Saving the forest with digital support
Van der Valk Hotels, Aktion Baum and Betterspace are working together for more environmental protection and sustainability in the hotel industry. According to the motto: “Every guest a tree”, the partners are committed to the reforestation of local forests. The best thing about it is that every hotel guest at the Van der Valk Hotel in Hildesheim can take part in it, and it’s uncomplicated, with no effort at all thanks to digital support.
At Van der Valk Hotel Hildesheim, guests can cancel their daily room cleaning with just a few clicks via the digital guest directory on the in-room tablet. For every cancelled room cleaning, the hotel donates a seedling to Aktion Baum for the reforestation of a forest area in the Harz Mountains very close to the hotel. The start was already very promising without ado. In the past weeks, at least one room cleaning per day was cancelled by the hotel’s guests and thus planted a tree.
The Van der Valk hotel in Hildesheim
The four-star Van der Valk Hotel Hildesheim is located directly on the historic market square in Hildesheim. With its newly renovated rooms and suites, a spacious wellness area with swimming pool, sauna, fitness room as well as the eight event rooms, the “Gildehaus” restaurant and the “Stadtschenke” cocktail bar, the hotel really offers everything the heart desires for city tourists, business travellers and wellness lovers. Of course, there is also importance attached to the topic of digitalization. “We are always looking for new innovations and are currently digitizing many internal processes in a very short time, always with the aim of making these processes more sustainable,” Britt Polman, General Manager, explains.
Watch the interview about the joint project with Britt Polman (Van der Valk Hotel Hildesheim), Ellen Kettelmann (Aktion Baum gGmbH) and Christian Heineck (Betterspace) on YouTube:
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The guest directory as digital assistant in the hotel
In addition to the transition of the entire accounting to almost paperless processes, the topic of guest information and guest communication was also looked at more closely. The digital guest directory better.guest on the in-room tablet was a welcome alternative to the paper version at the Van der Valk hotel in Hildesheim. “The better.guest guest directory represents an additional service for us and our guests. The user-friendly tablets help us to present our offers in a visually appealing way and to inform our guests on a daily basis,” Ms Polman is happy to inform us.
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Cancel room cleaning, plant a tree & reduce workload
As in many hotels, the exploding costs in all areas of the hotel and the shortage of skilled staff pose major challenges for the hotel. Here, too, the digital guest directory can contribute to relieving staff and reducing costs. “Many questions that our guests would normally approach the reception staff with, are answered by themselves with the in-room tablet. In addition, many guests cancel the daily room cleaning with a click,” explains the General Manager.
On the one hand, this relieves the hotel’s housekeeping team and on the other hand, it makes the environment happy. The Van der Valk hotel in Hildesheim donates money for every cancelled room cleaning so that a new seedling can be planted in cooperation with Aktion Baum. In this way, the guests and the hotel actively contribute to climate protection and promote sustainability in the hotel. “This is a classic win-win situation,” Ellen Kettelmann, Head of Projects North at Aktion Baum gGmbH, explains.
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Guests are also thrilled about the digital guest directory
The guests are also thrilled about the digital assistant in the hotel room and diligently order room cleaning, inform themselves about the hotel and the services offered as well as Hildesheim and the surrounding area. “The tablets are super well received by our guests, whether young or old, and we get a lot of positive feedback. Because thanks to the digital guest directories, our guests get information about our hotel and the city in a relaxed atmosphere in their hotel room,” Ms Polman explains.
Betterspace and Aktion Baum are valuable partners for the hotel industry
All in all, the Van der Valk Hotel is thrilled about the new digital support, which makes the guests’ stay even more comfortable. The expansion to other hotels in the Van der Valk hotel chain is also already being planned. “We can only recommend everyone to inform themselves about the digital guest directory and other digitalization options. Of course, the change involves a bit of effort, but in the end, it works great! It ensures a more sustainable future for our hotel, not only in terms of the environment, but also in terms of profitability, considering the increasing costs and the decreasing supply of skilled labour,” General Manager Britt Polman says.
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Further steps in terms of digitization are already being planned at the Van der Valk Hotel in Hildesheim. “Betterspace will also be an important partner for us in other areas in the future. The digitization of registration forms and thus the simplification of the check-in process is our next big project,” Ms Polman adds. We at Betterspace are already looking forward to further good cooperation and thank you very much for the insights into the Van der Valk Hotel Hildesheim and the uncomplicated cooperation with Aktion Baum.
We are here for you!
If you are also interested in the digital guest directory and its possibilities to relieve the staff, optimize processes and at the same time promote sustainability, please let us advise you. We are here for you and support you on the way to digitalizing your hotel.