The most climate-friendly hotels throughout Denmark have been found, and the grand winner of the Climate Award 2022 is Comwell Aarhus. The award is given by Klimascore.com and The Danish Chamber of Commerce and is based on the CO₂ fact-based Klimascore developed by Klimascore.com with input from Concito and DTU. In addition to appointing regional winners throughout the country and a national winner for Denmark’s most climate-friendly hotel, the year’s Best ‘newcomer’ has also been named.
Both Danes and Danish companies demand sustainable accommodation and events, and now the country’s most climate-friendly hotels have been determined. The winner in Denmark and in Aarhus is Comwell Aarhus, which is one of the seven hotels to win a regional award for its sustainability actions. Comwell Aarhus was also awarded the grand prize, as Denmark’s most climate-friendly hotel. Comwell Aarhus receives a score of 10 out of 10 in this year’s award.
The Danish Chamber of Commerce is very pleased that hotels and conference centres from all over the country have signed up to compete on their climate impact:
“Denmark has a strong position internationally in sustainable accommodation and events. We must exploit this advantage, and with Climate Award we celebrate Denmark’s most climate-friendly hotels and conference centres in the country. We are very aware that climate and CO₂ savings matter when companies travel and conduct meetings and conferences. We are also sure of and expect that holiday tourists will increasingly look towards sustainable choices. However, it can be difficult to see through the options on the market, and Klimascore shows the way. You can e.g., see that in many places you emit less CO₂ by staying overnight in a hotel than by staying at home,” says Lars Ramme Nielsen, market manager for Tourism, Experience and Culture at The Danish Chamber of Commerce.
Climate-friendly transportation options and self-produced energy have been some of Comwell Aarhus’ major sustainability projects, which has meant that the hotel’s climate footprint per overnight guest is minimal. All these efforts are why they are extremely happy to have been named both Aarhus’ and Denmark’s most climate-friendly hotel.
“We are very proud to receive the award as the most climate-friendly hotel in Denmark. It is several years of focus and dedication that is being rewarded. We are extra happy to be at the forefront of an industry that displays an ambitious climate-friendly direction, and not least shows guests that it can be more climate-friendly to spend the night or hold a meeting in a hotel than to stay at home,” says director Flemming Poulsen from Comwell Aarhus.
The Climate Award is given to the hotels or conference centres that have the lowest documented CO₂ emissions per hotel guest, based on the hotels’ own data. The collected data is converted into CO₂ emissions by Klimascore.com, which uses a method they have developed with input from Concito and The Technical University of Denmark. These results have then been reviewed by a jury consisting of climate scientists and industry professionals. The jury has given the following justification for selecting Comwell Aarhus:
“Comwell Aarhus distinguishes itself by having a minimal climate footprint in all areas, from transport and energy consumption to food and beverages. The hotel is exceptional in terms of transport, as there have been installed an incredible number of EV charging stations. This drives a behaviour where more guests with electric cars use the hotel. On the energy side, the hotel has converted large parts of the energy supply to climate-friendly energy sources, and solar panels have been installed on the facade, just to name a few of the many initiatives.”
Klimascore.com CEO René Jacobsen, who has performed the calculations and reviewed the hotels’ climate data, emphasises the need for hotels to become more systematic and fact-based regarding sustainability:
“Klimascore is a tool for Danes, international tourists and companies looking for the most climate-friendly hotels in Denmark, but it also supports the hotels in finding out which initiatives have the greatest positive effect on the climate. The demand for climate-friendly accommodation and events will only increase in the coming years, and therefore we need a consistent approach to calculating and documenting the CO₂ footprint of hotels. The score of 1–10 makes it intuitive for the guest to choose climate-friendly hotels based on CO2 facts, with a score of 10 being the most climate-friendly choice. This makes it manageable, transparent, and trustworthy for both the customer and the hotel.”
The hotel industry shows the way for the green transition
The leading hotels and conference centres in the industry have become even better than last year. The best CO₂ footprint per guest per day is now 35.0 kg CO₂. This is an improvement of 2 per cent compared to 2021. In total, the leading hotels have collectively reduced CO₂ by 2,275 tons. This corresponds to driving 6.7 million kilometres in a car.
From now on you can choose to stay at more than 34 hotels that are all more climate-friendly than staying at home. This is an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2021 and is a strong signal that the industry is making a big effort in driving climate action (source: Klimascore.com, results from Climate Award 2022).
Climate Award 2022 winners
- Main prize: Comwell Aarhus
- Copenhagen: Scandic Kødbyen
- Aarhus: Comwell Aarhus
- Zealand and islands: Scandic Roskilde Park
- Funen and islands: Comwell Middelfart
- Northern Jutland: Scandic Aalborg City
- Trekantområdet: Scandic Jacob Gade
- Middle and Southern Jutland: Scandic Regina
- Best ’newcomer’: Clarion & Comfort Hotel Copenhagen Airport
About Climate Award
- Nine awards are presented – one national grand award and seven regional winners, along with this year’s newly introduced ‘Best newcomer’ award.
- Awarded to the hotels or conference centres that have the lowest documented CO₂ emissions per hotel guest.
- The score is based on hotels’ own data regarding the eight areas associated with staying in a hotel: transport, energy, food, drinks, waste, water, hotel shopping and service.
- Find out more about the Climate Award here.
About Klimascore.com
Klimascore.com are climate specialists who have developed Klimascore, which is the industry’s new standard parameter that helps travellers and businesses choose climate-friendly hotels and conference venues based on CO₂ facts. In addition, klimascore.com has developed climate tools that help hotels with documentation and provide advice on how to prioritise climate initiatives and convert this into increased sales and cost savings. See hotels’ climate scores on the Klimascore website. Klimascore.com is operated by Danish-owned Conscious Convenience ApS, which has an office in Copenhagen.
About The Danish Chamber of Commerce
The Danish Chamber of Commerce is an employer organisation and business organisation that represents the entire value chain within tourism, culture, and experiences with approx. 1,100 companies within the experience economy and 100 industry associations. The Danish Chamber of Commerce has the most significant companies within the hotel industry. It represents more than two-thirds of the hotel capacity in Denmark, including most of the capacity in the largest cities. Among the members are e.g., Scandic Hotels, Comwell Hotels, Munkebjerg and Arp-Hansen Hotel Group.
