25hours Hotels puts a focus on sustainability in 2023

25hours Hotels set a goal: By the end of 2024, all 25hours Hotels are to receive a sustainability certification from an external institute.

Set in 2022, they’ve rolled out a programme of initiatives to help them achieve this ambitious goal. From tree planting projects that contribute to the preservation of global biodiversity and the introduction of more sustainable food sources, to reducing food surplus, the use of single-use plastics, and new flexibly mobility options – they’ve made some strides in the last year. We take a look at how they’re doing so far.

34,000 25hours trees planted
Our planet’s forests absorb billions of tonnes of CO2 worldwide and are essential for a stable climate. But every two seconds, a chunk of forest the size of a football pitch is destroyed. The need to protect forests is important now more than ever, which is why 25hours Hotels have partnered with various tree planting initiatives across their locations.

For their hotels operating in German-speaking countries, 25hours have partnered with Hamburg-based non-profit, Aktion Baum, to contribute to the long-term recovery of nature and the preservation of global biodiversity. Working with local forestry teams to ensure efficient solutions are found for native forests, Aktion Baum is committed to planting mixed forests which ensures a better potential for the newly planted trees to cope with difficult climate conditions and promotes maximum biodiversity. As part of the partnership, brand recently broke ground on the first 25hours forest outside of Frankfurt, beginning with 250 maple trees planted in the spring.

In addition to Aktion Baum, 25hours are also partnering with Treedom in Florence, the Emirates Environmental Group in Dubai and Plant et Træ in Copenhagen. Guests at 25hours can get involved in the initiative too. Those staying longer than one night at the hotel have the option to waive their daily room cleaning on check-in. The saved resources will instead contribute to doing something good for the environment. Since April 2022, almost 34,000 donated trees have been collected with the support of guests.

Sustainable eating and drinking
The way we eat has an impact on our carbon footprint. On average, a vegetarian meal has three times less impact on the climate than an equivalent meal with meat. It’s also no surprise that eating regional and seasonal has a lower environmental impact due to shorter transport routes.

At 25hours, they’re putting a focus on a developing more conscious food & beverage offerings with a smaller but finer selection of dishes, expanding their vegetarian and plant-based menu, whilst supporting local and organic producers. Earlier this year, food specialist Lauren Wildbolz, teamed up with Sebastian Haase, Head Chef at 25hours Hotel Langstrasse, to create a menu of plant-based bar food alternatives for the hotel’s Cinchona Bar. The newly created menu offers versatility, with hearty dishes such as Good Fortune Bao Buns or Panko Fried Magic Mushrooms with lemongrass mayonnaise. The breakfast offer has evolved too – 25hours Hotel The Circle in Cologne now serves plant-based egg alternatives in the form of scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos or French toast. Throughout 2023, guests can expect to find even more conscious food & beverage offerings, with the same excellent taste experience across 25hours destinations.