THE LARGEST independent hotel in Edinburgh has removed single-use plastic toiletries from their bedrooms, instead offering guests the gift of Scotland’s natural beauty.
Guests at Ten Hill Place Hotel are being encouraged to take home their free packet of Scottish wildflower seeds, available in every bedroom, to plant this spring.
The decision is the latest in the four-star hotel’s series of sustainable changes which have included removing plastic water bottles and introducing recycling waste management on every floor.
The hotel is run by Surgeons Quarter, the commercial arm of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RSCEd). All profits made by the hotel and Surgeons Quarter’s six other venues are put towards the College’s charitable aims of improving patient outcome and advancing surgical standards across the world.
Scott Mitchell, Managing Director of Surgeons Quarter, said: “It’s really important to us that we make decisions which positively impact the environment as well as our guests.
“As part of our feedback, we ask guests for suggestions on how we can become more environmentally-friendly – we’ve made some small but powerful changes over the past few months as a result.
“After taking the decision to remove single-use toiletries and plastic bottles of water from our 129 rooms, we wanted to give something back to our guests – what better to give guests than a reminder of Scotland to bring home with them?”
Surgeons Quarter partnered with UK company Seed Promotions to create a customised selection of Scottish wildflower seeds, which include trefoil birdsfoot, poppy and ox-eye daisy seeds.
Claire Sellars at Seed Promotions said: “The team at Surgeons Quarter is really ahead of the curve when it comes to creative ways to be more sustainable.
“Scotland is home to around 1,600 native flowering plants which help to support wildlife across the country. It’s really brilliant to see Surgeons Quarter supporting Scotland’s natural wildlife in this way.”
The hotel, located in Edinburgh’s Old Town, has been recognised with a Gold Green Tourism Award which promotes sustainable tourism worldwide.
Ten Hill Place changes its menus with the seasons to make the most of Scotland’s natural larder, sourcing as much local produce as possible.
The hotel has also taken the decision to implement low flow showers and chemical free cleaning systems, and offers guests the option of not changing their towels and bedding daily to save water. A selection of toiletries will remain available at the reception of Ten Hill Place for guest use.
Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus. All profits support the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.
