What a hotel with a restaurant can do to operate sustainably?
We say: A LOT!
Sometimes it's just little things, sometimes an investment is necessary, but it's worth it.
ALWAYS!
Our hotel is a member of the "Cause we care" project of MyClimate.
This means that every guest is charged a contribution of 2.-CHF per night (this is voluntary and can be refused by the guest). Half of this money goes into the carbon offset project portfolio compiled for the "myclimate climate fund Davos". This offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the offer. This means that you, as our guests, make your stay climate neutral through your contribution.
70% of the second half of the contribution goes into a fund that is available to the business to implement climate protection and sustainability measures.
The last 30% of the second half is available to the "myclimate climate fund Davos" for local sustainability measures.
Last but not least, we as the Hotel Bellevue commit ourselves to doubling the money collected from guests in our fund. This means that for every franc in climate contributions that our guests pay, we put one franc into the fund, which is intended to implement climate protection and sustainability measures in our business.
True to the motto "Switzerland on the plate and Switzerland in the jar", we only use products grown and produced in Switzerland wherever possible. The full utilisation of the products "nose to tail" and "leaf to root" is our top priority. In our production, we therefore use tried and tested methods, but still leave room for new processes, creations and flavours.
Cooking ecologically, freshly and seasonally, with heart and without much waste is our claim. This challenges us... but is also great fun!
Here are some examples of sustainability and regionality in our restaurant:
- We buy whole animals from local farmers and use them "from nose to tail". This means that when an animal gives its life for us, everything from that animal is used. In this way, we reduce the number of farm animals that are kept and thus save CO2 emissions. We also drastically reduce the food waste that occurs when only the best parts of the animals are processed. Of course, we know the farmers and know that they share our ideals and that the standard of animal husbandry corresponds to our ideals. This is better than any organic label. Last but not least, we have absolutely short transport distances, which again has an input on the CO2 emissions. As animal husbandry here in the mountains is very seasonal (alpine farming etc.), it can happen that there are no animals available. In this case we consult with our butchers. In any case, only Swiss meat is used.
- We obtain our chicken meat from the Gallina company in Malans. It is obtained exclusively from brother cocks. Every laying hen has a brother. In conventional breeding, the brother cocks are killed on the first day. Not so at Gallina. Here, the day-old chicks are raised on organic and Demeter farms. At Bellevue, we use only this tasty meat for our chicken dishes.
- Of course, we also make a point of using local or Swiss products as much as possible for all the other products in our kitchen. We also make a point of buying products from local suppliers. Some examples:
– Glacé from GlatschBallnot from Surava
– Jams and honey from Philipp Grendelmeier from Zizers
– Eggs and cheese from the farm of Beat and Seraina Rieder in Wiesen
– Swiss vegetables as long as available
– Milk products from the dairy in Davos
– Cereal products from GranAlpin as long as available
– Trout from the Ranch Farsox in Alvaneu
– Bread from the village bakery Weber in Davos - Our wine list is currently in a state of flux and will consist only of Swiss wine in the near future. Our spirits, liqueurs and aperitifs are already largely Swiss products.
- Our sweet drinks all come from Ramseier and our mineral water of course comes from Graubünden.
Here, too, it is a matter of shortening transport routes, creating value in our own country and, not least, preserving jobs in Switzerland. - Our coffee comes from Blaser Café in Bern and is processed as far as possible in their own roasting plant in Bern. The coffee we use has an organic and fair trade label.
- Längass tea, our tea supplier, is also concerned to grow as many basic ingredients as possible in Switzerland itself. Of course, this does not work for the tea tree, but most of the herbal and fruit teas are produced and grown in Switzerland.
- To prevent food waste, our menu is based on a 3-course menu that is prepared fresh daily. As an alternative, a small but fine menu is available. With this measure, we prevent that huge amounts of food have to be ready and are then possibly not used. We can also guarantee that you will always receive fresh quality.
Also in the hotel, so in the rooms at the reception and elsewhere in the house, we focus on locality and sustainability wherever possible. We commit ourselves to consider the respective environmental aspect in new and replacement investments, we pay attention to environmentally friendly handling and responsible use of resources in all areas and we try to sensitise our employees to the topic and to actively exemplify our values.
Here are a few examples:
- All care products in the rooms as well as the room fragrance used throughout the house come from Feuerstein Essentials. A family-run company based in the Engadine.
Feuerstein Essentials only sources high-quality ingredients from transparent suppliers. In most cases in organic quality from sustainable cultivation in Switzerland. If this is not possible, for example for exotic ingredients, they rely on equally ecologically valuable raw materials. Of course, always without animal testing.
They gently extract the natural contents at room temperature to preserve the active ingredients of the plants during processing, and multiply them to the highest concentration. Afterwards, the active ingredients are supplemented with the latest findings in cosmetic research to provide efficient care. Feuerstein guarantees:
– Without parabens, mineral oils, silicone and paraffins.
– Without unnecessary additives
– Optimal skin compatibility - For sustainability, all products are placed in dispenser bottles in the rooms, so we avoid the waste that comes with "one-time bottles”.
- We only use cleaning products from Steinfels Suisse in the entire house. Steinfels is strongly committed to sustainability in many areas, is ISO-certified (for quality, environment, manufacturing practice and risk prevention), has been awarded the SwissQuality label and already works in a CO2-neutral way. The entire development and production of the products takes place in Winterthur, Switzerland.
- Towels and bed linen are only changed at the customer's request. In the restaurant, cloth tablecloths are deliberately dispensed with. This saves water and cleaning agents.
- All light bulbs in the entire building are replaced by LED bulbs if they fail.
- Paper is dispensed with wherever possible in the rooms, at the reception and in the office. For example:
– All guest information including brochures, A-Z, hiking suggestions and and and... are offered via the Gastfreund app, which guests can download for free.
– All correspondence in the office is done digitally as far as possible, unless otherwise requested by the recipient.
– All information of the surrounding areas is linked via the Gastfreund app and is not laid out as brochures. - All our rooms are equipped with water-saving taps and shower heads by Aquaclic from Aqua Art AG. A Swiss company that also offers attachments for almost every tap at home in a variety of designs, with which up to 50% water can be saved. For hot water, the saved energy is added to this.
- There are solar panels on the roof of our house and a heat recovery system in the basement. This means that a good part of our energy consumption is CO2-neutral.
- Our guests can purchase tickets for the Rhaetian Railway directly from us at the reception and add them to their room bill. In this way we try to encourage our guests to use public transport during their holidays.
- As a partner of the largest Swiss nature park, Parc Ela, we are committed to clear guidelines for the preservation and support of nature.
- Large parts of our house have been equipped with motion detectors so that the light does not shine continuously.
These are just a few examples of what we are doing, and we continue to work towards providing you with a great holiday experience that is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. - Not because it is fashionable at the moment, but because we are convinced of it.
If you notice anything we can do better in this regard, please let us know. Sometimes you overlook the simplest details in your own home.