The Goodwood Hotel has won the Catey Award as Britain’s most sustainable hospitality business. The Goodwood received praises from the judges as a “shining example of how to work towards becoming a green business” and its impressive ten-year sustainability strategy.
The Catey awards were held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, on July 2022, to celebrate the best and brightest businesses and individuals in hospitality across the UK.
Andrew Coggings, managing director of Goodwood’s Entertaining and Hospitality, said: “Winning a Catey is hugely significant because recipients are nominated, selected and rewarded by their peers. We are beyond thrilled The Goodwood Hotel has been recognised as Britain’s most sustainable hospitality business for the innovative steps we’ve taken to neutralise our impact on the environment over the past year. This award highlights Goodwood’s commitment to environmental practices in order to become a carbon neutral estate by 2030.”
Other finalists in the category included Fallow, a restaurant in London, Heckfield Place in Hampshire, Levy UK + Ireland, Eurest food services and the University of Sheffield.
Sue Williams, Whatley Manor general manager and one of the judges of the Sustainable Business Award, which is sponsored by 4C Associates, described Goodwood’s win as “a truly inspiring submission.”
Included in Goodwood’s new sustainability measures is the investment in a £6 million biomass waste-to-energy facility to provide heat and power to the hotel. The new biomass system was installed on the estate during the pandemic, and first turned on in November 2021, providing combined heat and power to the hotel.
A sum of 3,500 tonnes of straw from Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, 2,600 tonnes of woodchip from their forestry team and 1,000 tonnes of waste wood from across the estate are used to fuel the biomass system.
Goodwood’s future plans include generating green energy with solar panels, hydro and aerobic digestion as the hotel’s wider sustainability action plan concentrates on its natural resources, carbon, water and the community.
Furthermore, a fleet of hybrid and electric machinery has been assigned to care for the two golf courses, as well as high-speed electric vehicle charging points being installed across the estate.
Juliane Cailouette-Noble, SRA development director and one of the judges of the Sustainable Business award, said: “This year was an extremely tough competition. Never have we had so many submissions – let alone so many with such detailed commitment, such clear plans integrated across the business, and such meaningful action.”
