Environmental Accommodation Providers of Auckland (EAPA)

Greening the property

Case Studies

Brian Boru Hotel,Thames
Initiative: greening the garden

The hotel
The Brian Boru is an historic 40 bedroom hotel built in 1868. The hotel is located at the entrance to the Coromandel Peninsular and hosts many visitors who come to enjoy the outstanding natural scenery.

The hotel manager recognises that visitors increasingly expect responsible environmental management in New Zealand hotels and has been committed to environmental management for seven years.

Greening the garden
Using predominantly native plants and shrubs in the gardens around the hotel including totara, kauri, rimu, cabbage tree, kaka beak, kowhai, rata and pohutukawa.

Advantages

Native plants are ideally suited for growing conditions in New Zealand.
They consume less water.
Less susceptible to pests and therefore don't require chemical pest control.
Use of outdoor plant trimmings and flowers and local native plants for internal floral displays. This reduces the costs of purchasing flowers for the hotel and continues the native theme so popular with guests inside the hotel.
Not only has this reduced operational costs, it has also reduced any possible health and safety risks associated with the use of chemical pesticides on the site.
Educating visitors by installing labels on trees and providing guided walks.
Visitors to the hotel are particularly interested in the native plants grown around the hotel and elsewhere in the local area.

Guided walks and plant labels are an effective way of educating visitors about the native plants, insects, birds and animals. Guided walks also provide further revenue for the business.

Savings
The estimated savings from using garden trimmings for internal floral displays are $50-$100 per week.

Water conservation
Watering plants is not required. Due to the local climate conditions and the use of native plants, watering has been reduced. During exceptionally dry weather watering is undertaken at night, to minimise evapotranspiration.

Initiative: Interior Green Theme
Rooms are referred to both by number and by native tree names. The recent refurbishment of rooms provided an opportunity fur using murals to change the "Kauri Room" into a virtual kauri forest - complete with trees, waterfall and native birds and animals. The room is proving popular, especially with Swiss and German visitors.

Postcards
Postcards of native flora and fauna are provided at the reception area of the hotel. This is:

In keeping with visitor interests
In keeping with the green focus of the hotel
A further source of revenue for the hotel.

Benefits

Improved habitat value for native birds and insects
Improved educational experience for visitors
Reduced pollution of soil and water through avoidance of chemical use
Reduced water consumption by plants
Reduced maintenance costs
Reduced purchasing costs associated with temporary floral displays.

Auckland Airport Travelodge
Initiative: greening the garden

The hotel
The Auckland Airport Travelodge has some of the most extensive hotel garden areas in the Auckland region. The gardens were incorporated into the original design and include formal gardens around the hotel particularly guest rooms and the central swimming pool area, and a green fringe around three-quarters of the property boundary. The gardens are particularly popular with wedding parties for photographs because of the large and attractive fern planting.

Current situation
The majority of plants are exotic species.
Maintenance of plants and gardens required expensive use of chemicals, water and a significant labour force for daily weeding, replanting and collection of dead leaves over winter.

Programme
The hotel's maintenance manager has been working with the gardener to Green the Gardens.

Time frame
5 years, following a process of continual improvement.
Some of the planned and completed initiatives are:

Phase our all chemical-based pesticides and fungicides. Organic pesticides used only.
Watering is undertaken at night to minimise evapotranspiration
The hotel's policy regarding new plants is for a minimum of 75% replacement plants to be native
An annual replacement programme requires that 5% exotics be replaced with natives each year
A "native" corridor will be planted over the next 5 years around the hotel perimeter. The corridor is 200 metres long and averages 30m in width. When fully planted it will include a range of canopy trees through to ground cover ferns to substantial trees. A path will be included through the corridor to encourage visitors to walk through the area.
Wooden tree labels are being fitted to each of the major trees around the property to educate visitors.

Benefits