Sustainable natural building materials, electricity from renewable energy sources, LED lights in all rooms, installation of water-saving technology, recycling, fresh towels on request only – all of this has been par for the course here at the Hotel Post Bezau by Susanne Kaufmann for many years now. But what can a four-star superior hotel with a spa do to go the extra mile when it comes to sustainability?
Origin. “I grew up right here in the Bregenzerwald with traditions, mentalities, and behaviors centered around a responsible approach to resources and plenty of compassion,” explains Susanne Kaufmann. She goes on to add: “This way of thinking helps define my attitude to life.” Every phase of the renovation work on the hotel over the past 15 years has relied upon local knowledge, with sustainable building materials being used and resources being utilized as sparingly as possible within the infrastructures. Our new hotel concept is taking things a good few steps further with a focus on measures that will inspire our guests to live a more conscious lifestyle and give more thought to what they are experiencing and how.
Inspiration. There is no denying that sustainability is not the easiest thing to make unmistakably visible within the hotel sector given the sheer volume of resources usually relied upon. Many ideas are never brought to life and that is ultimately down to a fear of guests responding negatively. We think this is a real shame and so we have decided to turn to you for the boost we need: we are relying on you, our guests, and the trust you place in us.
Commitment. Our new hotel concept sees us shift our focus to our roots here in the Bregenzerwald like never before. This starts in the kitchen, where we are cutting out waste and turning away from the many ingredients that aren’t local. Our chef Thomas Brecher applies the “nose-to-tail” approach to preparing meat-based dishes, using up every edible part of an animal. Fruit, vegetables, and herbs are picked from our hotel garden, which spans 4,000 square meters, so they arrive fresh in the kitchen from the field. The team in our kitchen preserves and ferments fruit and vegetables so our guests can enjoy them even when they are out of season. Going forward, our guests will also be choosing their evening meal in the morning to allow for more effective planning in the kitchen. All of these measures will help us to avoid throwing away food and having produce delivered from afar.
The water we serve is spring water from the Bregenzerwald. It doesn’t have to travel a single kilometer in a plastic bottle, because we fill up our very own glass bottles with this zero-kilometer water. There won’t be a piece of plastic packaging in sight at the breakfast buffet either. We are convinced that our homemade jams presented in simple bowls and our Alpine butter served on a sleek wooden board not only look better but also taste even better. What’s more, we will be offering most of the breakfast spread à la carte too, meaning that guests are treated to an exquisite selection of local hams and sausages served freshly cut at their table.
With our aim to bring the cycle of give-and-take round full circle, we are also keen to know exactly what we are releasing back into nature – in the form of waste products and water, for example. Unfortunately, we are not (yet) able to avoid all waste entirely within the hotel industry. But we do separate all of our waste and recycle it. In order to keep our wastewater as uncontaminated as possible, we decided to once again draw on the knowledge of Ingo Metzler, the producer behind the Susanne Kaufmann™ cosmetics line, and we joined forces to create a range of purification products. All of these products contain plant-based active ingredients and they are free from allergens, sulfates, mineral oil, phthalates, phosphates, parabens, and bleaches containing chlorine. This means that we can always be sure about what is ending up in our wastewater.
On top of all our efforts, we would really appreciate it should you decide to help protect the environment by making your way to and from our hotel on the train or bus. Plus, we have installed a service station and Tesla Supercharger for electric cars.
You are now able to come and check out our new concept. You can find more information about our offers here.
In the meantime, why not check up on what we’re doing online via Facebook and Instagram? We hope to see you soon!
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