Hotel Solutions DMC Sustainability Policy 2024
(This document is revised at intervals of 6 months)

Vision/mission/company ethos
Hotel Solutions DMC is a second-generation family business, specialising in venue sourcing, conferences, incentives and events. We believe in providing a creative and innovative approach to the management and delivery of business events and travel on the island of Ireland which informs our mission and everything we do links into our core values (5 p’s) which are:
• Passion, Partnership, Professionalism, Proudly Irish, Delivered With A Personal Touch
Hotel Solutions DMC is aware that its business activities impact upon the environment and we are committed to alleviating those negative impacts and meeting the needs of this generation without compromising the needs for future generations.
UN Tourism definition
At Hotel Solutions DMC, we believe that “sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities” (UN Tourism, n.d.). We therefore aim to reduce our negative effects and increase our positive impacts.
Continuous improvement
Sustainability is a journey of continuous improvement, and we are aware that we still have a lot to learn. So far, we have undertaken a review of all aspects of our business and are committed to reducing our waste and energy consumption by separating and recycling as much of the waste produced as possible. We have upgraded our office lighting with low wattage LED replacements and our computer and office equipment have been replaced by low energy consuming alternatives.
Hotel Solutions DMC commit to responsibly achieving sustainable growth and performance through strong corporate governance and open dialogue with all our stakeholders. We will continue to strive for excellence in our business to reduce environmental impacts on our activities on and off site, and with a responsible management approach ensure sustainability initiatives form a core part of our corporate values.

Measuring and reducing negative impacts
4a. Energy consumption
We measure our electricity use at the electricity meter every month and have reduced our consumption by replacing our lighting to LED lights, electrical and computer equipment when upgraded have also been replaced with energy efficient models. The external security floodlights on our building have also been replaced by solar/daylight powered lights for the darker parts of the year for staff and visitors coming to our office. All appliances other than the fridge and security system are switched off at the end of each working day and we have the automatic timers set to their shortest and safest setting for the lights in our bathrooms and ancillary offices. Our energy supplier Energia, one of Irelands Greenest energy providers and they were awarded the winner’s trophy for The Green Energy Provider Award at the Green Awards for 2019 and 2020 and since January 2023 we are on a tariff paying the auction price of for electricity which has helped to control our costs since then as prices rose sharply.
4b. Water consumption
Our water use is measured quarterly upon receipt of our water meter bill from Irish Water and we have reduced our consumption by using the dishwasher on the eco setting, instead of handwashing kitchen utensils, we encourage staff to reuse their coffee mug for the entire day not for 1 coffee break. We have installed aerators/ low flow tap heads on all our taps in the building to reduce the amount of water used and continue to assess how to reduce further our consumption but this may prove a small challenge as our team continues to grow.
4c. Waste production
Waste production is monitored in the warehouse and office weekly and we reduce waste by separating it into designated bins. We recycle as much waste produced as possible with the addition in 2023 of a food waste bin, our cardboard waste is broken up and paper waste is all shredded and now supplied to a 3rd party for use as animal bedding which can then be composted after use. This reduces space used in the bin to decrease the amount of collections.
4d. Transport
Our business requires our team to visit locations throughout Ireland for “site inspections” with clients, and to this end, we try to ensure that a car pool system is used. This policy reduces the need for several vehicles to travel to the same location in turn not wasting fuel. As appropriate and as finance allows we are moving to petrol hybrid vehicles and for all Dublin city centre appointments due to the location of our office, we travel to and from these appointments by LUAS.
Ethical purchasing
At Hotel Solutions DMC we are committed to reducing our consumption and buying only what we really need through purchasing our office materials from local companies, who in turn supply recycle products and paper. These companies also have a strong commitment to a sustainability policy and by ordering the required products in bulk this assists in reducing the amount of packaging and the energy used for deliveries and we always give preference to certified products where possible.

Carbon management & offsetting
At Hotel Solutions DMC we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible and to offsetting the remainder with a trusted partner. We are currently working with South Pole to offset our emissions. We prioritise reducing our impact first by using renewable energy suppliers to power our business premises and recycling and reducing our waste and global impact when we can. We support the Rwanda Safe Community Water Supply and donate to it annually to offset the emissions we cannot avoid to produce.
Responsible sustainability marketing
We know that it is important to communicate our efforts in an honest way and we are aware of the risk of greenwashing, and we therefore commit to not over claim when we communicate our efforts globally. We know we cannot always get things right first time and therefore commit to honestly communicating where we are on our journey and our improvements.
Social responsibility/ Supporting Biodiversity
We continue to support community initiatives through our membership of SITE Global (Society of Incentive Travel Excellence) the Irish chapter has recently been become a silver sponsor in partnership with Grown Forest (www.grownforest.ie) and to date have planted 2 Oak trees in our name and 10 other National Woodland species in their name. Hotel Solutions DMC are going to support this initiative directly by purchasing Native Irish Trees.
Hotel Solutions DMC have signed up to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2021-2025 have reached out to a local school to help raise awareness in the local community about a pollination program and are hoping to sponsor a project this year.

Signed by:
Stuart Thornton
_______________________
Director
28/04/2024