environment generated by its activity. ‘Whatever the season is, Dolce La Hulpe Brussels with its 72 ha of forest as a jewel, offers many benefits for its customers and employees. We are privileged to observe the beauty of nature that surrounds us. It is thus quite natural that the question about its protection arose and that the hotel wishes to act upon’ explains Erik Jansen, Managing Director. We are conscious about the fact that there is still a lot to do in order to reduce even further our impacts on the environment. We work through a green committee made up of motivated employees resulting from various operational and administrative departments working together to reduce the print carbon of the hotel. Concretely, which investments have been made in order to reduce our consumption of energy for short and medium term? •A latest-generation 250 kWp photovoltaic solar plant was installed in the summer of 2011. It is composed of 1067 high yield panels made of polycrystalline. In total, this generates about 210000 KwH of energy per year. Since the roof of Dolce La Hulpe Brussels is flat, the solar panels are not visible. Nevertheless, feel free to discover them through our video and click here to learn more about our production of green energy in real time. •A centralized technical management system was established in order to control the equipments such as the air intake-outlet and heating/cooling systems in line with indoor and outdoor temperatures or a timer system. •Each of our 264 rooms is equipped with a double glazed frame and card readers -We recently separated the system that produces hotel and cold water. -We have replaced 3598 light bulbs into LED lights of 3Watt and we have installed motion detector in hallways. -We have replaced 264 shower heads in order to reduce the water from 16.5l/minute to 5.8l/minute, in other words a saving of 9.7l/minute per shower heads. Combined with an investment plan over several years, the hotel and resort’s current peak-time energy consumption will be cut by 10 to 12%. What is our purchase policy? We give an advantage to locally produced products, bio, natural, or recycled-products. Concretely, this is how the green initiative works in the hotel: •In General: - We use cleaning products without bleach - More than 95% of the paintings are in acrylic paint - We are conscientious to the eco-label certificates of our suppliers. •As for the food and beverage area, more than 80% of the products are locally produced; (within a radius of 100km). We try to use a lesser amount individual packing package. All our drinks are presented in a glass bottle. •Our Spa Cinq Mondes follows the Natural Formulation Guidelines®. Meeting a strict guideline, these are the guidelines that it follows: 1. Selection of organic or natural ingredients 2. Without paraben or phenoxyethanol 3. Without silicone or mineral oil 4. Without artificial colouring 5. Tested under dermatological control •As for the rooms, we select furniture manufactured from ecological products or made of wood resulting from sustainable forests. In the bathrooms, we have installed a timer on the towel dryer . In addition to this, in order to reduce the individual packing, shower gel and shampoos are presented in a dispenser and the packaging of it is biodegradable. •In the conference centre; there are three types of bins, allowing the clients to sort out its waste. Paper notes are made out of recycled papers. The lights and the audio visual equipment are turned on just before the clients arrive. •In the offices, Dolce associates are made aware of this sustainable consumption. They only print when necessary. Printers use recycled ink cartridge and certified European eco label paper. In addition, brochures are printed on ‘IMPRIM’ VERT®’. What do we do to recycle our waste as well as possible? •We work with a water-treatment plant to recycle our reused water. The purified water is then carried out to the canals. •The vegetable fat is recycled in a natural way with the help of enzymes. - Waste sorting is presented in the conference centre and areas for employees. •Plastic has been replaced by glass for water bottles and other beverages with or without alcohol. The plastics cups have been replaced by glass cups. What do we do in favour of the environment? •For the last 3 years, Dolce La Hulpe Brussels supports the local association '''' Contrat de Rivière – Argentine''''. Their mission is, among others, the cleanup of the local Argentine river and the protection of the flora, fauna and landscape. •Two electrical panels have been installed on the parking lot to recharge the electrical cars. •Once a month, we give out one of our rooms to organisations and associations, who wish to make the population aware of the sustainable developments. The seminars have to be free and open to the public. •Since 2009 and for the fourth year in a row, our hotel is participating at the Earth Hour organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) What does Dolce La Hulpe Brussels offer to its clients to contribute as well to preserving the environment? If they wish, clients can ask the housekeeping employees to not to change the linen and towels, by following the instructions given in the rooms. They can also choose the “Food for the Brain” buffet, which are locally produced products. We give our client’s proposals of different activities in the forest (hiking strolls, health walking tours, bike rides, or electrical bicycle). We are convinced that through this positive experience, awareness is created. By inviting our customers to enjoy the green scenery, we allow them to take some fresh air, become aware of the here and the now, and the benefits which nature offers, which forces to respect and safeguard the nature around us. Which certifications are we awarded with? We have been awarded with the Gold Green Star label from the International Association of the Conference Centres for the last 2 years. We''''ve just also been awarded by The Green Key and we are very pleased !