The Green House

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The award winning Green House is a beautiful eco-friendly, boutique hotel in the heart of Bournemouth that lives, eat and breathes sustainability. The hotel opened in April 2010 to rave reviews and in November 2010 was named ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ at the Bournemouth Tourism Awards. Just minutes from the white sandy beaches of Bournemouth, this privately owned Grade II Victorian Villa has been extensively renovated with an investment in excess of £5m, to prove that luxury travel and eco-consciousness can co-exist. On the surface, this 32 bedroom hotel may appear to be the same as many other designer boutique style properties, its contemporary décor, tactile fabrics and quality natural materials including wood, metal and glass, complementing the light airy period rooms and gothic architecture. Dig deeper though and you will discover that extensive thought and painstaking research has gone into every aspect to ensure that this designer hotel minimises its impact on the environment at every turn. Interior highlights include 100% UK wool fabrics, woven on the isle of Bute, British designed and made wallpaper, Forest Stewardship Council certified, printed with vegetable ink, sumptuous organic goose down duvets, solid hard wood furniture, either recycled or hand crafted in the UK from fallen trees damaged through storms or disease. Solar thermal energy, complemented by electricity generated on site, ensure that public resource is only used where absolutely necessary, showers pump out far fewer litres of water than is usual – the aeration of the water still giving the feeling of an amazing shower, lighting has an array of low-energy features – even the flat screen TV’s are backlit with LED’s, using less than a quarter of the energy normally required. All of this without compromise to guest satisfaction and pleasure, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are Private Event rooms with state of the art technology, and chairs made from recycled Play Stations, which can accommodate up to 100 guests for company think tanks, small residential conferences, ‘green’ weddings, private dining and a whole host of other functions. The hotel can also be booked for exclusive use. The hotel’s mature gardens have eco-habitats, such as bat and bird boxes and log piles to encourage natural eco-systems and new additions this year are a kitchen herb garden situated conveniently next to the Chef’s back door and two bee hives producing Green House honey. Even the company car runs on recycled vegetable oil and the hotel staff are trained in the benefits of sustainability, and further more encouraged to cycle to work, assisted by bicycle loans if required! You don’t have to be green through and through to enjoy the Green House, even just staying here is supporting the ethos of sustainability and you can be assured that going green does not have to mean compromising on enjoyment or indeed paying a premium for ‘green’ values. "Best wedding venue in Southern England 2011" by the Independent.