The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Brussels, has become the first hotel in the city to gain the Green Key for its huge environmental efforts.

The Green Key is an international and worldwide available eco-label awarded to leisure organisations and facilities. It demands the fulfilment of a list of environmental requirements containing a number of criteria.

Besides environmental demands, such as controlling the production of waste and the use of water and electricity, the criteria include also demands on policy, action plans, environmental education and communication.

Apart from the international baseline criteria each country also adds 20% of national criteria taking into account legislation, infrastructure, policies, and climate of the country to ensure adjustment to national and cultural characteristics.

With the obtainment of the Green Key plus past awards and actions the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel demonstrates to the industry that a large-scale hotel can maintain and indeed enhance its commercial performance through ensuring environmental sustainability as a main factor of its ethos and operations.

Taking responsibility for the environment and the local community plays an important role for the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel and the Rezidor Hotel Group in general. Just like the hotels in Brussels, all properties take part in a dedicated Responsible Business programme with each hotel having a unique action plan covering areas such as community outreach, environmental improvement, employee well-being and health and safety. The programme has been in place since 2001 and is one of the strongest commitments to reducing the environmental impact of hotels in the hospitality industry.

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel has gained several achievements in recognition of its Responsible Business Programme. It is inter alia the first Brussels hotel to hit the maximum third star as ‘Ecodynamique Enterprise’, an official Belgian label towards environmental efforts. It was also the first Brussels hotel to be ISO9001 certified and is currently working towards the ISO14000 label which puts special emphasis on environmental issues.

As part of its social engagement, the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel works closely with Childhood and other organisations helping people in need. Latest actions include selling soup at the Christmas market, vending shower twisters to guests and staff and running the 20km marathon of Brussels all in benefit of Childhood.

Furthermore, together with other Radisson Blu properties in the Benelux it is sponsoring Serve the City’s Big Volunteer Week in July, offering financial sponsorship as well as staff volunteering for different actions to help people in Brussels, such as doing garden or house work for disabled people or collecting clothes for the homeless.

Throughout the calendar year, the hotel will conduct various further activities based on its Responsible Business programme.

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel is an eight-storey glass domed five-star luxury hotel in Brussels’ very city centre, near the famous Grand Place, the main shopping and restaurant areas and the Central Station. Combining luxury and design with dedicated service it offers 281 rooms and suites, two renowned restaurants, a distinctive bar, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, a brand new Fitness Club, concierge services and private underground parking.