Bolton Hotel’s Green Programme Benefits Zealandia

The Bolton Hotel, Wellington’s only boutique, Qualmark ranked 5-star Hotel, has donated $1,800 to Karori Sanctuary Trust, which manages ZEALANDIA, with funds raised from its sustainability programme.

ZEALANDIA, an award-winning eco-attraction, and just five minutes from the Bolton Hotel, is the Trust’s groundbreaking restoration project. The Trust’s 500-year vision to restore a 225ha valley as closely as possible to its pre-human state is well underway with more than a dozen reintroduced native animal species previously extinct in the Wellington area.

Mr Warwick Angus, the Bolton Hotel’s Managing Director said: “We are thrilled to be able to give this donation to the Trust. The work they do is a fantastic asset to the city of Wellington. We’re pleased to make a contribution to the conservation work they do, as a result of the hotel’s conservation programme.”

The Bolton Hotel’s donation is derived from the savings it makes from its environmental policy, which is dedicated to advancing sustainable travel and tourism.

“The savings we make come from doing less laundry, using less chemicals, water and energy, as a result of guests choosing not to have their towels and linen laundered daily. It is such a simple notion to be able to donate an amount of money to a worthwhile charitable organisation, from savings generated by being environmentally aware.”

The Bolton Hotel was one of the first accommodation providers in New Zealand to receive the Enviro-Gold rating from Qualmark, New Zealand Tourism’s official mark of quality.

The Hotel’s sustainability programme also helps other local charities – their neighbour, the Bolton Memorial Park, and the Wellington City Mission. Hotel staff selected the charities they wanted to help when the sustainability policy was developed. The charities cover conservation, the community and the charitable sectors. The Bolton Memorial Park recently benefited from new signage, paid for by the hotel’s donation.

Karori Sanctuary Trust’s Chief Executive, Nancy McIntosh-Ward, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Bolton Hotel for their donation.

“It‘s wonderful to see they have got on board with the conservation message, and that they are actually saving money from being environmentally aware. Having just received Enviro Gold accreditation ourselves, we appreciate the hard work and commitment that is involved - and the real benefits that can be gained. We’re delighted they’re using the money they’ve saved by ‘going green’ to support local projects like ours. Best of all, Bolton Hotel guests can see first hand where the money is going when they visit ZEALANDIA.”

Warwick Angus said: “Our staff were the key drivers behind us getting this sustainability policy up and running and its success is a reflection of their contribution. We look forward to being able to continue making donations to many worthwhile causes in the future.”

ENDS

About ZEALANDIA and the Karori Sanctuary Trust:
ZEALANDIA is one of New Zealand's most important eco-attractions. Managed by the internationally-acclaimed Karori Sanctuary Trust, ZEALANDIA is the world's first fully-fenced urban wildlife sanctuary A unique 8.6km-long fence keeps out the 13 worst introduced pest mammals, creating a cage-free safe haven for some of New Zealand's rarest native animals. It is home to mainland New Zealand's only wild populations of tuatara, little spotted kiwi and Cook Strait giant weta.

In 2008, ZEALANDIA won the Tourism Industry Association's Conservation in Action Award and in 2009 it was voted one of the top 25 ecological restoration projects in Australasia, alongside the Great Barrier Reef and Lord Howe Island. A multi-million dollar exhibition and visitor facility, which will showcase the New Zealand conservation story, is due to open in April 2010.

Karori Sanctuary Trust is a not-for-profit community-led organisation with an extraordinary 500-year vision: to restore a corner of mainland New Zealand as closely as possible to the way it was ‘the day before humans arrived’. The establishment of the Trust in 1995 was a major breakthrough in the conservation and recovery of native wildlife on mainland New Zealand, reversing a decline that has lasted for at least 700 years. It was a radical idea that turned out to be a major breakthrough in the conservation and recovery of native wildlife on mainland New Zealand.

About the Bolton Hotel:
The Bolton Hotel is Wellington’s only five-star, boutique hotel. Centrally located at the junction of the capital city’s central business district and political heart, the Bolton Hotel is also the only five-star hotel in the city awarded Qualmark’s coveted Enviro-Gold logo, based on it’s commitment to sustainable environmental practices. The Bolton Hotel also received the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller Gold Listing for accommodation in 2007
The hotel’s site, on the corner of Bolton and Mowbray Streets, is adjacent to Parliament Buildings and within walking distance to the city’s many theatres, restaurants, cafes, bars, and its retail hub. If guests don’t feel like venturing out, the hotel’s award winning restaurant, Bisque on Bolton, provides elegant dining complemented by an extensive New Zealand-based wine list. Chef Stephen Morris, formerly of Huka Lodge, has twice won the Chef of the Nation title and has cooked for the Queen.
Bisque on Bolton, which recently won the Formal Dining Category at the 15th Annual New Zealand Culinary Fare, is also available for functions, including weddings, with a private dining room available. Café Brioche, in the hotel’s lobby, serves a range of coffee and snack food, available to be enjoyed in the comfortable surroundings or to go.
With 142 fully air-conditioned guest rooms and suites furnished in a contemporary style, all of the hotel’s rooms are fully equipped with Sky Television, movies on demand, high-speed internet and a personal bar. Suites have separate bedroom(s), dining and living areas, laundry and kitchen facilities. All guests are able to utilise the fully equipped gym, heated swimming pool, spa and sauna, and there is valet parking and 24-hour reception and room service for added convenience. Accommodation packages are also available.

© Scoop Media